Wilderness First Aid 2016 classes

[MedicWFA]

Fellow backpackers & hikers,


Learn how to save life & limb while out on the trail. Stuff happens! Maybe to you, maybe to others you come across.


A series of highly-acclaimed 2-day Wilderness First Aid courses is coming up (also counting to recertify WFR if you already have that):
> Feb. 27-28 ... Charlottesville, VA
> Mar. 5 - 6 ... Knoxville, TN
> Mar. 12-13 ... Washington, DC
> Mar. 19-20 ... Virginia Beach, VA nice opportunity to enjoy trails, beach, and camping or cabins at First Landing State Park which is just 3 miles from course location
> Apr. 2 - 3 ... Spruce Knob, WV
> Apr. 9 - 10 ... Blacksburg, VA
> Apr. 16-17 ... Charlottesville, VA
> Apr. 30 - May 1 ... Richmond, VA
> May 18-19 ... Charlottesville, VA
> May 21-22 ... Washington, DC
> May 28-29 ... Charlottesville, VA
> June 4 - 5 ... Virginia Beach, VA nice opportunity to enjoy trails, beach, and camping or cabins at First Landing State Park which is just 3 miles from course location
> June 18-19 ... Richmond, VA
> July (dates TBA) ... Charlottesville, VA
> Sep. 3 - 4 ... Mountain-top Retreat with sunset short hike, cabins ~$10/bed available, campfires, lake & sandy beach, optional CPR & more at Mountain Lake Biological Station, near Blacksburg, VA
> Sep. or Oct. (TBA) ... Charlottesville, VA
> Nov. 5 - 6... Richmond, VA
> Nov. 12-13 ... Washington, DC

More Info & Registration: www.solowfa.com


Happy, safe trails,
Matt

[O-H-10 Lil Ohio]

See you in Charlottesville, Feb.Thanks for putting out the dates and places.

[Traveler]

Any of these classes leaving the DC/Richmond corridor?

[PackHorse]

When I signed up I thought I would learn to apply a few bandages... boy was that wrong! I was amazed at everything Matt taught us in only 2 days. I have used my training several times to assess an elderly relative that has fallen. I may repeat it again this year (Knoxville) just as a refresher course. Highly recommended.
Linda

[Hummy585]

Is there anything in my areas? I'm in NY by the CT and MA border, the closest I've ever seen is NYC, Boston and NJ...

[BillyGr]

Is there anything in my areas? I'm in NY by the CT and MA border, the closest I've ever seen is NYC, Boston and NJ...

I'd say check with any of the clubs in the area(s) (Adirondack, Catskills, even MA and CT) as they often advertise them.

There are also people who do them - we had one for a Scout group with a man from around Amsterdam, but I'd suspect there are similar people out there in other areas who would offer them if you wanted (we only had 3 people, so not a big group).

[lkmi]

Anyone in the GA/NC/TN area: Nantahala Outdoor Center offers quite a few Wilderness First Aid classes on the weekends (details: https://noc.com/lessons-training/sol...ication-course).
Several of my hiker pals and I took the course in 2014. We're headed back in 2016 for re-certification - and bringing additional hikers for the training.
Haven't had to actually use it yet. But it's been great to have that info in my brain when I'm out on the Trail...

[Hummy585]

I found one in Colebrook, CT by Wilderness Medical Associates...

[The Wanna Bs]

I found one NOR Wilderness First Aid course in our area that was not full...yet. But the cost is $225 per person. HIGH. And someone said on my trail blog that the AT was not a Wilderness. There are towns and or roads every 10 miles or so. Please give me arguments for taking the class.

[Traveler]

I found one NOR Wilderness First Aid course in our area that was not full...yet. But the cost is $225 per person. HIGH. And someone said on my trail blog that the AT was not a Wilderness. There are towns and or roads every 10 miles or so. Please give me arguments for taking the class.

If you have not taken any kind of first aid class and spend a lot of time outdoors, a course like this can prove valuable. Learning how to treat injuries and provide for those who are badly hurt and are not near any form of rescue or medical aid is a life saving skill. For example, even if there is a trail head five miles from you, how do you help someone get to the trailhead for help if they are badly hurt?

The costs may appear high initially, but its more a consideration of what it costs if you don't know. Learning how to react to these things (especially if you are on your own and it happens to you) can very easily be the only thing standing between survival and death.

