Episode 52: Hiking, Backpacking and Staying Safe in the Wilderness

Humans have a long history of two healthy and accessible activities: walking & hiking. But being in the wilderness is more than a walk in the park. In this episode, experts from WA and CO discuss hiking benefits, preparation, safety, and respect for nature. [214 characters].  

Guests: 

Lee Jacobsen, JD. Lee is a Seattle attorney and avid hiker and backpacker. He is a founder of the Washington Hikers and Climbers facebook group, an 8-years running FB hiking community of over 200,000 people in WA state.

Tim Durkin MD. Tim is a physician with board certification in both emergency and sports medicine, based in Colorado. Dr Durkin is the chief medical officer for Base Medical, a wilderness medicine education company, as well as medical director for the San Juan National Forest, SAR program coordinator for Colorado Highland Helicopters, and a responder with La Plata County SAR in Colorado. He is a former paramedic and Eagle Scout, with over 25 years of technical wilderness SAR experience. Dr Durkin practices emergency medicine at a rural hospital serving Native Americans, and occupational medicine for public safety agencies. Opinions expressed today by Dr Durkin are his own and not official positions of any of his employers or affiliates. 

 

Resources:

1. Washington Trails Association—A nonprofit organization. “Washington Trails Association mobilizes hikers and everyone who loves the outdoors to explore, steward and champion trails and public lands.” Trail information is specific to Washington State, but there is much on their website that is useful to anyone—general hiking information and tips for hiking.

• For example, see Trail Smarts, which has a lot of how to videos.

1. The Mountaineers— A nonprofit “outdoor community of 14,000 active members in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1906, getting people of all ages outside safely and responsibly for over 100 years.” 

• The Mountaineers has much to offer anyone no matter where they live:

• The Mountaineers book publishing and information resources are useful to hikers worldwide, including maps and a range of books and guides that provide detail about hiking & climbing tools, techniques, skills and safety in the wilderness. 

1. Base Medical — Their mission is “to empower a safe outdoor community through access to innovative and sustainable education.” They have some on-line training available. Our guest Dr. Tim Durkin is Chief Medical Office for this organization.

2. WHC - Washington Hikers and Climbers, public FB group “for Washington hikers, climbers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, and other outdoor inclined residents of or visitors to the state.”

3. NWAC —“The Northwest Avalanche Center exists to increase avalanche awareness, reduce avalanche impacts, and equip the community with mountain weather and avalanche forecasts, education, and data.”

4. All Trails — An app based retail organization that aims to connect people with the outdoors; large resource of curated trails and detailed trail information with global coverage. 

5. MeetUp Groups — There are thousands of walking and hiking meetup groups in the US and globally. A great way to meet like minded walkers/hikers and learn and explore together.

6. FB Groups — A great way to meet like minded walkers/hikers and learn and explore together. 

7. REI — A cooperative retail organization that not only sells gear but also provides lots of information resources on line and in classes and group events for hiking, camping, and staying safe in the wilderness. 

 

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