It's been over three weeks since I left
Joshua Tree for Alaska. Wounds incurred from climbing the rough
granite have healed, scabs have fallen off, and callouses have come and gone from my hands and fingers. I've recharged my mental batteries with excessive solitude and I miss all my
climbing friends from Joshua Tree. I had 6 days in town before class
started, so did lots of reading and went on a few savage runs and hikes and
took a couple pictures.
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| Battery Point...just a couple miles from camp. I wish it was this clear more often. |
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| Out for a run...This shot gives you an idea of what it was like when I ran out of the woods and was surprised by this sight. |
My first night here I stayed at the
first campground I found. I didn't like paying for camping, but I
kinda needed a shower (after 10 days of driving), they had a
building I could use to escape from potential rain/cold, plus, I didn't feel like
searching around. I couldn't afford the 15 dollar fee for more than
one night, so after that I decided to just find somewhere to park
overnight and slept in the truck. Camping for free in/around town is
tricky, especially since it's a small town (pre-tourist season) where you can't really be
anonymous like in a city. I drove outside of town a couple miles
toward the state park which is still closed for winter. I
finally found a section of road without roadside residences and
parked/camped on the side of road, next to 3 feet of snow. I spent
the days hiking or in the library. After a few nights of that, I
went by the AMG office(Alaska Mtn. Guides, which is the same company
as IWLS) again and asked them if they knew of any better camping
options, which led me to Portage Cove campground which is where I am
currently residing at along with three fellow students. It's right
next to the water, there are always bald eagles around, and it's
technically still closed, so they aren't collecting fees...JAM! I
didn't go there first b/c overnight parking isn't allowed, as it is
for walk-in/bicycle campers only. But someone at AMG recommended tenting there and just parking at the boat harbor about a mile away,
which has been working out.
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| Enjoying clear weather at my current campsite, Portage Cove. Reading a book called "Surviving the toughest Race in the World", about the start of adventure racing, especially multi-day events like Eco-Challenge, and its precursor, The Raid Gauloises. |
I am a week and a half into class now,
and I have gotten to know most of my classmates and they're a good
group of people. There are fourteen of us. A few people are taking
it simply as the first step towards becoming professional EMTs
(emergency medical technicians—the first step towards becoming a
paramedic), but most of them are like me; aspiring (some current)
outdoor professionals. Two people, Melissa and Shockey (from
Michigan and Illinois), are doing semesters similar to mine, so I
will have other courses with them. Mike (from Texas), one of the
older students (mid forties), will be doing the Sea Kayaking course
with me at the end of the month.
The class has been interesting and
intense. My knowledge of anatomy and sports physiology has come in handy, but I
am learning tons of new stuff as well. These first couple weeks are spent in the classroom, covering everything that a regular EMT, in an urban
setting, needs to know; as though responding with an ambulance unit. It's all about
assessing patients, gathering info, taking vital signs, diagnosing
and treating emergency problems including those related to diabetes,
heart conditions, asthma, Emphysema etc, and then establishing
airways, providing or helping with oxygen and meds, doing CPR, and
transporting. Yesterday we learned about pregnancy and how to
deliver babies...which was enough to scare me away from EMS as a
profession! We also covered heat and cold illnesses such as heat
stroke and hypothermia/frostbite, which are both very pertinent to
wilderness. Most of the wilderness aspect of the class will come
after we take the state exam to be certified EMTs, on the 15th. We will be going on a backpacking trip to learn about wilderness
emergencies in the field.
Class has been going from 8am to 6:30pm
with just two days off so far. I've been studying for an hour or so
most evenings, and for several hours on days off. It doesn't leave
time for much else, but total immersion is definitely a good way to learn a ton
in a short time. I feel like it's sinking in pretty well. Our
instructor, Ray, is from Hoonah, Alaska and has worked as a
firefighter/paramedic for twenty years. One of the most
knowledgeable people I have ever encountered, he seems to know
absolutely everything there is to know about emergency medicine. And
most importantly, he can explain it clearly. Plus, he keeps interest
and attention with consistent humor and outrageous real life
paramedic stories (war stories, as he calls them) scattered
throughout the lecture.
On our first day off last Thursday, a
local girl in the class named Tara had us all over to her house in
the evening. She is house sitting the place, and she has a sweet
deal. It was a unique and charming house that feels like a cabin
inside, with art all over and a stellar view of the nearby mountains; we were lucky to be able to sit outside and enjoy the view, since we had the best weather of the
last two weeks on that day. Various people cooked...we had smoked
salmon, fried hooligan (a small fish that is currently “running”
nearby...a run is a population of fish that is heading upstream from
the ocean, to spawn), some stir-fried veggies that were picked from
the yard, some fresh baked cookies, and a couple types of beer that
several people brought from the local brewery. It was a great time and a much needed
break from class.
Now....back to studying. I'll probably post again after getting certified, before heading out into the bush. Thanks to everyone for reading :) I've have really enjoyed this blogging biz...Everything is more fun when I know that other people are going to be able to enjoy it too.
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| At the summit of Mt. Riley. The town of Haines is visible below, in the center of the photo. Chilkat river on the left, Chilkoot inlet behind me, on the right. |
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| Hiking through snow without skis or snowshoes is hard... mad post-holing. Fortunately only the second half of the trail was under snow. |
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| The lower section of the Mt. Riley trail. |
