For what it's worth, I have some observations.
We took our baby, who is four days younger than DeOrr, on a hike today. We are outdoors a lot, and this case has made me paranoid and observant (the poor kid has to wear a lighted ankle bracelet). This particular trail is considered moderately easy, with a moderate climb (200ft elevation gain), and lots of obstacles like rocks and roots. The baby practically ran the whole way up, climbing up and over large rocks and logs. He refused to stop and rest for more than a few seconds. When given the lead, he followed the trail, but I was surprised to note that he was quick to veer off onto any smaller trails along the way. When we got to an open field, he completely ignored the trail and we had to rein him back in. There was a small outcrop of rocks (a "tunnel," he said, referring to Thomas the Train) that he crawled under (we took him over to the rocks for a picture and let him play a bit). He got so far back in there that my husband had to crawl in after him on his belly. No fear! Coming back down was a lot harder for him than going up. He was still practically running (so peaceful for others on the trail I'm sure, to hear us hollering, "slow down!" over and over.) The trail is not quite a mile in length, so we walked about two miles round trip. When we got to the car, he didn't want to leave; he wanted to "walk" more!
The takeaway...
1) Two miles was nothing for this kid to walk/run. He was going fast, even on rough terrain. I believe he could easily have gone another two miles, although he was starting to stumble more (but that could have been due to the downhill path.)
2) He had no fear of heights, no fear of the dark "tunnel."
3) He was asking for water frequently. I think *maybe* he would understand that he could get water from a creek, and left to his own devices, might try to get water from a creek (or lake, or whatever.) It's hard to say if he would equate a creek with drinking water, but he very well might, since he drinks his share of pool water. I say all that because I think there might be a chance DeOrr walked a long way and then fell into a body of water far away from the campsite.
One more thing. If you've read this far, you won't mind me rambling a bit longer... It's been more than twenty years since I had a two-year-old to take care of. I had completely forgotten how *difficult* it is to keep a close eye on them at all times. It is really, really hard. Strangely, I notice that it is even *more difficult* when there are more people around because everyone thinks somebody else will notice the baby straying (or getting into the birthday cake, or whatever.) Just an observation.
