Wilderness EMT Scenario Victim

For the past month, Teton Science Schools has hosted the NOLS WMI Wilderness EMT course on the Kelly Campus.  So it's been a little busy and full of people.  Not to mention, the course was mostly men as well, so it was really nice seeing lots of handsome faces every day! Haha.

Another wonderful thing was that, Tom, one of my friends I met during Wildrness First Responder, is taking the course! So it was great having him back on campus again!

Tom & I
From WFR to WEMT!

Towards the end of their month, some of the TSS graduates were able to volunteer for the WEMTs in their night mock rescue. Very cool! We had victims that had survived a plane accident that had crashed into the sage flats.

A bunch of the grads had injuries including: diabetes, pregnancy issues, open wounds, spinal injuries, mental instability, dislodged objects, and burns.  I had burns on my chest and body with some respiratory problems.

WEMT Night Rescue Scenario - Burn & Respiratory Victim

It was a very cool experience. However, at times I was hard to be serious since my friend Tom was my rescuer. But he and his teammate did a great job taking care of me.

Being in the safe flats, in the snow, was not fun at all. It was so cold. At first I was pretending to shiver, but as the night progressed during the rescue and as I lay there being worked on in the snow, I began to actually get cold and began to shiver uncontrollably! So cold! But my rescuers did a great job keeping my feet warm, giving hot water bottles, placing me in a sleeping bag, and working fast to evacuate me out.

Look at those burns!

After the rescue, the patients were able to give feedback and thank our rescuers. Very fun and a great experience. Also it was great to listen in on the information as a review from what we learned during WFR. Not to mention a $20 gift certicate to the NOLS store! Boom!

I surivived and I'm fine!

TheChristyBel

Certified as a Wilderness First Responder

I am so sorry I have not updated in almost a week or two, I tried to just simply focus on my WFR Certification class.  Do not worry, I have so much to catch you all up on!

Last Wednesday (August 14), concluded my Wilderness First Responder certification course through the Teton Science School and WMI NOLS (Wilderness Medicine Institute and the National Outdoor Leadership School).

This course was really awesome and interesting. 10 full days of hard work consisting of learning CPR, the Heimlich, treating broken bones, learning how to assess and treat cardiac and respiratory problems and injuries, assessing spinal injuries and how to determine critical and rapid evacuation plans for serious injuries, communicating emergency medical help reports and much more. 

The first day was nerve-wrecking, exciting, and full of really interesting information.  And it made me feel so much better about the course when I started making friends!  You can't go through 10 full days of class without a friend!  The dozen or so individuals that stayed on campus for the course all really bonded together very quickly.  They came from all parts of the country and for all different reasons on taking the course.  Some were teachers, snow patrol, guides, or people that just wanted to take it for fun!

After dinner on that first Monday, we all took a hike to watch the sunset on one of the hills on campus. Such a great time!  We chatted about loads of stuff, posed for some summit pictures, and watched a great gorgeous sunset over the Tetons!

Summit Posing with Alisha at the End of the First Day at WFR

I cannot stop with this view!

Hiking the trails was awesome!  It totally got me pumped to start my graduate program here.  And I can't help but keep gushing about the views!

The Grand and ChristyBel

Throughout the class week, we learned soooo much about any and everything in the Wilderness Medicine world.  First was about the Patient Assessment System: checking the scene for safety of you as a rescuer and to the environment your victim is in, then making decisions about what to do for your patient based on their airway, breathing, circulation, what had happened, and what to do next, we learned on how to take vitals (heart rate, blood pressure, level of responsiveness, respiratory rate, etc) and a patient's 'SAMPLE' history to help gather clues on how to finally treat them.

Learning how to backboard patients.

The best part besides learning all this new, interesting knowledge was definitely putting it into the field in real life scenarios!  This was really fun and nerve- wrecking at the same time!  We were always divided up into pairs as rescuers or as patients.  It was cool to both parts, because it was interesting to see how our peers would assess a situation, how they would respond to patients in their care, and how they would go about treating.

Femur Traction Splint

Learning treatments was fun too.  Testing out splints, wraps, litters/backboards, etc  was very fun and a great way to do some hands-on experimenting to make sure we were on the right track!

The patients were taken care of!

I totally loved being a patient! I mean it was nice being cared for and having attention on you!  Who doesn't love that!??!

Being a patient was great because after scenarios, you could give feedback and opinions on how the rescue went and what they could do to be better and what things they should focus on next time!

I really respected my feedback from my patients.  I learned a lot about myself when I'm put under pressure and when someone is relying on you for help!  

Hearing some feedback from my patients really helped me understand where I've come from in my past careers.  One patient said that when it comes to people under my watch and care, I try to make sure my patient is very comfortable and feels like they are top priority.  It totally made me think of my volunteers back at DNS. They were my top priority and it was only significant I'd act the same way to make sure thy were comfortable and feel like they were cared for. :)

Brusing his hair with my foot stabilizer.