[Hummy585]

I have considerable experience as a first responder, from gun shot wounds and stabbings to car wrecks, terrible trauma to cardiac and medical emergencies. In my nearly 30 years in law enforcement, I've never had anyone want to argue with me or us or anyone showing up to literally save their life. Sometimes minutes is all it takes...

[Water Rat]

I found one NOR Wilderness First Aid course in our area that was not full...yet. But the cost is $225 per person. HIGH. And someone said on my trail blog that the AT was not a Wilderness. There are towns and or roads every 10 miles or so. Please give me arguments for taking the class.

While the cost might seem high think of it as an investment. You will learn skills you can take with you on the trail, and elsewhere in life. You will learn how to recognize warning signs (hypothermia, hyperthermia, etc) and have a chance to stop things before it becomes an emergency situation. Yes, the trail is heavily traveled - Except in the event of an actual emergency. A wide variety of things can happen on the trail and emergency responders are not always a phone call away (even if you have cell reception). The moments spent trying to figure out what to do can be critical.

Knowledge weighs next to nothing and this class can benefit you off the trail as well. In the event of large storm, with roads washed out (or buried under snow), do you know what to do if an emergency occurs? Even though you are not learning how to be a surgeon in this class, it is often the first responder (and their knowledge) who determines the outcome for the patient.

Having the first aid skills on board can mean the difference between a momentary setback in your hike and the end of your hike. The sooner/better an injury is treated, the better the outcome.

[PackHorse]

Since my last post on this thread I have used this training yet again... an elderly in-law has had a mild stroke. I was able to use the skills I learned through this class to assess that something was wrong. I also wrote my "soap notes" of the details and the symptoms that I saw so that information could be passed on to the ER Dr. The class is worth every penny I paid.

[rocketsocks]

I found one NOR Wilderness First Aid course in our area that was not full...yet. But the cost is $225 per person. HIGH. And someone said on my trail blog that the AT was not a Wilderness. There are towns and or roads every 10 miles or so. Please give me arguments for taking the class.

Ten miles is a long way from anywhere when minutes and even seconds count. Yes, $225 is steep for many, but what your getting is the practical application and implimentation and an opertunity to ask questions. You can learn all this on your own from a book, many do, just a matter of choice. I've yet to take one of these classes...one day.

[illabelle]

While the cost might seem high think of it as an investment. You will learn skills you can take with you on the trail, and elsewhere in life. You will learn how to recognize warning signs (hypothermia, hyperthermia, etc) and have a chance to stop things before it becomes an emergency situation....

I hope one day to take a WFA class. I think it would be quite valuable to learn from those who actually know what they're doing.

By way of contrast, last night we watched the latest episode of Scorpion (show features a small crew of young geeks who use their smarts and skills to solve critical problems). This episode involved a quick trip to Antarctica to upload a patch to a satellite to fix a critical communication problem elsewhere. I like the idea of the show, and I like some of the characters, but the writers are very sloppy. They arrive to -40°F and howling winds, hop out of a helicopter, and enter a structure. They wear hooded jackets and goggles, but otherwise their faces are exposed. Later, one of them (a female) goes out to make a repair at some distance from the structure and ends up falling into a crevasse. Her buddy comes looking for her, finds her hypothermic, so they both disrobe and cuddle in a sleeping bag - face and neck fully exposed, shoulders partially exposed. -40°F!!!!! Really??? The rest of the crew finds them unconscious, and "magically" revives them with a few puffs of warmed air. It's a good thing we're not getting our survival lessons from these folks!

[Water Rat]

I hope one day to take a WFA class. I think it would be quite valuable to learn from those who actually know what they're doing.

By way of contrast, last night we watched the latest episode of Scorpion (show features a small crew of young geeks who use their smarts and skills to solve critical problems). This episode involved a quick trip to Antarctica to upload a patch to a satellite to fix a critical communication problem elsewhere. I like the idea of the show, and I like some of the characters, but the writers are very sloppy. They arrive to -40°F and howling winds, hop out of a helicopter, and enter a structure. They wear hooded jackets and goggles, but otherwise their faces are exposed. Later, one of them (a female) goes out to make a repair at some distance from the structure and ends up falling into a crevasse. Her buddy comes looking for her, finds her hypothermic, so they both disrobe and cuddle in a sleeping bag - face and neck fully exposed, shoulders partially exposed. -40°F!!!!! Really??? The rest of the crew finds them unconscious, and "magically" revives them with a few puffs of warmed air. It's a good thing we're not getting our survival lessons from these folks!

