Missing and Stranger Danger

So the missing boy scout was found, miraculously and safely. According to the news article, he took a wrong turn on a trail and tried to double-back through the woods (just like what happened to the girl in the book, "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon"). Instead of staying put, he continued on, traveling some 400 feet upward on a trail. Whenever soemone was coming on the trail, he hid. Unfortunately, most of the people he encountered (and hid from) were searchers.

I understand teaching children about stranger danger. I worry about it all the time. What is the best solution in this situation? Should the parents have told him to stay put in case of getting lost? Should he have been equipped with a whistle so that he could alert others to his presence? Should the chaperones on the trip have been more vigilant?

It's hard to say what should have been done. I only hope that the next time a group goes out into the woods, people pay more attention. I think that if I take my daughter camping in the woods, I'll get her a whistle and instruct her to use it if she gets separated from us. I'll also tell her to stay put, rather than wander off to see if she can find the trail.

Thankfully, the boy was found!