The other cool thing about being a patient was the special effects!  NOLS & WMI really wanted to make sure that when we did scenarios, it felt real in real life environments and situations: whether that meant being in water to having bruises on our body to even having injuries that had protruding bones and lots of blood!

Close Ups

During our night mock rescue and our huge group rescue the blood and special effects were put to the max!  There was gushing blood, patients found face-down in the streams, dislocated limbs, or branches through body parts. Intense, I know!

Special WFR effects to the max with broken, exposed bone and all!

We also had some fun relay races that helped test out our skills too!  We were placed in 5 teams where each person had to be a victim and the rest of the team had to treat you with either a humerus splint, an ankle wrapping, an elbow splint, a walking ankle brace, and a wrist brace while either being piggybacked, carried, hopping on one foot, being pushed around in a cart, or speed walking. It was so fun. I absolutely loved my team. Such a great group of wonderful ladies!

Such a great relay group!

On Friday night, we decided to head into Jackson because we had a free day on Saturday! Yay, no class!  So we decided to hit up the 'Million Dollar Cowboy Bar!'

Sitting on the saddles at the bar!

The bar had saddles as seats!  This place was fun because it had dancing! And not just any dancing, but western dancing.  Jordan tried teaching us before we headed out. But I mean, for girls, you don't really need to know what to do since the guy leads, but t was fun to learn just so we had a heads up!  I'll post a video on my next video blog entry so you can see!

Showing off our steri-strip lacerations!

It was also really funny to be at the bar coming from a wilderness first responder course when you have bruises and bandages on you.  People would ask 'what's that on your arm?' And we would be like 'oh, you know, I learned how to steri-strip an open laceration today and this is the product of it!' Haha.

Cowboy Bar Photo

The next morning the care decided to go to Phelps Lake in the park.  This was cool because there is a 20-25 ft rock you can jump off of into the water.

Getting used to this new elevation!

The view from the lookout was magnificent!  And a few people who had hiked this before we're able to show us where on the lake we'd be going to get to the rock!

Resident TSS WFR Crew headed down to Phelps Rock.  At the Overlook.

The hike down was really pretty!  Going through some switchbacks, to an open field and being in the canyon was pretty cool.  We even saw a black bear on our way down eating some berries a little but higher from us on the switchback.  I wasn't even nervous, which totally surprised me.  Speaking of bears, since we are in Bear Country, we need to be 'Bear Aware' so that means, we travel in groups of three, we carry bear spray (oh my gosh!) and we make noise.  Totally not used to this!

On our way to Phelps Lake!

I don't have any photos, personally, of us going off this 20-25 ft rock, one of the other WFR students took them and I am still waiting on him to send me photos.  Hopefully I can update you on that experience with visuals soon.  But it was really scary, but thrilling at the same time.  Not to mention the water was really cold, but it felt soooo good after sweating up a storm during the hike.

Summit Posing at Phelps Lake

Phelps Lake Overlook

After spending a few hours jumping off the rock, playing music, and hanging on the rock, we decided to head back since it was getting late and we were getting hungry.  On our way back, we decided to shoot for a place in Idaho where they serve Huckleberry Milkshakes!  But sadly, when we got into Idaho, they were closed.  So we went to this burger joint, hole in the wall, called Grumpy Goat's Hotdog Shack (I think).  It was such a unique food place: there were panties all over the ceiling!  The burgers were DELICIOUS!  And not going to lie, the name stands true to the burger joint.  The lady taking our orders was very grumpy, especially to Tom. :( But the food was still very good!

Mule Deer came to visit us while we were at Jumping Rock, Phelps Lake.

Being out here has already and definitely challenged me not only in Wilderness Medicine, but in natural history as well.  The mammals are different and BIGGER, the birds are different (regionally), the plants are all new, and there are things that I do not even know at all!  One morning, Jane, one of the WFR students found this beautiful moth!  It was a mixture of giraffe and cheetah patterns!  So cool!  Went back at researched it.  It is from the Tiger Moth Family.  I believe it is a Great Tiger Moth.  Sheila, you would be so proud!  These cool moths inhabit the Arctic-Alpine zone and boreal forest.  Very cool to find one that morning, since they are attracted to lights and are active during the summer.  Such a great find!

Great Tiger Moth, Arctia caja

Also, while being here, I had a whole bunch of MOGO Taco stickers.  Totally got Mogo represented now in Dallas, TX, thanks to Alisha and at a bar in Jackson.  I need more stickers, someone get Mogo Sam to mail me more!

Bringing MOGO Tacos back to Dallas with her!

Photo Credit to Tom Church for this BEAUTIFUL view on our way to Durnans!

