# Wilderness First Aid, Nov. 2013



## billski (Nov 12, 2013)

A few photos from the 16 hour class.
SOLO, sponsored by AMC


----------



## Huck_It_Baby (Nov 13, 2013)

I wanted to take a wilderness first aid course this year but time hasn't allowed. The course I saw requires several consecutive days and I haven't been able to swing it.

This summer I was backcountry canoe camping on Indian Lake in ADK and slammed a hatchet into my wrist! It happened at night pretty far back into a remote section which had no quick way back to a road. No cell reception to call for help. I didn't make it out and to a hospital until 14 hours later.

Fortunately we had first aid and my GF has medical skills!


----------



## billski (Nov 13, 2013)

Good God Huck!  You're lucky you hit on the side of the arm you did, and no broken bone either, so it appears.

The WFA course, which I took is two days and always seem to be held on weekends.   The WFResponder course is a 5-day resident course that gets waaaay deep into the medical aspects. Like you, I don't have time for that.

  This is my third time through the WFA (recert every two years).  Everything finally clicked this year, and the instructor went into a lot of gory details, nuts and bolt and triage methods that I would feel quite comfortable with doing.


----------



## Huck_It_Baby (Nov 13, 2013)

I went down to the bone on one side of the laceration! Dr. said I was pretty lucky. Just missed an artery and that would have been real bad considering how far away from help I was.

I'll have to look into the WFA course if it's a weekend thing, thanks!


----------



## billski (Nov 13, 2013)

Solo keeps their calendars up to date.   Check back monthly.

Cripes, there is one next month, just down the road from you in Waterbury.  
http://soloschools.com/index.cfm?event=courses.show&ctid=1
Oops, I forgot, that's ski time.


----------



## Huck_It_Baby (Nov 14, 2013)

billski said:


> Solo keeps their calendars up to date.   Check back monthly.
> 
> Cripes, there is one next month, just down the road from you in Waterbury.
> http://soloschools.com/index.cfm?event=courses.show&ctid=1
> Oops, I forgot, that's ski time.



Yeah it's gonna be hard to not ski for a weekend to take the course, haha.

It might have to wait until Tux melts out =)


----------



## o3jeff (Nov 14, 2013)

billski said:


> Solo keeps their calendars up to date.   Check back monthly.
> 
> Cripes, there is one next month, just down the road from you in Waterbury.
> http://soloschools.com/index.cfm?event=courses.show&ctid=1
> Oops, I forgot, that's ski time.



Thanks for posting that Billski, been wanting to take one of these classes "just in case".


----------



## Abubob (Nov 21, 2013)

billski said:


> A few photos from the 16 hour class.
> SOLO, sponsored by AMC
> 
> View attachment 9490
> ...



Yikes! Please tell me these aren't real. I could use a class like this.

I did this a few years ago, not life threatening but it hurt a lot.




P6262559 by Bob Misu, on Flickr

Then there was the time my wife sprained her ankle at the top of Mt Cardigan and I didn't have an ace bandage in my pack.




Class 2 sprain by Bob Misu, on Flickr


----------



## billski (Nov 21, 2013)

abub,
Why do you take photos of your injuries?  Some subliminal need to relive the pain and agony?  
You should hike with me.  The more I take these courses and the more incidents I've encountered have laden my pack heavily.  Hmm, maybe that's why I'm the slowest in the group.

Nastly little "scrape" you've got there.  

Nasty sprain.  We encountered a sprain on Cannon 2 summers back.  Her friend ran down to the ranger's cabin for help.  She came back, alone, with a pair of crutches.  Trumped my ACE bandage.... Ingenious!  

What you see is what a good makeup artist can do.  The 3-D is formed with clay and paint used in theater arts.


----------



## Abubob (Nov 21, 2013)

billski said:


> abub,
> Why do you take photos of your injuries?  Some subliminal need to relive the pain and agony?
> You should hike with me.  The more I take these courses and the more incidents I've encountered have laden my pack heavily.  Hmm, maybe that's why I'm the slowest in the group.



I must. Notice, however, I did not photograph my wife on the trail after the spain. I waited until she was home, drugged and "comfortable".



> Nasty sprain.  We encountered a sprain on Cannon 2 summers back.  Her friend ran down to the ranger's cabin for help.  She came back, alone, with a pair of crutches.  Trumped my ACE bandage.... Ingenious!



I doubt I'll be packing crutches.



> What you see is what a good makeup artist can do.  The 3-D is formed with clay and paint used in theater arts.



Yeah, I really could not imagine that they would ask for volunteers to have their arms gashed!


----------



## ijenn (Jan 18, 2014)

I've been thinking about taking one of these classes for a while - are they just run through the AMC? I'd like to know more about winter hiking injuries in particular.


----------



## billski (Jan 18, 2014)

ijenn said:


> I've been thinking about taking one of these classes for a while - are they just run through the AMC? I'd like to know more about winter hiking injuries in particular.


Any group can sponsor a class.  I've taken them at different AMC branches and also at a college (sponsored by an outing club.)  Most of the courses (not all) in the Eastern US are run by Solo Schools, which is based out of North Conway NH.  http://www.soloschools.com/   Solo lists most of the courses they teach on their web site.  It also describes the curricula.


----------



## ijenn (Jan 18, 2014)

That's a great resource! I think the outing club I'm part of might have a few classes, actually - I hadn't thought about taking it through them. Thank you!


----------



## bigbog (Mar 17, 2014)

Good, always useful to know stuff billski..  Would like to follow up after doing a few online certs....ya' know, nothing like actually doing it in person.


----------

