High Sierra Topix

Bill, glad you like the wine I sent. Your "listen to the ranger" comment was perfect and, as agreed, I'll send another bottle... .

But (heh, heh) seriously folks, not being in an impressive uniform and being able to tell someone to fly right is a great skill and even then, may not work. I had the great good fortune to often watch the legendary Dr. Carl Sharsmith walk up to campers running amok on meadows. He'd basically just mesmerize them by telling them the history of the spot they were standing on, from the erosion of the metamorphics, the uplift of the granite; the glaciers and the very slow development of alpine meadows; and their fragile nature. Then how, in just about 30 minutes of stupidity (which he wouldn't quite say), you guys have just wrecked this spot of meadow for the next 40 years. They would instantly begin restoring the site and thanking him for putting them on the right path.

I'm a major fan of peer group pressure to get people to do the right thing. You gotta be careful, of course, but it's really the best way.

Also, I don't want to dump too much on SC folks. I was just talking about some of their group leaders. They've done some pretty good things for wilderness and open space over the decades, and that has to be respected. I also think most of their service trips are pretty good and wouldn't want to discourage anyone from those.

Incidentally, not to carry this ranger worship too far but, in Sequoia Kings, there's little question that almost all of our rangers -- even the newest at 5 years of service, have more cumulative time in the backcountry than any SC member possibly could. Those of us with over 15 years (the majority) have more time than even Muir.

g.

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Well, I just finished a two-day Wilderness First Aid course (what I could afford in time and money), and it was an excellent experience. This course was taught by a New Hampshire-based group called "SOLO" http://www.soloschools.com/index.html, which presumably only teaches in the northeast (I took my course at the headquarters of the Green Mountain Club in Vermont). I was astonished at what they could fit in to a 16-hour course, and the combination of lecture, study, and scenarios seemed just about right. The instructors were knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and frank, and there was very little BS (in my experience, first-aid courses often contain unsubstantiated opinions, directions, and prohibitions with no explanation and no real basis in biology; this course had almost none of those). I made numerous splints, slings, and bandages, evaluated patients for walk-out vs. rescue, learned about taking the time to ask history and mechanism-of-injury questions, and learned dozens of acronyms that I'll probably forget right away (ABCDE, AMPLE, AVPU, LOC, SOAP List, CSM.... sheesh...). My only complaint was that the student/faculty ratio was a bit large (32:2), but the two instructors frequently divided us up into sub-groups, they were good with names (I only just barely learned both their names, but they seemed to get almost all of ours in just two days), and they were very good at answering individual questions and addressing specific concerns.

Highly recommended.

LOL!!!

If this is going to turn into a sierra club (club sierra) bashing thread then count me in!!! I can't recall a single good experience when encountering them in the back country. As earlier noted, arrogance must be trained into their leaders. Outdoor leadership skills sure are not. My most memorable was SEKI early 80's. We were there first (two of us), when a sc group of 10 came in and basically kicked us out of 'their' spot. Not wanting to make a scene, we broke camp and moved about 100 yds. They were loud and boisterous until well after midnight, with a bonfire you could see from the space shuttle (actually scorched the tree canopy). The next morning they left before we did, so I walked over and inspected their camp. The fire was left smoldering, trash everywhere, and a pile of human waste complete with white flowers left on top of the ground unburied. I wrote a letter to the sc headquarters complaining but I never received a reply.

bah humbug. I hope never to share a trail with them again.

I first was certified as a regular EMT in my early days in the Forest Service, but keeping up the quals was too hard. So I let it lapse. A few years later we contracted with CDF paramedics (now Cal-Fire) for a quasi wilderness EMT course. It was great, the instructors shared many tricks and tips, (such as making a traction splint from sticks, p-cord, and bandannas), and focused almost exclusively on the medical problems found on the backcountry fireline.

Of course, in the real world the Forest Service 'cheats'. Just get on the radio and a helicopter will be there in minutes, and a medical evac is one of the exceptions to the 'no LZ construction in a Wilderness' rule.

Time to refresh first aid.. This is the book I've had forever.. well, you know what i mean.
It's pretty simple.. know what to do when you can and have a plan B. This was from '85, but not much has changed for helping people back there since then, other than knowing what drugs they might need.

Anyway.. Be safe..