The last night before the test, many of us all got together at a bar in Moose for one last hurrah.  The view at sunset was incredibly beautiful!  Plus it had brought over storm clouds all afternoon, so we could see and hear the storm pass over the mountains while we were drinking out of the deck.

Such a Great group of people to be in class with!

I feel that this course helped me further my knowledge of the simple CPR and first aid training I've had in the past but also has made me a have a bigger confidence in my self to take children and others into the back-country and having the calm mentality and knowledge to know how to help them and potentially save their life in critical events.  I believe it was the best and smartest $1,400+ purchase I've made so far in my life (besides going back to school that is).

The Whole Class Passed!!!

Wednesday morning I took my written exam and practical.  I was soooooo nervous for that test and practical.  But I feel that since we had been constantly going over things all week and participating in scenarios throughout class, it was very easy to go into the mindset and just do it.  Around noon we all got together after lunch and found out if we had passed. I was so relieved when I found out I passed!  Step 1 to the Teton Science School Graduate Program was complete and I'm now an official wilderness first responder!  

After completing the course, we all went into Jackson to FINALLY tour and shop.  Spent the day with Alisha and Stacey before they headed back to Dallas.  That evening, the three of us pre-gamed at their friend's house in Jackson (please note we got champagne at a drive-thru window!!!!) and then played Farkle with our new MOOSE-themed dice!, then we all went to Karaoke at the Virginian Bar.  

Totally crashed at the house in Jackson and drove back to Kelly the next morning to pack up my car and get ready for Salt Lake City and my drug test for the TSS Grad. Program.

I couldn't have gotten through WFR without these two Dallas Girls! xoxo!

I have a few days before I can officially move into my cabin at my school. So I am headed 5 hours south to Salt Lake City, UT to visit one of my former co-workers from Ashland, Chris Zawislak. So I'll be there from about 10pm MST, Thursday, August 14 until Monday morning (August 19).

Orientation for the graduate program is next Wednesday and I am beyond anxious and excited to meet my fellow grads because I am not going to lie, I feel pretty lonely. Not that I didn't make any friends during my WFR course, because I did, but a lot of them were only in town for that course. So I'm ready to meet people I can spend more than 10 days with.

See you in Salt Lake City!

Xoxo,

TheChristyBel

Representing Asbury Park, NJ in Wyoming! Bringing MOGO Tacos Across the Country!

Home at the Teton Science Schools

So Sunday was the day...a sad but exciting day.  I am not going to lie it was pretty emotional at times and I am not going to lie, I cried.  I mean, as much as I was excited to travel and FINALLY see the school I have been so excited about attending for the past year and a half, but I was really sad to leave two of my closest friends.

We woke up pretty early, maybe around 7-8:00am(ish), and we literally were FREEZING!  I mean, I was smart to wear some layers to bed with some new awesome Yellowstone-Moose socks and my new Sea To Summit Extreme Reactor liner, but Nate woke up shivering and cold!  Serves him right because he only wore like sweat pants, a t-shirt, no socks, and no liner.  But yes, it was pretty cold that night, probably in the 30s-40s range.  

Side Note: the temperature range here is crazy.  It can be like 30-40 degree F in the AM when you wake up, but by noon-late afternoon, it's in the 80s!  So crazy!

After making some hot coffee and oatmeal, we took a stroll to do a wonderful thing....SHOWER!  Hadn't done that in days!!! Maybe since Blue Mounds State Park?!?! I couldn't remember.  It was a pretty sweet deal in the Grand Teton National Park: $3.75 flat fee for as long of a shower as you wanted! BOOM!

Once we were so fresh and so clean, we took a walk to the visitor's center so Nate could get an idea of some hikes and things to do while he and Sean stayed in GTNP for a few more days.  After that, we took one last walk to the Jackson Lake, and typical Nate, even after getting clean, we jumped in the water for a cold swim.

Being a mermaid in Jackson Lake.

We got back to camp and helped clean up and pack me up to head to Jackson for the afternoon.  Drove about 45-50 minutes into Jackson around 12:30pm MST to make a visit to the Teton County Library.  I signed up for a Wyoming Library Card and finished up some loose ends in some health insurance claims and e-mails while Sean wrote up a resume for a potential job and Nate listened in on some calculus lectures.

Once it became about 2:15pm, the boys were getting pretty hungry, so we pulled into Downtown Jackson and started to scope out a lunch spot.  Had some lunch and walked around the town.  Totally had to stop and see the Elk Antler Arches!  Photo Opp!

Elk Antler Arches!

By the time we were kinda over the touristy-crowded town, we had about 2 hours to kill before I had to be at the Teton Science School for Wilderness First Responder check-in.  So we stopped by the Blacktail Butte turnoff (I think that is what it's called - don't judge me if I don't know, I have all year to get the roads and what not around here down like it's the back of my hand).

