Lost hikers found..with just a dead cell phone?

Even before any ten essential items, I suggest a few rules :
Be aware of your suroundings
Know where you are
Have an exit strategy
Know your self and your limitations and skills
Have a reliable means of navigation that you know how to use
Start small and build up
Feel free to add :)

Before you can teach someone something, IMHO, they have to be motivated to learn it. Sure, I can show anyone how to build a one match fire. But if they don't see the need, will they remember? Many wilderness survival skills are1% solutions. 99% of the time you won't need them. The question then becomes, how do you motivate people to want to learn these skills,?
 
Forester33 said:
Even before any ten essential items, I suggest a few rules :
Be aware of your suroundings
Know where you are
Have an exit strategy
Know your self and your limitations and skills
Have a reliable means of navigation that you know how to use
Start small and build up
Feel free to add :)

Before you can teach someone something, IMHO, they have to be motivated to learn it. Sure, I can show anyone how to build a one match fire. But if they don't see the need, will they remember? Many wilderness survival skills are1% solutions. 99% of the time you won't need them. The question then becomes, how do you motivate people to want to learn these skills,?
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Very well said, and something I keep coming back to time and time again - we tend to focus so much on gear, but everything you list above is far more essential than what might be in your Altoid tin. If you always keep the above in mind, you will rarely, if ever, need "survival" items.
 
This is another story (with a thankfully positive ending) that, in bold *lettering*, highlights the need for people to re-learn a healthy respect for the outdoors. Moreover, it further illustrates/suggests the huge gulf of ignorance the general population in the US has about life outside the urban/suburban environment.

It's kinda like "Gilligan's Island" - even the most non-ambitious outing can turn into a life-threatening experience. I'm thankful these young folks were found, saddened by the injury the rescue worker suffered in the rescue and hopeful these young folks (and their sphere of influence) will be motivated to learn some basic wilderness skills.
 
My iPhone 4S has a lifeproof case, like that up. Waterproof, dirtproof, shockproof, snowproof. I love this case!
 
The one thing most people under estimate is water. From what I read in the papers it seemed that they had one bottle of water each for the hike. A box of paper matches a jacket and a bandana with about 5 times the water and they would have made it. One thing I always do is have a fully charged phone which i turn off if there is no reception. Phones use up the battery 3 to 4 times faster cause they try and establish connection with the towers. So if you have no reception turn the phone off. They seemed to get into trouble on the very first day by running out of water. From there on it was down hill as they couldn't think with being dehydreded...
 
These people had no business venturing beyond where the sidewalks end. Sad but true. The Sheriffs Deputy has been released from intensive care. He had broken ribs, a punctured lung and head injuries from his fall.
 
Heard a story from a national park service friend. Hiker had to be rescue off a famous peak in cali. He was close to the summit, but got dehydrated and confused, and wandered off the trail and called for rescue. Once up in the helo with some liquids, he saw how close he was to the summit and demmanded to be set back down so he coyld "bag " the peak. If I had been the rescuer, I would set him back down and flown away, then sent the bill for the rescue.
 
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