WHAT’S YOUR ELEVENTH ESSENTIAL? Celebrating the Ten Essentials By Claire Giordano, Watercolor Artist
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he last patch of shade disappears in a wavering blue line, distorted by the heat. I sit on the scorching sand in exasperation. We are still five miles from the car, and I feel like garbage. I’m dizzy, a bit nauseous, and have a headache. After a year of hiking in the Northwest, I’ve forgotten about the unrelenting desert sun and my 2.5 liters of water was not nearly enough... I am dehydrated, and badly. This is my first experience with bad dehydration, and what started as a great day hike has deteriorated into a sufferfest. I know better. It is scary to think that my simple oversight could be much worse if it weren’t for my hiking partner, who prudently carried more water than I did and gave me everything they had left. Bringing extra water is one of the Ten Essentials, and for good reason. As I later learn in a first aid course, dehydration takes time to develop, and even longer to bounce back from. I’m surprised by how many hours it takes to feel better.
The Ten Essentials I first learned about the Ten Essentials when I was six years
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mountaineer | spring 2021
old. My dad made a child-sized emergency kit that I carried with pride in my small backpack. Understanding how to take care of myself outside was a rite of passage in our house, and choosing the right gear was a family activity before every trip. Today, as an avid outdoorswoman and plein air watercolor artist, I spend a lot of time outdoors. I still have the kit my dad gave me, which has grown substantially in size as I cultivate my own outdoor knowledge. After a ten-day wilderness first aid class my medical supplies doubled in volume, and since my desert experience I always bring more water than I think I’ll need (and purification tablets, just in case). It brings me comfort and confidence to know that I always have the essential gear I need to spend an unexpected night outside and to care for myself and others. I also see each mistake or forgotten item as a learning opportunity to refine my essentials kit for next time. What I love about the Ten Essentials is that, while everyone has the same key categories, the specifics are incredibly personalized. Some of my friends count the grams of their emergency kit and scour the internet for the lightest pair of
