[at-l] Should children carry the 10 (or 14) essentials?

[sloetoe at yahoo.com (Sloetoe)]

>    From: enviroknow@aol.com
> Do you have them carry the 10 (or 14) essentials?

### Dunno. The last time I looked, the 10 (or 14) essentials
struck me as pretty dumb, outdated, overcautious, heavy,
misplaced, arbitrary, etc.... (Sounds harsh, in just reading the
words, but if it's going on their back, it better make sense.
So, no apologies, I guess.)

### But keep in mind 2 important things:
1) The 10 (or 14) essentials are for day hiking -- when
circumstances unexpected at the trailhead could come up quickly
in the field. For backpacking, you'd best not be on the trail
unless you're prepared for whatever nature is gonna throw at
you.

2) Nobody has any business carrying things they can't use.

I'm sure the 10 (or 14) essentials include a knife: my kids will
not use or carry one outside my presence (I will not let them),
and they will not be using one until they know which side of the
blade to stay away from. (Unfortunately, as I am the
non-custodial parent, they don't get much time to practice,
either.) Neither do they carry rope or a first aid kit, nor, if
we carried one, a water filter. Although they've been pretty
good on how to use a compass (started at age 6), they don't
carry a map, cuz it usually takes 2-3 days of re-education
before they show a clue about topo lines, and they've *never*
shown much skill (or interest) in learning about how maps "map"
distance. (They may try an orienteering race this spring though
-- that would demonstrate an ability to find a map useful.)

So what *do* they carry, by way of the so-called essentials?
compass
whistle
shelter*
insulation
rain gear
two flashlights*
food ration
water
And added this year:
Lighter (they made flint&steel fires for 2nd grade science fair,
but -- dang! -- just too heavy. This year we're going to really
work to make fires each night -- if only squaw fires for
practice -- we'll pick up on burning, heating, fuels, cooking,
and LNT in one go.) And, except for the *-ed "shelter" and
"flashlights", they pretty much carry these things in fanny
packs when dayhiking, too.

They know the ins and outs of this stuff (almost) like pros.
Now, I'm counting nine items. By the time summer comes around,
we may also add a map and a first aid kit (3' tape, two safety
pins, and some neosporin), but I doubt it, and *seriously* doubt
the first aid kit (although they are and have always been
attentive patients when Dr. Dad explains his repairs on them
when those are needed). Why?

Back to the big point: children have no business carrying things
they cannot reliably, consistently, use. That invites an
independence (on both childrens' *and* parents' parts) that does
not in fact exist -- and when the attention needed to stay
together lapses because of a false confidence, and then the
*real* dependence of the child(ren) comes to the fore, people
young and old are now in deep, deep, life threatening, danger.

Now, my kids have miles on 'em. Long Trail end-to-enders at age
7. (yyyYYYEOW.) If we're able to hike as planned this summer
(500 miles, Canada->Katahdin), they will be the first Cohos
Trail http://www.cohostrail.org throughhikers under 12 years of
age, *and* they will have completed a *third* of the AT{!!!},
including the Smokys and VT/NH/ME. (That just blows my mind --
10 year old section hikers. Holy COW!) So these kids have been
around the block. And Dad is no alarmist.

But this is all about WALKING and SCRAMBLING and just generally
hiking along -- it is NOT much about decision-making along the
way.

(Well, I also outfit them each long hike with a watch [analog[!]
for that "teaching moment"!] so that we *all* know when 50-60
minutes are up ("Break time!") and when 10 minutes have quickly
passed ("Saddle up!"). "Mind the miles, and the smiles will mind
themselves.")

For as much as these kids have been around the (mountainous)
block, and for as much as I will breath easier when I know they
are self-sufficient in the mountains (as in life), the nicest,
safest, *easiest* path, for *all* concerned, right now, is for
these kids to remain *kids*.

The 10 (or 14) essentials are about survival. Kids should look
to their parents for survival. The 10 (or 14) essentials are
about self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Kids should know they
can rely on their parents for their sufficencies. Kids should
always know where Mom&Dad are, and should always make themselves
*known* to Mom&Dad whenever and whereever they wander off. Kids
should *never* be called upon to make life&death decisions, on
their own, outside of parental review and intervention. Such
decisions will be frought with error -- *childish* error, by
construction.

OK, well, that was the bottom line: "kids need to remain kids,
and not be expected to make adult decisions regarding when/how
to use the 10 essentials in emergency situations."

And I'll reiterate: I'm the Dad of two truly remarkable young
hikers, who've a boatload of miles and experiences on 'em. And
I'll note that for myself: I was 13 or 14 when I really started
studying maps, and figuring logistics, and planning trips on my
own -- trips with my friends and I, no adults along. My kids are
now heading toward their 10th birthday -- four years to go --
and I'm well satisfied with where they are and who they are.
They'll be young *men* soon enough, I think.

Fun to write.
THANKS for the spur, enviroknow.
Sloetoe

=====
Spatior! Nitor! Nitor! Tempero!
   Pro Pondera Et Meliora.

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