Entries filed under 'NOLS'

Smash Your Finger? Get WMI's Tips on Healing Painful Blood Blisters

Poor Angela. The 2 of us were putting up our tents after a long and difficult day of hiking. Grumpily, she picked up a large rock, placed a tent stake against the hard dirt--and smashed her thumb. Bad news for her, but another chance for me to teach wilderness medicine! ...

Posted by Hovey WMI on October 18, 2012 11:00 AM & Tagged NOLS, Wilderness Medicine Institute, blood blister, subungual hematoma and wilderness medicine | permalink | Comments



Almost Killed by a Cactus: A True Story

This March during an orienteering competition in Florida, high school sophomore Joshua Reyes heard another racer whistling for help. It was Micah Robinson, who was trying to get himself out of a sticky situation. In a Hernando (Fla.) Today newspaper story, Joshua explained, "He'd fallen face first into a cactus, and he had those little quills all over his hands and stuck in his face all around and inside his mouth. I helped pick the quills out of his hand, but as he stood up, he was dizzy. I ...

Posted by Hovey WMI on May 4, 2012 12:34 PM & Tagged NOLS, WMI, Wilderness Medicine Institute, cactus and wilderness first aid | permalink | Comments



1-10-1: Three Numbers That Could Save Your Life

Jenna and Jenessa, ages 6 and 7, were recently enjoying a sunny, cold Christmas Day in Hutchinson, Kansas, by playing outside. Not far away was a pond, frozen over for the winter. They walked out onto the ice to slide and skate around, as little children often do, until about 20 feet from shore the ice ruptured beneath them. Both girls plunged into the frigid waters. What would you do? How would you help them? If you fell into a frozen lake, how would you survive? Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, a ...

Posted by Hovey WMI on January 11, 2012 2:13 PM & Tagged NOLS, WMI, Wilderness Medicine Institute, ice and rescue | permalink | Comments



No More Icy Fingers: Warm Tips from the Wilderness Medicine Institute

Do your fingers and toes easily get cold? You may be experiencing Raynaud's Phenomenon. As an instructor at the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS, I share my friend Abby's story and tips on how you can avoid it happening to you. Abby and I were dayhiking in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon, headed up to see Multnomah Falls. The walking was easy, the day was clear and beautiful, and we were having a grand time immersing ourselves in the lush greenery of the Pacific Northwest. We stopped at ...

Posted by Hovey WMI on December 15, 2011 2:30 PM & Tagged NOLS, Raynaud's Phenomenon, WMI and layering | permalink | Comments



Sleep-Warm Tricks for Cold-Weather Camping

Want to be a happier winter camper? Consider this. On a recent hiking adventure in the mountains of New Zealand, I woke up, sat in my sleeping bag, took in the view and thought about the beautiful hike I had in store for that day. I felt great. My camping companion then sat up. "Oh, what an awful night!" he grumbled. "I was freezing to death, then I kept waking up, and I couldn't ever get comfortable. It was the worst." He looked pathetic with dark circles under bloodshot eyes. The worst part? ...

Posted by Hovey WMI on November 21, 2011 3:21 PM & Tagged NOLS, WMI, Wilderness Medicine Institute, camping, sleeping and winter camping | permalink | Comments