I feel that teaching kids about outdoors is wonderful!!! and everyone should experience it!!!! and let them decide if they want to do it!! But taking young teens and even under 10 yr olds on backpacking trips overnight to some of the hardest and most dangerous places should be really thought out!! There are a lot of nieve people out there that that dont realize the danger of bear country and high waterfalls!! it makes me cringe to hear of a kid attacked or killed by a bear! (polk county tennessee last yr (06) meridith emerson 24 yr old hiker, blood mountain last month (killed by another hiker!!) People use a little common sense!! I passed a couple both in 60’s or 70’s yesterday in the Cohutta wilderness with 6 girls under 13 yrs old, three had never been on an overnight before, and they were near one of the most dangerous waterfalls in Ga and one of the worst bear areas!!! please take care of our youth!!!!
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