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PostPosted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:52 pm    Post subject: SOLO Course Review Reply with quote

I just got back from Fairlee, Vermont and taking the SOLO Wilderness First Responder course. It was a 9-day training that I was originally having second thoughts about because of it's length, but it turned into one of the best vacations that I ever had.

Joslin, a Wilderness EMT, was the course instructor. She was part of the reason why we all had so much fun. Not only did she really know her stuff, she set the stage with her wacky sense of humor for a week of laughing and learning.

We had ten students taking the course, but one of the students, Heather, had to bow-out after falling down her stairs at home (She's ok, just a bit stiff). Charlie and Ron were school teachers taking the course for a special field expediation with their Environmental Science students. Hanah, another school teacher, was a full-bore outdoors woman that bathed in the frozen lake instead of taking showers and was taking the course for a summer youth program. David was an algorythm engineer working for a government contractor, but really enjoyed the outdoors and volunteered for the Central Mass Search & Rescue. Wil was the fun-loving crude-joke telling student from Penn State that enjoyed beer, parties, and just having fun; at over 6' 7", he was the largest students which made carrying him on a litter a challenge. Nick was a senior in high school, but turned out to be fairly mature for his age which made it easy to forget that he wasn't 25. Nick was taking the course in lou of a health class so that he could graduate. He was also one heck of a mountain biker (We had pedaled to the top of Eagle's Bluff which was a bit of a heroic feat.). Ben was a college student taking the course so that he could be certified for leading adventure trips for his summer camp. Robert, a master of dead-pan humor, was an outdoorsman taking the course for his own interests. Even though this was an eclectic assembly, the group dynamic turned out to be perfect.

The WFR course was about 1/2 class time and 1/2 field scenarios. The practical hands-on learning was made this program top-notch. We had dozens of situations to deal with from splinting and treating wounds to putting a femur in traction and clearing spines. We also had to deal with a water rescue and a full-bore night rescue complete with an Incident Commander.

The weather was a good smack of reality dishing out everything from rain, snow, and sleet to a powerful windstorm that knocked out power for three days. These extremes helped to test out mental fortitude as well as our gear. After about six days of bad weather, the sun came out and the temps rose to a comfortable level.

The lasty day felt like the last day of summer camp. We had all had so much fun together that it seemed a bit sad. We traded contact information and suggested planning an anniversary excursion sometime in the future.

I would rate this course a 10 out of 10. The only things that could have improved the program would be a hands-on knott-tying session and some evening first-aid trivia games. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in learning backcountry medicine.

For more information, go to www.soloschools.com
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