Wilderness First Aid

Ben and I both have had first aid training at some point, as lifeguards (B+L), Boy Scouts (B), and Junior Lifeguards (L). But if something happens on our trip, especially if we're offshore, we wanted to be prepared to handle the situation, and not just hope to remember the things we learned years ago.

I heard about a Wilderness First Aid class taught through Charlottesville's Outdoor Adventure and Social Club a few years ago and added myself to the email notification list, but I didn't really think it applied to me. Wilderness First Aid sounded like something for a thru-hiker on the Appalachian Trail - real adventurers, not me, the weekend sailor, occasional camper and day hiker. When I saw the class would be taught before we left for our trip, we decided to go for it, even though it did mean giving up a weekend of potential sailing.

Ben has all of his fingers from his last sail near the jet stream, but only because of luck, the Navy, Coast Guard, and Beaufort Hospital ER Surgery team. If something happens on this trip, we want to be prepared, both by having our first aid kit fully and correctly stocked, and by knowing how to use everything in it.

The class ended up being amazing. Ben and I were surprised at how much we didn't know or only vaguely remembered. The hands on situations were a great way to reinforce what we were reading and hearing in the classroom, as well as being a break from sitting in a classroom on a beautiful fall weekend. We hope we never need any of the skills we learned, but feel much more comfortable knowing how (and when) to splint a broken bone, how to identify (and treat) heat stroke and how to treat lacerations and prevent (but also identify) skin infections.

Hands on learning. Complete with fake blood and painted on bruises.

We also realized we should have taken this class years ago. The first thing we learned was once you are more than an hour away from a hospital, you're in the wilderness, and how critical it can be to be prepared for any potential emergency. I highly recommend taking Wilderness First Aid through Charlottesville's Outdoor Adventure and Social Club because the instructor, Matt Rosefsky was amazing, but if you're not in the area, any SOLO Wilderness First Aid class will teach valuble skills to sailors, hikers or campers.