[at-l] First Aid 101 / Prevention

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...If you are having a wonderful time showing off your genius and skill,
>dealing with bleeders, nasty challenging infections, emergency return trips to
>the OR, and never getting much sleep - stop and figure out where you are
>screwing up," quotes OB.

I'm not sure whether, or if, this is supposed to refer to Del Doc. But, Doctor
Vernier, like many of us, began backpacking as an adult with his kids. After he
retired, he told us, that his kids suggested he should think about thru hiking.

I think he said his first thru hike was in 1994, which would have made him 69,
but I'm not sure. I wasn't keeping notes on that part of his talk.

However, I don't detect that he studies and practices medicine on the trail just
to "show off his genius and skill." For one thing this isn't the kind of
medicine he practiced. He was a research physician for drug companies. I suspect
much of what he knows about wilderness medicine came after he retired, and grew
out of his thru hiking experiences and the research and education undertaken as
a result of those experiences.

 He strikes me as someone who just enjoys hiking and being with hikers,
especially young people, helping young people and learning from young people.

I know one of the unexpected fascinations I found on the trail in 1993, was
suddenly being a compatriot of 20 somethings again. The trail is a great
leveler. Age suddenly matters less than knowledge and the ability to stick with
a goal. The petty competitions of everyday life sort of disappear.

Anyway, I found the experience enlightening, educational and fun. I suspect Del
Doc found the same.

 Weary