Gearing Up
Essentials for the pack
Items you should never be without on the trial.
My son Alexander and I were on rather rugged hike last week that allowed me to
reinforce just how important having the proper judgment and gear truly is.
It is a message that is even more important right now as hunters begin heading into
the woods for the start of hunting season, and with this start will also come reports of
people being forced to spend the night in the woods.
The hike we were on is a nearly 9-mile round trip to the highest point in the Pigeon
River State Forest. We were going to check out the view from an old fire tower, which
we found out when we got to the top, had been taken down.
The day was very clear and bright when we started our hike, the type of day you are
glad to be in the outdoors.  
As I was loading my pack, I made sure I had the gear we needed for the day and the
extra items I always carry, what have become to be known as the ‘10 Essentials’.  
There are variations of the list, but mine consists of nine items:
1-        Map and compass
2-        Flashlight
3-        First-aid kit with water purification tablets added.
4-        Fire starters and matches in a waterproof container
5-        Extra clothing
6-        Extra food & water
7-        Knife
8-        Parachute cord
9-        Small tarp and space blanket
All of this weights very little, but in the event of unforeseen circumstances, it is
invaluable.
Most of the items, like the map, compass, flashlight, first-aid kit, fire starters and
matches need little explanation. When it comes to extra clothing, even a pair of wind
pants and a fleece top will help ward off unexpected cold.
Extra food can be in the form of energy bars, an extra sandwich or any ready to eat
food.
The 4-foot x 6-foot tarp is an item I like to carry and not on most lists. It works as a
ground cloth or shelter and the lightweight cord allows me to rig it any way I need to.
The space blanket, one of the inexpensive folded up Mylar sheets will reflect an
incredible amount of heat back to the body and is waterproof.
Anyone heading any distance from their base should always carry this gear. In the
case of Alexander and me, having these essentials offered a margin of comfort we
would not have had.
Our hike took longer than I had anticipated and our decision to take a “short cut” to
the main trail did not work out as planned.
The equestrian trail we walked to cut a bit off the forest trail did not meet up with the
hiking trail as I thought it would.
These horse trails were not on the map so we had no idea if they would continue
west or twist and turn as they had been. We had a decision to make and this is when
the chance for me to once again reinforce the basics of backcountry travel came into
play.
It was getting late in the day and there was no time to continue exploring these trails.
We had to go back to where we had left the hiking trail.
The area is a maze of glacial moraines offering hills that are to say the least
impressive, and the thought of going up one massive incline made my calf muscles
hurt just thinking about it. But it was the correct action to take. Too many times hikers
and hunters continue on, hoping that they are on a trail that will get them to where
they want to be, but in the end, they become lost.
We were not lost and I had no intention of putting us in that position. The worse thing
that could happen is that we would run out of daylight and have to stay the night. But
because I had that small group of essential items if this happened, it would be an
adventure and not an emergency.
We had fire starters to help in lighting a campfire, extra food to eat, added clothing
for warmth, a tarp for shelter and water to drink.
It would not have been as comfortable as being in our sleeping bags, but it would
have been O.K, and an experience Alexander would never forget.
As it turned out, we kept up a rather fast pace, went back to the main trail and were
back to the car with 30-minutes to spare.
When Alexander and I were talking about the situation his attitude made me proud.
“I wasn’t worried,” he told me. “We had all we needed and you know what you are
doing.”
I wasn’t worried either, because I had the extra gear in my day bag, and one heck of
a kid to keep me company.