11 Year Old Brennan Hawkins Lost In The Utah Mountains - But..2/12/2009 4:11:00 PMWho would have imagined that being eleven years old and lost in the Rocky Mountains and hiding from your rescuers because they were strangers. This is what Brennan was doing because the two survival tips, which he acted on were, "stay on the path" and "don't talk to strangers".
Every time an all-terrain vehicle or rescuer on horseback came by searching, he would leave the path, and avoid detection. He was taught not to talk to strangers, because he did not want anyone to steal him.
I remember talking with Nancy McBride when she was on CHWradio about this very incident and her concern that the phrase "Stranger Danger" had outlived its usefulness. Nancy, would like to see the phrase "stranger danger" removed from the English language.
Nancy, went on to say that kids do not always distinguish between stranger and danger. And typically most children are more vulnerable to people they already know. And they need to understand and recognize situations that may be harmful.