You mean Hollywood isn't all about reality?! But they brought me ER... *giggle*

I highly recommend WFA & WFR classes for everyone. Doesn't matter if you hike, these classes provide knowledge you can use on any given day, in any part of the world. Yes, you can get information out of a book, or online. What the class offers is practical experience. The instructors will create the scenario and you have the chance to go through the situation under the eye of the instructor, ask any questions as they arise, and make sure you understand how to apply the knowledge in real life. It is well worth the money.

I grew up taking the basic first aid courses, then slightly more advanced first aid courses. I knew the basics when I took my first WFR class, and figured the class was more of the same (just more expensive). I was dead wrong. The amount of knowledge you will gain is invaluable. I have used many of the lessons learn - Some after an injury has occurred to myself, or another. Some of the information I was able to put to use to prevent illness/injury.

What does the average ER visit cost? If this class keeps you (or a loved one) from even one ER trip, then it has paid for itself.

[The Wanna Bs]

We found a WFA course through the local BSA Council. Significant reduction in price, hopefully same information. The course description says scenarios and situations.

[One Half]

I found one NOR Wilderness First Aid course in our area that was not full...yet. But the cost is $225 per person. HIGH. And someone said on my trail blog that the AT was not a Wilderness. There are towns and or roads every 10 miles or so. Please give me arguments for taking the class.

Wilderness First Aid is to keep someone alive until the pros can get there. And 10 miles in the woods is worth 100 miles on a road. My son, husband and I all took it 2 years ago. It was far more extensive than any first aid/cpr class offered by the American Red Cross or anything.

[One Half]

We found a WFA course through the local BSA Council. Significant reduction in price, hopefully same information. The course description says scenarios and situations.

WFRs are actually required to organize a WFA course (and/or do other things) to maintain woofer status. Check with local community groups to see if they are hosting one. We took ours through our local gun club. The WFR who organized it was a member and also a boy scout leader. Part of the deal to use the facility was that members got a reduced rate. Non-members also got a decent price as well.

[MedicWFA]

Hi folks, thanks for all the awesome comments!
FYI there are fantastic courses out there, and terrible ones. If you find one that's really cheap, you'll probably get what you pay for -- and some organizations have zero training for their instructors (just do a quick online course, and done, you're suddenly qualified to be an instructor), in fact one extremely-well-known organization that was named in this conversation thread has such low-bar requirements and training of their instructors that several of them, after telling me that they became an instructor with that org, said they'd never go out and teach it because they were honest with themselves and realized they didn't know enough or have enough teaching training & experience. What's most important, is that you come away from whatever course you take, with actual hands-on caregiving capability -- otherwise your time and money (however little or much) was wasted. Consider not just blindly signing up for a course; read the reviews on that particular organization, course, *and* instructor (probably every org has its great and its terrible instructors).
~ ~ ~
Upcoming SOLO Wilderness First Aid classes ($185, thankfully not the $225 or $240 of some other classes):
> May 18-19, 2016 ... Charlottesville, VA
> May 21-22 ... Washington, DC (FULL)
> May 28-29 ... Charlottesville, VA
> June 4 - 5 ... Virginia Beach, VA
> June 18-19 ... Richmond, VA
> June 25-26 ... Scenic Riverside Retreat with free Saturday night camping available ... Fredericksburg, VA
> July 9-10 ... Charlottesville, VA
> Sep. 3 - 5 ... Mountain-top Retreat with sunset short hike, cabins $9/bed available, campfires, lake & sandy beach, optional CPR & more at Mountain Lake Biological Station, near Blacksburg, VA*
> Oct. 8 - 9 … Ferrum, VA
> Oct. 15-16 or 22-23 (TBA) ... Charlottesville, VA
> Nov. 5 - 6... Richmond, VA
> Nov. 12-13 ... Washington, DC
> Jan. 7 - 8, 2017 … Charlottesville, VA
> Jan. 14-15, 2017 … Norfolk, VA

More info & registration: www.solowfa.com
Reviews / Anonymous Feedback Surveys (this course, this instructor): http://www.solowfa.com/course-review...-first-aid.htm

It's been adventurous hiking season so far. Happy trails everyone!
matt (favorite adventure type = backpacking)