Conference on Wilderness Medicine

The 22nd Annual Conference on Wilderness Medicine was held this year in Big Sky, Montana.  It was an excellent conference.  While it was geared to the medical/rescue professional, there was much to be learned by anyone wishing to learn more about the dangers posed by the wilderness.  There were lectures on avoiding lightning damage, wild animal attacks, sun safety, hypothermia avoidance, treatment of heat illness, mountain safety, white water safety, diving safety, and how to find and purify water.  The best lecture and workshop in this regard were taught by Gary Kibbe.  He is a former Navy SEAL who trained other SEALs how to survive in the wilderness.  His lecture about "Surviving the Unexpected Night Out" spent a lot of time talking about the items you can carry on your person that could increase your chances if you found yourself lost, away from your car or home.  We got to practice those skills in an optional "Wilderness Survival" workshop that he taught.  I learned how to build a couple of solar stills for collecting water, find food on the forest floor (ant larvae, yum!), find my way without a compass, start fires with a flint, and build a lean-to shelter.  He also supervised a similar class geared toward kids that my eight year-old took and enjoyed.

If you are looking to attend a wilderness survival course, you'll find better courses with more hands on practice time and geared more toward the layperson.  If you are a medical professional that is looking for a great way to earn medical education credit and learn about a branch of medicine that can assist you in your career and maybe save your life or the lives of your loved ones, this is one that you must consider.