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    • When I did my Woofer course at Pinkham Notch one day head instructor cam into classroom & started writing a gear list on chaulkboard with prices. He was trying to raise funds for a trip to the himilayas. He said he could sell his gear hear at discounted prices & pick it up over there even cheaper. As we did our practical field evecuation at night I haggled with him a bit as we took our turn carring the litter. Ended up with a Marmot -30 gore-tex shelled bag for $300. Fast forwar to following February. My buddy & I drive up to north end of the Preidentials for a trip up Kings Ravine. We sleep in back of his pickup after arriving late at night. He's bithing about how cold it got last night as he emeges from his bag with heavy base layer & fleece on. I comment yeah, I almost put my hat on at one point as I come out bare ass & start getting dressed.
    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      When I did my Woofer course at Pinkham Notch one day head instructor cam into classroom & started writing a gear list on chaulkboard with prices. He was trying to raise funds for a trip to the himilayas. He said he could sell his gear hear at discounted prices & pick it up over there even cheaper. As we did our practical field evecuation at night I haggled with him a bit as we took our turn carring the litter. Ended up with a Marmot -30 gore-tex shelled bag for $300. Fast forwar to following February. My buddy & I drive up to north end of the Preidentials for a trip up Kings Ravine. We sleep in back of his pickup after arriving late at night. He's bithing about how cold it got last night as he emeges from his bag with heavy base layer & fleece on. I comment yeah, I almost put my hat on at one point as I come out bare ass & start getting dressed.
      What's a woofer course?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Mountain-Mike wrote:

      When I did my Woofer course at Pinkham Notch one day head instructor cam into classroom & started writing a gear list on chaulkboard with prices. He was trying to raise funds for a trip to the himilayas. He said he could sell his gear hear at discounted prices & pick it up over there even cheaper. As we did our practical field evecuation at night I haggled with him a bit as we took our turn carring the litter. Ended up with a Marmot -30 gore-tex shelled bag for $300. Fast forwar to following February. My buddy & I drive up to north end of the Preidentials for a trip up Kings Ravine. We sleep in back of his pickup after arriving late at night. He's bithing about how cold it got last night as he emeges from his bag with heavy base layer & fleece on. I comment yeah, I almost put my hat on at one point as I come out bare ass & start getting dressed.
      What's a woofer course?
      I was wondering that too
    • WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farmers.
      Basically a way of working for stay on farms all over the world.
      My brother in law has a tree nursery and used to employ quite a few but has stopped since his wife died to reduce his paperwork etc.
      If you have a desire to travel and a limited budget check it out.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.
    • Best I can describe it is an advanced first aid course geared for outdoors. I took mine thru SOLO soloschools.com/ I did it at Pinkham Notch & stayed at the lodge there. It was a two week course with lots of hands on stuff & learning how to improvise equipment using normal outdoor gear. Like using a hiking pole to make a traction splint. It's pretty much mini EMT course.

      It was great doing it at Pinkham! Most days we had about an hour between when classes ended & diner was served. within 5 minutes of class getting out several of us where off on a quick hike, after dinner normal routine was group studdy in common room. Staff was excelent, had a wide range of outdoor experience, & kept thins fun & interesting.

      I do highly reccomend taking a WFA (Wilderness First Aid) weekend course or longer 2 week WFR course.
    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      Best I can describe it is an advanced first aid course geared for outdoors. I took mine thru SOLO soloschools.com/ I did it at Pinkham Notch & stayed at the lodge there. It was a two week course with lots of hands on stuff & learning how to improvise equipment using normal outdoor gear. Like using a hiking pole to make a traction splint. It's pretty much mini EMT course.

      It was great doing it at Pinkham! Most days we had about an hour between when classes ended & diner was served. within 5 minutes of class getting out several of us where off on a quick hike, after dinner normal routine was group studdy in common room. Staff was excelent, had a wide range of outdoor experience, & kept thins fun & interesting.

      I do highly reccomend taking a WFA (Wilderness First Aid) weekend course or longer 2 week WFR course.
      Agreed.
      I did 2 day wilderness first aid earlier this year.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.
    • I've been planning on taking a WFA course but decided to take a Wilderness First Responder course instead. SOLO Southeast offers one for people who are already in healthcare that is fast paced and only lasts 5 days. I bought the book and have been slowly reading it, along with my ARC First Aid book.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • I would love to take the 21 day EMT/WFR course but can't take that much time off work. Plus, I have no intention of being a professional first responder. Mostly, I want the knowledge in case I'm in the right place at the right time. I loved volunteering in the medical tent at the Rev 3 triathlon and bandaging people up...it was fun.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • There's a class in March that I'm considering but I'm torn because I'd like to have decent weather. I want to learn outside, not stuck in a classroom.
      The advantage is I can use my Christmas and New Year's holidays and not take vacation...save vacation time for hiking.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I would love to take the 21 day EMT/WFR course but can't take that much time off work..........
      Pitch it to your employer as continuing education.Then ask them to not only give you the days off, but to pay you for them too and cover all your other expenses that you incur while taking the course.
      Unfortunately, that would never be approved.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been planning on taking a WFA course but decided to take a Wilderness First Responder course instead. SOLO Southeast offers one for people who are already in healthcare that is fast paced and only lasts 5 days. I bought the book and have been slowly reading it, along with my ARC First Aid book.
      i have wfa. It can be summarized as :

