[pct-l] Unfit father of a hiker baby

[Amanda L Silvestri]

David
 
Did I miss something?  Maybe I did, but I do not recall seeing anyone calling you an unfit father.  Did some actually bring up Child Protection?  If so I missed that post.  What I did see was some caring people expressing concern for your child.  They say that it takes a village to raise a child and the people of this village just want to be sure that your child is safe.   
 
It is not a crime to take your child out on the PCT.  It would be a crime to expose it to excessive heat and direct sun and not provide it with adequate water and shade.  It would be a crime to be careless when crossing a river and drown the child.   Child abuse involves active behaviors, doing something to hurt a child.  Neglect is not doing something to protect a child.  I think that the people here believe that you love your child and would not hurt it intentionally.  
 
What people seem to be asking is, are you familiar enough with the specific conditions you will encounter on this particular trail to be prepared to take care of a small child while out there?  You have told us of your experience generally and it is impressive.  You have not told us anything about your experience caring for a small child under very primitive conditions.  So we ask and point things out.
 
You and your family may have a wonderful experience out there this summer.  I hope that you do.  We just want to be sure that you are prepared for the extra weight, feeding and general child caring activities that will be involved.  We are not lecturing you or condemning you, we are expressing our caring and concern.  I hope that you can hear that.  Good luck on your adventure.
 
Shepherd.