I second this, WD (regarding the practice of stopping at trail junctions and regrouping, not allowing the group to get separated). It's how we've always hiked, even on day hikes (trained by Sierra Club group backpacking) and we are now trying to instill this in our 17 year old twin nephews, who seem to race ahead oblivious to the presence of trail junctions...very frustrating. We're going out with them this weekend, so we'll have to keep tight rein on them!

Last week in Desolation Wilderness I was offtrail above Lake Aloha with an 18 year old daughter of a friend, near Lake LeConte, when we heard a guy yelling every 5 minutes or so. It sounded like a drunk rowdy guy, so didn't pay much attention until he was in view, and (not seeing us) yelled out "Somebody help me - I'm lost!". He was quite distraught, not drunk - his buddies had left him way behind and in the rear (he was photographing for the group) without a map or compass, and he'd gotten way off the trail unintentionally. I advised him to go back and then down towards the lake to find the trail, but he apparently went up instead, because later when we were down at Lake LeConte he appeared again, this time wanting to see our map because he'd come to a cliff! He was trying to get to the north end of the lake where they'd agreed to meet, but had missed the trail where it crossed a small snow field on the left, instead following a faint use trail that took off to the right towards LeConte then petered out. But rather than going back to find the main trail, he apparently headed up to the right (Aloha was to the left). A bad combination of poor group tactics and individual inexperience, it seemed. We got him aimed to the trail/lake (lake was within plain view), and I assume he made it OK, though we kept listening for his yells the rest of the day and evening. It was a good object lesson for the young first-time backpacker with me, at least!