Look at this view!

Around 5:30pm we decided to head for the school so I could get a feel for where it was and to get a look of the campus!  Seeing the school was a great sign of relief - to finally 'be home' was a wonderful feeling.  It was one step closer to not living out of my car, it was the next step to grad school and me growing up and moving on to another place and opportunity, and an exciting moment just all together.  Waiting months and then 7 additional days of just getting here, this relief was well-needed.

Teton Science School - my new home, school, & journey!

Saying goodbye to Nate and Sean was pretty hard, although as much as being with them for 7 days was fun, I bet it was a relief for them as for me to separate for a break, but this break was a pretty lengthy and emotional one.  To say goodbye to someone you care about and love is such a hard thing to do, 6 hours across the continental divide seems like an end of the world thing and a terrible feeling that reminds me of the New Zealand period.  But for both of us to be embarking on our own journeys for grad school and to take this as an opportunity to grow, work on ourselves, focus on school, and live life independently, it will be a positive turn for and if and when we get to see each other again.  For now, it's time to just be Christy in the Tetons and live the way Christy wants to live.

Wilderness First Responder Update: So this course is from Monday, August 5 - Wednesday, August 14.  So I may not be updating as much within these next 10 days.  Sunday night I was able to meet one of the girls that was also in the graduate program with me, Jordan.  I was so thrilled and excited to have met 1. a new friend for WFR, but 2. someone I will be working and teaching with for the next year.  Plus, she was a TSS summer intern the year before so she was able to give me some info about the school and where everything was!

That night while everyone else that was staying at TSS was checking-in, Jordan and I went to Durnan's Bar in Moose for a drink with two previous TSS Graduates.  It was fun to speak with them who used to be in our shoes and two just to sit and relax with some new people.

Monday, the start of the WFR course was intense: learning about patient assessment and clearly obtaining data you need to figure out how to treat and assess an incident is full of lots of info and very intense.  But it was totally making me feel more confident about what was to come in the next months.  Also!!! I was able to meet 3 additional girls from the graduate program.  :) So excited to be meeting fellow graduate students!

Also!!! Another cool thing happened, the Graduate Program Coordinator told me that there was an opening in one of the log cabins!  And I was able to choose to live in my original assignment, Buck, above the Maintenance Building, or live in Cloudveil a small standard cabin.  Both are not directly in the 'Graduate Circle' but they both have my own private bathroom that's located across the driveway from my potential room(s) and in the dining lodge.  I think I am going to take the cabin...and the deal breaker was not because I don't have to climb steps, but because I get WINDOWS!!!!!!!! - three wall windows and a door window...where I would get only a door window if I lived in Buck.  Pretty exciting!

OH ANOTHER SIDE NOTE!  I do not have cell phone service while I am on the Kelly Campus at the Teton Science Schools!  Basically where I am taking WFR and where I will be living and mostly teaching.  The hills that are north of us totally block out the Verizon cell service towers from heading into the valley where we live in.  So if you want to keep in touch with me, e-mail is the best way, since my phone still gets WiFi!!! Also to my fellow iPhone people, I can still get iMessage while being on WiFi!

If I want to make a call I have to drive or walk about a mile away from campus on the main road to make calls from my phone.  So last night I made a few to my mom and some friends.  This totally made me home sick!!! Wahhh.  I never thought that would happen, you know?! As much as I complain to get out of De, talking to my friends and family back home was pretty hard. :( And it was only day ONE!  How sad is that.  But you know, after getting off the phone with my last call, I turned and looked at the mountains, and it totally made me realize why I was here and I felt better.  I think it's gonna take some time to fully adapt to this place, but I am optimistic that I will be fine!

Today in WFR, we learned CPR, the Heimlich, and spinal injury preparation and assessment.  Still intense, but I think my nervousness for this class slowly dissipates as I meet new people and get more confident in the information I am learning. 

Learned how to strap a person if with spinal injuries if being evacuated our of the backcountry!

After class, a group of 6 other WFR students and I that are staying on site decided to go on a hike around campus for the sunset after dinner.  We had such a great time hiking together and then finally catching our breaths to the top of a mega 'hill,' we were able to sit and goof off and watch the sunset.  Nate you would be proud, but I totally taught people the 'Salmon Handshake!' haha.

Anyways, we did some summit posing, jumping photos, and group shots.  I will post them as soon as I get them in my clutches!

To all my Blog Readers, I may not post any new blogs over the next few days due to WFR.  Just hold tight, I'll be back! I promise!  Let me get certified first as a WFR!  See you all so soon!

Teton Range Panoramic!

Sunset...I do not think I will ever get tired of this!

I am pretty happy to have made some friends and to be in such short distances of beautiful views!

Xoxo,

TheChristyBel

Summit Posing with a new WFR friend, Alisha!