A rescue of an ill-prepared hiker from Longs Peak this past week brought to mind the Ten Essentials. A 19-year old from Quebec embarked on an ascent of snow-covered Longs Peak in tennis shoes, cotton clothing, and a cell phone. Fortunately for him, the cell phone worked as he got “cliffed out” on a ledge with a steep drop-off and neither way up or down, and he was eventually rescued.
Years ago, before the advent of cell phones and GPS, every day hiker was urged to carry the Ten Essentials. The Ten Essential included things like extra food, extra clothing, map, compass, matches, flashlight, knife, first aid. The idea behind the Ten Essentials was that in the event you got stranded overnight, you would have what you needed in order to survive an unplanned night in the wilderness. Over the years of hiking and working in national parks, I have often been mocked for the amount of stuff I carry in my day pack. But I can also tell you that many times in changing weather conditions, I have used every one of those ten essentials at one time or another and was grateful I had packed them.
It seems these days, that many people think the list now only includes One Essential, that one essential being a cell phone. The thinking seems to be “if I get in trouble, I’ll just call someone to come rescue me.” We all have done things that we are stupid and not proud of, but in remote mountain areas, you can never be quite sure that cell phones or GPS will work, and then where will you be?
REI has updated the classic ten essential list originally published in the 1930s to a modern day one listed below. We would all be wise to adhere to these on our backcountry adventures…. Be safe and have happy hiking days!
- Navigation (map and compass)
- Sun protection (sunglasses and sunscreen)
- Insulation (extra clothing)
- Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
- First-aid supplies
- Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candles)
- Repair kit and tools
- Nutrition (extra food)
- Hydration (extra water)
- Emergency shelter
