What to Do When a Stranger Walks Into Your Camp at Night (From a Retired Park Ranger)

📕 Stay Found, my field guide for anyone who heads outdoors: what to carry, what to leave on the kitchen table, and what to do in the first hour if somebody doesn't come back → https://stayfoundbook.com A headlamp stops where your lantern light gives out, and a friendly voice asks, "You out here by yourself?" Here are the four moves I would want you to know before that moment comes, in the order you use them. Each one has a real case behind it, and each one works at your own front door too. The last move doesn't ask you to size anybody up at all. I'm Cliff Hollis. Thirty-two seasons as a ranger, the last fifteen running search and rescue. The rules here come from the Park Service, the Forest Service, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Pacific Crest Trail Association, sheriff's offices and published research. THE MOVE, THE CASE, AND THE FRONT-DOOR VERSION 1. Stay where you are, and answer with "we." The case: the Pacific Crest Trail Association's own safety line, "Use the pronoun 'we' instead of 'I.'" At home: an honest visitor gives his name and his business before he asks you anything. 2. Ask what he needs, and keep it short. The case: a 71-year-old hunter lost in the Sierra National Forest walked toward headlights with his hands up, and the hunters in that truck got him out. At home: a story padded with too many details, or a man claiming authority, is the warning. A real official will wait while you call. 3. If something itches, leave early, and make leaving cheap. The case: hikers on the Appalachian Trail walked away from a threatening man, crossed the ridge and called 911 again. At home: "Scammers pressure you to act immediately," says the FTC. Keep the door shut, have ID slid under it, and look up the number yourself. 4. Bring in somebody who isn't there yet. The case: one hiker's quiet email to the FBI, with photos, led agents to a wanted man who had spent about six years as easy company on the Appalachian Trail. At home: nobody comes in to wait, not for a phone and not for a glass of water. You make the call from behind a locked door. Stay found, folks. #ParkRanger #CampingSafety #Camping