Talking to Strangers

This post is about discussing how you you train your children to deal with stranger dealing with strangers in the backcountry.

I clearly remember my parents telling me that I was never to talk to strangers.  Strangers just weren't safe.


It was a different country in 1958.  A parent could tell their child to walk to the corner market with a list of items to purchase.

Sadly, today we read/hear about the abduction of young people all to frequently.

Let's frame the discussion.

Perhaps you are on a camp out at the local state park. After lunch your two boys can not be found.  Finally, the park Ranger calls the county Sheriff who in turn calls out/activate the Search and Rescue (SAR) team to find and rescue the boys.

In my county (in Oregon) SAR is maned by roughly 70 volunteers and a hand full of paid staff (deputies).  It can take20-50 minutes for those volunteers to respond and report to the SAR facilities.  For a large search that require assets from surrounding counties a large scale search For the volunteers to respond and rendezvous at a specific locations.

Every SAR team member wants the lost hiker to be rescued.  And, every one of the SAR team are strangers.  Should your boys not respond to the SAR voices or whistle blast.

I'd recommend that you and your children have and carry the "Ten Essentials." which includes a whistle.  Practice what you want to have your hikers do.

Ten Essentials:Ten Essentials