Biblical Reflections on the Wilderness Essentials: A New Series!

by Andrew | Ideas, Teachable Moments, Ten Essentials (Blog Series), Wilderness Core Knowledge

You are packing up your pack for an exciting weekend trip into the mountains. As you survey the mound of gear that you have laying out, you ask yourself, “Am I bringing too much?”, “Am I missing anything?” Maybe it’s your first time, and you don’t even know where to start. Look no further than the “Ten Essentials.” Actually there are eleven, but we will get to that later. Maybe there are twelve wilderness essentials…if you add coffee.

The Ten Wilderness Essentials

The Ten Essentials are the ten bare minimum things that you should always have with you in the backcountry. Whether on a long day hike to a waterfall or a 2-month long expedition in the Yukon, you simply cannot afford to forget these things at home. They are:

1. Shelter
2. Food
3. Water
4. First Aid
5. Knife & Repair
6. Ignition
7. Sun Protection
8. Insulation
9. Illumination
10. Navigation
11.Bonus – Elimination

Ten is a really round number, which is likely why so many people call these “The 10,” but there are really eleven, because everyone poops and we really need to talk about how we deal with that “out there”.

Wilderness Essentials Are Helpful Guide Posts

Each month over the course of the next year, we are going to highlight one of these essentials to wilderness travel. We are going to talk about what they are and give a few helpful pro-tips when packing them. We are then going to let them be guideposts for us towards deeply essential Biblical truths. Not only are these items critical for our survival in wild places, but they can also help guide us, and those we serve, towards deeper faith. My hope is that you would find this series helpful, not only for your personal faith in Christ, but also in teaching the transforming truth of the Scriptures from the items that you WILL always have with you in the backcountry.

Reflection

1. Have you ever forgotten anything really important? What were the consequences?
2. If you have been on a backcountry trip before, have you had to do without one of these essential items?
3. Can you think of any way(s) that you would teach the scriptures using these items?

Andrew joined the Nexus staff in 2018 and has spent over 15 years working in domestic and international experiential education, wilderness programming, and camp management settings; in addition to 10 plus years of youth ministry and leadership development. He is married to Chantel and they have a son named Judah.