You can see this every weekend from early Spring until the water stops flowing on the Buffalo River NP. People come from all around to canoe or kayak and they bring the craziest expectations with them.

I could go on with stories and examples, but the short of it is that for several years every time I went there I ended up spending my time rescuing people from themselves and/or doling out supplies to people who refused to carry them because "I won't need it". Not because they were too expensive, or because they had no clue, but because they were certain they knew what they were doing even though they've never done it.

Worse yet, most of those people don't believe you're actually doing them a favor, they believe it's your responsibility to provide for and protect them. I've seen this behavior from poor hillbilly meth head trash to high paid Lexus driving executives.

Locals here, those who live in the rural Ozarks, do have outdoor skills. Kids still grow up learning them and practicing them. It's mostly city folks who get themselves into trouble here and feel entitled to whatever you have to relieve their discomfort.

When I lived in the city and the rurals would tell me that at first I thought they were being condescending. I soon realized they were practicing a sort of self defense that was a result of experience.