School’s out for the summer and the children are returning to the wilderness, or perhaps, with the flourishing of nature-based learning in schools, they’ve been there all along! DMM is excited to share Wilderness Pediatrics – an Alumni Project special topic – with our community. This topic will present brand new information not found in…
I hope everyone is enjoying a safe winter season. No matter how we recreate in the backcountry, there are illnesses that affect us all. Cardiac emergencies and strokes can happen to anyone, whether we’re on a lazy afternoon river float, a high intensity alpine run, or even hanging out at home. The ability to recognize…
Whether you’re a casual outdoor recreationalist or year-around mountain guide, we all need ongoing education and practice to keep our wilderness medicine skills sharp. After years of observing and evaluating student knowledge and skill retention, in addition to reviewing feedback from your course evaluations, we at Desert Mountain Medicine have worked together to create this…
WFA for Hunters & Anglers Backcountry anglers and hunters thrive in putting miles between themselves and the trailhead. We know that the further from other people we travel, the better our chances of success afield. But the further we venture from the front country, the more reliant we are on ourselves to render care in…
Christian Bopp is a treasure trove of information. He has 11 years of professional conservation and environmental science experience, he’s an Emergency Medical Technician a Wilderness First Aid instructor, a National Medical Training Specialist at American Conservation Experience (ACE) and a Desert Mountain Medicine instructor. ACE is a nonprofit organization that takes on environmental…
Whether you are an avid outdoor enthusiast, rock climber, ski patroller or member of a trail crew taking your first ever Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course, learning how to conduct a Primary Assessment will be an integral part of your Desert Mountain Medicine coursework. In this post, we discuss…
When Colorado moved into phase 2 of the reopening plan in May, “Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors,” myself and the other command staff of Lake County Search & Rescue warned the team to brace themselves for a busy start to the summer rescue season. With folks avoiding gyms, bars, and other…
If you’re reading this and are someone who spends any amount of time recreating or working in the wilderness, you should take a wilderness medicine course. Lucky for you, I’m going to both tell you why, AND help you decide which course might be the right one for you. Below are the most common wilderness…
February 1, 2017 Desert Mountain Medicine Annual Winter Rendezvous Recap This January, Desert Mountain Medicine staff got together in Leadville, Colorado to hold the DMM Rendezvous. This is a time for the staff members who are dispersed all over the country to come together as an organization, get to know each other, get updated on…