The latest Wilderness Medical Society Guidelines for spinal cord protection have been released (SCP Guidelines). The results are nothing short of dramatic. If you have been a victim of a traumatic injury over the past 50 years, you have been quickly placed in a cervical collar and strapped to a backboard to “protect your spine”….
Tag: hiking
Foraging
Have you or anyone you know ever gone out into the wild to pick blackberries, honeysuckle, rabbit tobacco or mushrooms? If you have, you have been foraging. A time honored tradition and, for millennia, one of the few ways humans could sustain themselves. It has not been, historically speaking, long since humans started farming and…
Wilderness Weekly Episode 1– An Introduction
open.spotify.com/episode/7F2puLlbEAGFyKUMByN1yx
Altitude: It May Not be as High as You Think
For many, the thought of going “to altitude” brings images of Mt. Everest or similar mountaineering peaks. Physiologically, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Depending upon susceptibility, humans can begin to experience symptoms of altitude illness as low as 1500 meters above sea level. The chances increase after 6,500 feet and further still…
Dengue Outbreak in Nepal
It is being reported that dengue is stretching Hospital resources in Kathmandu with 1170 cases since May 2019. Nepal has seen 5095 cases with numbers expected to be underreported. This disease has not traditionally been an issue in Kathmandu and the public has not been prepared to take the illness or precautions seriously. It is…
Wilderness Texting
On a recent adventure into the Colorado wilderness, we came along the note above. One hiker was communicating to the group that they were taking an alternate route and would meet them at base camp in a few days. While this may seem unusual in today’s world of text messages and wide cell phone coverage,…
New Trangia 25-8 Stove
We had an excellent oatmeal breakfast with the Trangia 25-8 stove this morning. This is a new purchase for us. We decided to move into the bigger size to make meal preparation for 2 a bit easier. It is a bit heavier than our previous mini-Trangia but much faster when cooking for more than one…
Improvised and Multi-Use Gear
There are any number of pieces of hiking equipment that can be improvised or turned into multi-use products. Some hikers just enjoy seeing what they can get away with as far as the lightness of their pack. But there are good reasons to lighten the load, if possible. The lighter the load, the easier the…
Be Prepared…Be Very Prepared
This past weekend, my wife and I set out for a short 7.4 mile “out and back” hike. We had a great time even though she did sprain an ankle due to a concealed rock at the end of the trail. Thankfully, she was prepared and used her trekking poles to save her from much…
Trekking Poles
Trekking poles, or their ancestors, have been around for as long as there have been people walking on two feet. From simple sticks used for support and balance, to graphite poles that telescope in and out and have internal springs, the concept is a relatively simple one… A third (or even fourth) point of contact…