Posts Tagged ‘lost’

Dressing to Blend in with the Environment

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

Several times today, on a couple of websites and in a book about camping, I have read that campers should dress in dull tones in order to “blend in with the environment.” I cannot disagree strongly enough, especially when it comes to dressing our youngsters (see my post, Kids’ Safety Packs). In Camping for Dummies, Michael Hodgson writes, “Blend in with the environment at all times. Wear clothing that is muted in color– not a fabric billboard.” (p.294).

Uh, NO! I especially want my son to be in something that stands out (not that his Boy Scout uniform complies with my wishes!), because I want to be able to see him easily– and the younger a child is, the more important that is. If your child is lost, what a comfort to know he or she is blending in so very well with the natural surroundings! I’m sorry for my fellow campers and the apparently irreparable damage I’m doing to their experience of “your hostess, Mother Nature,” (also p. 294), but both I and my progeny will continue to dress conspiculously (though reasonably attractively, I like to think). I’m never going to wear muted tones in a natural setting. If you don’t like what you see when you look at me and my kid, avert your eyes momentarily, and try to do your complainlng quietly enough that you don’t disturb the wildlife.

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Technology Controversy

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

In my post from May 15th entitled Kids’ Safety Packs , I mentioned that “Joe in Conn.” suggested supplying children with two-way radios for safety’s sake (in case they get lost while camping, etc.), and, as you know, I was out of town for a few days and not at my laptop much. Well, I’ve just gone through my backlog of daily digests from the Yahoo group in question, and am surprised at the snotty bickering that Joe’s suggestion sparked. First of all, my mother taught me that if you don’t have anything good to say, you say nothing at all; secondly, I guess I don’t understand why people are such zealots for their way of doing things that they feel the need to convert others to it.

In this case, the argument was generally between tech geeks who buy every new and improved gizmo on the planet and backcountry purists who disavow any technology whatsoever, apparently. I’m in the middle of the road on this one– if you have the budget for it, by all means make sure your kid has some kind of potentially life-saving technology at hand, but also teach them how NOT to get lost in the first place and how to get by on their own should the worst happen. For example, if you can outfit your child with a handheld GPS device and want to do so, more power to you; but make sure they have a map and can read it, too– even teach them how to determine direction by looking at the position of the sun/stars, etc.

Most important, whatever your camping and parenting styles may be, don’t ever assume your child isn’t at risk for getting lost just because you have a rule that they never wander off out of your sight, etc.; kids tend to break rules, in my experience, either willfully or through inattention, and accidents happen. So whether you’re a purist or a tech hog, watch your children carefully when you’re camping, teach them how to deal with any forseeable contingency, and for goodness’ sake, be courteous of others when making your point– especially in our upcoming forum, because I’ll be moderating it and won’t put up with any flaming!

About to go camping as soon as my son gets home from school,

Jean B. in SC

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Kids’ Safety Packs: What the String is For

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

From Matt Albrecht again, clarification on the string in the children’s safety fanny packs. First of all, he specifies that it is actually parachute chord, very strong though light-weight. Secondly, he lists a variety of things he teaches his children to do with it:

“1-get wet, take off under clothes, put back on outer clothes, dry under clothes on tight string.

2-tie corners of solar blanket to trees/branches for super quick lean-to

3-tie three branches together for tripod to cook over–then you need string to hang a birch basket to boil water.”

Remember, Matt actively teaches his kids to do these things; he doesn’t just talk about them theoretically. He obviously makes sure to include potentially life-saving campcraft activities in every campout– he don’t need no stinkin’ cheapo Dollar Store toys to entertain his brood!

I’m impressed, and once again, thankful he’s let me quote him. Thanks, Matt!


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Kids’ Safety Packs

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

Matt Albrecht, a member of a Yahoo camping group I recently joined, has explained what he does to make his children more easily found if they get lost on a camping trip. He has graciously agreed to let me quote him here.

Like many (and this is very important), the first thing he does is to dress his children in bright colors. This is a tip you’ll find over and over online, in books about camping, and so on, and it pays to follow it. My son does a lot of camping with his Boy Scout troop, and the t-shirts they use are bright red (of course, their uniforms are beige and green, which violates this hint completely!). It’s important to have your child in something attention-getting because the last thing you want is for him or her to blend into the scenery if people have to be out combing the woods for them, for example. I know this can fly in the face of advice about wearing light colors to ward off insects, but my priority is keeping my child easily visible! A camping trip is no time to wear those camouflage outfits, folks.

Matt says that he gives each of his children “a fanny pack…[with] band aids, string, an emergency solar-type foil blanket, and a whistle.” If they get lost, he instructs them to “find a tree at the edge of a clearing, face the clearing,…get out their space blanket so everyone could see it, and blast their whistle three times per minute.” What a great idea! And he and his children practice doing this, so he knows they truly have knowledge of how best to respond if they need help. He adds that he includes other tools in their kits, such as a pocket knife and fire-starting supplies, as his children demonstrate that they know how to use them responsibly.

What a wise dad!

Another person, “Joe in Conn.,” suggested adding a two-way radio and a flashlight to the kits. Do you do something similar? What do you suggest? I can’t think of a more important topic.

Yours,

Jean B. in SC

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