A few years ago members of our Troop went to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for a 10 day hike. They were caught in a snow storm (it was August) and a flash flood. Nobody was hurt or even uncomfortable. They were prepared.
Is It Safe for Young Kids to Camp Out in the Wilderness?
SodaHead News
2011/05/04 15:00:00
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Hiking in a national forest is a majestic and invigorating experience, unless of course you get cut off from returning because of raging waters.
That's what happened when a Boy Scout troop, consisting of teenagers, was caught unawares while they were hiking in the Arkansas national forest, according to CNN. A search and rescue mission was launched after the troop went missing after a weekend camping trip. A National Guard helicopter spotted the stranded hikers as the scouts aimed flashlights overhead at the crew of the Arkansas National Guard LUH-72 helicopter. All the hikers were fine.
"We were just waiting for the river to go down so we could cross it," Scoutmaster Jeff Robinson, who said the troop was stranded by high water, told CNN.
The Ouachita National Forest, the South's oldest and largest national forest, is 1.6 million acres. There are 480 miles of hiking trails and an abundance of campgrounds.
"If you start wandering around you make the situation worse," Robinson told CNN. "We just stayed where we were. We were high. We were dry. We were safe."
That's what happened when a Boy Scout troop, consisting of teenagers, was caught unawares while they were hiking in the Arkansas national forest, according to CNN. A search and rescue mission was launched after the troop went missing after a weekend camping trip. A National Guard helicopter spotted the stranded hikers as the scouts aimed flashlights overhead at the crew of the Arkansas National Guard LUH-72 helicopter. All the hikers were fine.
"We were just waiting for the river to go down so we could cross it," Scoutmaster Jeff Robinson, who said the troop was stranded by high water, told CNN.
The Ouachita National Forest, the South's oldest and largest national forest, is 1.6 million acres. There are 480 miles of hiking trails and an abundance of campgrounds.
"If you start wandering around you make the situation worse," Robinson told CNN. "We just stayed where we were. We were high. We were dry. We were safe."
Top Opinion
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fuzzy Ken "In G-d We Trust" 2011/05/04 15:54:43Yes
+13Apparently, young kids hiking in the wilderness are quite safe IF you have the training and know what to do. Boy Scouts do.
A few years ago members of our Troop went to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for a 10 day hike. They were caught in a snow storm (it was August) and a flash flood. Nobody was hurt or even uncomfortable. They were prepared.
When you're a young kid, camping is fun and an adventure. When you start to get older, it helps to teach you how to take care of yourself and how to react to different situations. Proper supervision for young kids, and then it's your call when they get older on when they can go it alone.
Oh my! they might not get to use hand sanitizer and properly wash before they eat!
AAAARG! GERMS! DIRT! SWEAT! AAARG! THE HORROR OF IT ALL!
....and don't even get me started on the wildlife!
I heard a child was taken away by rogue army ants!
America: It used to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, but now it is more like the land of the cowards and home of the enslaved! (Enslaved to silly fears that is)
Pack the tent, were going camping! ....of course lil johnny comes with! We don't want him growing up to be afraid to go outside now do we?
Unless it is Bear Grylls.
Oh... The question never said ALONE, did it?
Luckily, as a collective, we are all very good at our jobs, so stories like this are rare. And I might also note that these kids were in no peril in this situation.
I camped as did my parents and grandparents ... as will my grandchildren.
Amazing! It is no wonder we cannot find any real leaders in today's America--they are all trained to be too scared to actually lead!
Taught us all things .... things that at the moment of the teaching may have seemed unimportant as a youth, but as an adult and parent, quite valuable.
Were you also a Scout Bulldog ?
My two boys on the other hand? They were in scouts as soon as I could get them in! They wound up liking the FFA better as they grew up, but I did raise them up on a small ranch.
They grew up camping, fishing, hunting, etc. They raised livestock, and learned how to live off the land too!
Sad, the direction that Detroit has gone .... looks like a war zone and definitely not the place to be trying to raise a child ... at least not a child who you love and would like to see go on to make something of his/her life.
I took my kids camping every year starting the year they were born.
It is amazing how quiclky we forget how rugged humans are designed to be!, we had tents, disposable diapers, cell phones, first aid kits, and many many other things that our great great grandparents did not have when they were born and they grew up all healthy? And that was how they lived every day! I think if our ancestors lived out in the wild as a way of life, a few days camping is not really all that dangerous.
Camping is not inherantly any more dangerous than letting your toddler play in the dirt. If you supervise your kid. If you let them run wild, then it can be dangerous but not moreso than letting your tyke run wild unsupervised anywhere else.
As with any activity, the responsiblity and supervision of the parent is the most important part of the equation in measuring the risk of activities with children. IMHO anyway.
While I find the country a great place to visit I would go nuts living there.