Hi Scott,

You can definitely find a good many first-hand accounts of outdoor bloopers at the Backpacker Magazine forums, on which some of us here participate: http://forums.backpacker.com/

I would look at the "Trailhead Register" or "Backpacking with Kids" forums, and do a keyword searches. I know I've read some pretty interesting trip reports there, with plenty of "here's what not to do" comments.