Being “groovy” is what got these kids hurt. Sure, take pepper spray - it might even work. But you ALWAYS back it up with any one of a readily available and appropriate selection of propelled lead projectiles. These kids were certainly old enough to carry better protection than pepper spray (probably stuffed in the bottom of their packs), at least we were when we were teens going into griz country... Or maybe these city kids are convinced that guns are evil and are only good for killing people “unexpectedly”.
They could well be anti-2nd Amendment City Kids. A brush with Reality might give some of them second thoughts about their assumptions.