I moved to Portland in 1997. At that time, the Eagle Creek parking lot would fill summer weekends only; and even then it was remarkable. I thought there’d be no troubles on a Sunday in January. I was wrong. The overflow lot was required. Portland has more people; more people get out and hike. This is a good thing, right? I loaded up my pack (missing only 2 of the 10 essentials: a map – not necessary on this out-and-back trail I’ve hiked over 20 times; and extra…

(Woofer is how outdoor professionals refer to a Wilderness First Responder, or WFR) It’s been 10 days of approximately 30 scenarios (including one multi-hour rescue at night); lectures on trauma, human physiology and what goes wrong in the wilderness; lots of practice making splints, CPR, checking blood pressures; and not much time for regular daily living: laundry, cooking, blogging, and getting exercise other than putting on layers to go outside and play patient or rescuer. Fun, exhausting, stressful, challenging, information-packed. The outcome? I feel confident that if I’m…