Did you at least get a discount on the milk for the free advice?

Feel your pain, my plants are bug buffets too.

Just make sure he feels like part of the crew, not just your little brother.

You mentioned streams flowing toward the main path, but that doesn't always work out. In rocky areas, water can disappear underground or split into smaller streams. What if you follow a trickle and it leads you farther from any trail? I once trusted a creek sound and it took me to a dead end with thick brush. Using a physical map has saved me more than listening for water. Why risk getting more lost based on a faint sound?