      Do no harm
      Make patient comfortable
      Get help

      Umless you are a surgeon, or an emt, there isnt much you will really do for people seriously hurt except recognize problems and get help.
    • muddywaters wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been planning on taking a WFA course but decided to take a Wilderness First Responder course instead. SOLO Southeast offers one for people who are already in healthcare that is fast paced and only lasts 5 days. I bought the book and have been slowly reading it, along with my ARC First Aid book.
      i have wfa. It can be summarized as :
      Do no harm
      Make patient comfortable
      Get help

      Umless you are a surgeon, or an emt, there isnt much you will really do for people seriously hurt except recognize problems and get help.
      Define seriously. :)
      I think there is a lot that a person can do in a backcountry emergency; Stabilize fractures, treat hypo/hyperthermia, reduce a shoulder dislocation, treat diabetic crises, treat chest pain, etc.

      When there is an emergency, the most qualified person becomes the situational leader. I'm in a position that I could possibly be the most qualified. I feel a need to be knowledgeable so that I can make appropriate decisions and direct other people.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • WFR is weird. You have more power than most ENT if you are one mile or one hour from a road. I have been both just never kept certificates current. Normal EMT training is treatment to get to hospital quickly.

      Woofer & Wilderness EMT deal a lot more with long term treatment & stabilization. Things like wound management or what if someone develops a GI infection & due to vomit & diareah gets severly dehydrated. If evacuation isn't an options what can you do?
      Traction splinting, reseting dislocated joints, etc. Not something really necessary on AT but could, but hopefully not on other trails.
    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      WFR is weird. You have more power than most ENT if you are one mile or one hour from a road. I have been both just never kept certificates current. Normal EMT training is treatment to get to hospital quickly.

      Woofer & Wilderness EMT deal a lot more with long term treatment & stabilization. Things like wound management or what if someone develops a GI infection & due to vomit & diareah gets severly dehydrated. If evacuation isn't an options what can you do?
      Traction splinting, reseting dislocated joints, etc. Not something really necessary on AT but could, but hopefully not on other trails.
      HB, should feel he is in good company hiking with you. :)
      But hopefully y'all will not actually need any of these skills.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LIhikers wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I would love to take the 21 day EMT/WFR course but can't take that much time off work..........
      Pitch it to your employer as continuing education.Then ask them to not only give you the days off, but to pay you for them too and cover all your other expenses that you incur while taking the course.
      When I co-owned a small business, sent one of the sharper employees to a Red Cross first aid course . The woman found a calling and I eventually lost her as she became a RN.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • muddywaters wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been planning on taking a WFA course but decided to take a Wilderness First Responder course instead. SOLO Southeast offers one for people who are already in healthcare that is fast paced and only lasts 5 days. I bought the book and have been slowly reading it, along with my ARC First Aid book.
      i have wfa. It can be summarized as :
      Do no harm
      Make patient comfortable
      Get help

      Umless you are a surgeon, or an emt, there isnt much you will really do for people seriously hurt except recognize problems and get help.
      Just last month I attended an awards ceremony whereby a hiking buddy received a decoration for saving two lives during a rocket attack . He is not a medic but did undergo basic buddy care prior to deploying. In short while under small arms fire, he administered CPR with one hand while applying pressure on a torn blood vessel with the other hand. Both victims survived.

      He later told me he kept thinking throughout the ordeal he should've paid more attention during buddy care training.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • I urge everyone to just learn basics at least. How to stop bleeding, trat for shock, etc. From there determine what you need for where you hike. Basic red Cross course should be enough for most .redibly available & cheap. Those in charge of groups may need more training. Knowledge never hurts to have, especially when you need it!
    • No duct tape. Flagging tape.

      A buddy of mine squashed his finger in downtown Memphis once when we were surveying there. If he would have listened to me he wouldn't have had to use the hammer (5# sledge) so I wasn't exactly sympathetic to his plight.

      Then I find out he's one of them that gets all queasy and weak at the sight of blood. I found this out because there was a LOT of blood coming out of his finger. I grab an old t-shirt out of the back of the truck and put it over the finger and held it in such a way that he couldn't see the blood.

      I know all about the constant pressure and all that happy stuff, but I needed a sitrep on his finger so I pulled the shirt back and blood came out in a stream. Well, I moved again to block his view. Then I noticed that the blood had made a pretty "J" on the concrete so I tried to finish out his name, "Justin". It wasn't legible, but I tried. When I showed it to him he almost hit the ground. Probably would have if I wasn't such a good friend and caught him and held him up.
      If your Doctor is a tree, you're on acid.
    • Foresight wrote:



      ........I know all about the constant pressure and all that happy stuff.........
      Over the years I've cut my hands plenty on the job. I've found that black electrical tape works pretty good as a bandage and to keep pressure applied. It's an elastic plastic so if you give it some tension as you wrap it around the affected body part it tries to pull back to it's original length and gets tighter. And it sticks to itself pretty good.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Foresight wrote:

      ........I know all about the constant pressure and all that happy stuff.........
      Over the years I've cut my hands plenty on the job. I've found that black electrical tape works pretty good as a bandage and to keep pressure applied. It's an elastic plastic so if you give it some tension as you wrap it around the affected body part it tries to pull back to it's original length and gets tighter. And it sticks to itself pretty good.
      Works better then duct tape.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC