I am officially on the road again, and I’m starting over with a new knowledgebase.  I can no longer claim to be medically illiterate.  The new knowledgebase is from spending 10 days in Flagstaff, AZ taking a wilderness first responder course (WFR). It was a fantastic way to venture back into the world of travel. I had become fairly comfortable with my consistent spot in my sisters basement, but this little adventure reminded me why I started this trip in the first place. It was great to be meeting new “outdoorsy” people again and seeing a new areas. It reminded me how many fantastic places and people there are in God’s creation. I also completed the intent of the class, learning about how to handle medical emergencies in the wilderness.

I entered the class very naïve. They said that no prerequisites were required and I took that seriously.  I did not take Anatomy in high school, never took a health class, and had never been CPR trained.  Frankly, I was concerned that all of the jargon would throw me for a loop, and I would be spending all of my free time memorizing.  Fortunately for me the course was application focused.  What surprised me was that it walked a fine line between empowering and disenfranchising.  I mean there was a huge focus on patient assessments and evacuation guidelines.  I can now splint a broken bone using only my gear, clean and pack wounds, and complete a focused spine assessment; but nearly every situation ended with figuring out how to get people to a doctor.  There were many scenarios where we could make people more comfortable, but ultimately what was most critical was whether they could be evacuated to more resources fast enough.  In the wilderness resources are so limited that our capability to help is also limited.  That being said, I’m still very glad that I took the course because I can now much more effectively assess a situation and know how to help.

One of the instructors stressed to us that the very first thing we needed to do was stop, take a deep breath, and open a can of calm.  Frankly, this didn’t do much to change my mindset.  I still felt nervous and rushed during our scenarios. After a night scenario I was lying in bed and realized that a can of calm just isn’t right for me.  My calm comes from my faith, so what I need to do is say a prayer.  Now when I come across a situation I will say a short prayer for the patient’s health and for wisdom to help them.  This is much more effective to calm me.

The pictures below are from the trip to AZ and back.

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Sinks Canyon, WY

Flaming Gorge National Recreational Area, CO

Canyonlands National Park, UT

Humphrey Peak, Highest Point in AZ

Humphreys Peak Hike, AZ

Locket Meadows, AZ

Sunset Crater National Monument, AZ

Wupatki National Monument, AZ

Navajo National Monument, AZ

Near Colorado Springs, CO