It's usually 4 of our 5 kids, us & 2 dogs.
We are quite fond of State & National parks & spend a lot of time off the beaten path.
Being the uber prepared soul that I am (read that as highly paranoid), I like to feel we are as prepared as we can be for what ever situation we might find ourselves in.
Back-woodsing it with little kids especially, makes one aware of the dreaded "L" word.
No not that one guys...
Lost.
Always the scary thought at the back of my mind.
We try to mitigate the dangers of that by training & preparation.
We talk to our kids.
We do scenarios.
We employ the buddy system (EVERYONE should use the buddy system. Regardless of your age, rank or status. Being alone just makes you vulnerable. I'm right & you know it.)
The biggest thing being if you get lost, once you realize you are lost sit your buns down.
Hug a tree. (the only time tree hugging is endorsed by our family by the way)
And each child has an emergency pack.
They are to carry them always when we are on the trail.
You might have noticed them in previous pics of our adventures.
The packs themselves have changed over the years but the contents remain pretty constant:
a reflective emergency blanket
a water bottle
a snack of some kind
a small flashlight
and an emergency whistle
(a whistle carries farther than a voice & it doesn't wear you out like yelling does)
If you are old enough you get matches & a knife as well.
No, these items may not save you from an angry bear but if you get separated & lost, the ability to have a snack & stay warm & start a fire for warmth or a signal could be the difference between happy endings & tragedy.
And knowing to sit & stay & not wander to exhaustion or until you fall off a cliff are important tips.
If you haven't had 'the talk' with your kids yet please do!
We've been very fortunate & in the 20 or so years I've been schlepping kids thru the woods I haven't
lost anybody.
Praise the Lord.
But I'm not arrogant enough to think it will never happen to me.
I prefer to be prepared.
This concludes your Public Service Announcement for the day.
:)
Blessings.
Hey! We do but we need a revision and review.
ReplyDeleteWe also do the whole buddy deal and at least each pair of buddies has a whistle (of, if we have cell signal, a phone where both people know how to use it). Knife & flashlight are standard issue for almost everyone.
We've never done the blanket option.
The only thing we do that isn't on your list is to require everyone to stay in sight of Mom or Dad. We got the in habit years ago of regular head counts as part of our safety routine and it's second nature now.
GREAT list!