This link has extended footage of the search area.
I thought of mushroom hunting, but they could have actually been visiting a friend, or they could have been doing something more innocent like looking for an xmas tree.
The Monday morning after Allyson supposedly disappeared, Ben was found sleeping inside the cab of a man's truck, soaking wet. That man gave him ride home (afiak to his dad's house). Ben told his dad that he and Allyson had been 'hiking' in the Old Pumpkin Road area the night before when he crashed the car they were driving/it broke down, at which point he and Allyson became separated while looking for help. They went back to the area to search for her for a few hours, and then Ben's dad called to report Allyson missing. When LE arrived in the area, they located a stolen truck and Ben and were able to connect him to it, arresting him for that and probation violations. LE later stated 'there is certainly no broken down car'.
I wonder that too - did they just not know how to get in touch with her family? I wonder where Allyson was living?
I am also wondering now what the true nature of her relationship is with Ben. They didn't interact on social media and didn't go to the same high school, nor is Ben on the friend list of Allyson's teenage fb profile (leading me to believe they met in more recent years).