Boy Scout Troop 325 Scoutmaster Minute
September 15, 2009
Andy Duprey, Scoutmaster
The original Ten Essentials list was assembled in the 1930s by The Mountaineers, a Seattle-based organization for climbers and outdoor adventurers. The group's updated "systems" approach made its debut in the seventh edition of its seminal text on climbing and outdoor exploration, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (The Mountaineers Books, 2003).
Why create such a list? The book's editors explain: "The purpose of this list has always been to answer two basic questions: First, can you respond positively to an accident or emergency? Second, can you safely spend a night-or more-out?"
Packing these items whenever you step into the backcountry, even on day hikes, is a good habit to acquire. True, on a routine trip you may use only a few of them. We sincerely hope that you will actually never really need them-Yet you'll probably never fully appreciate the value of the Ten Essentials (or the wisdom that went into building the list) until you really, really need one or all of them. Only when the emergency strikes, will you know if you were prepared.
Thanks and good night scouts.