Stay Ready, So You Don’t Have to Get Ready

I’ve seen many things out in the field in my time. You’re bound to see some things when you start out camping during your younger years with fellow college kids and adult beverages. I was always left with a cautionary lesson and an insane story. So, naturally, when I decided to venture out on foot into every type of natural terrain imaginable and lead other people, I became interested in learning about what can go wrong in the outdoors, how to prevent it, and what to do if it goes wrong anyway.

I’ve run into medical emergencies since I began hiking and backpacking alone. Ontario, on one occasion, I witnessed a young woman carrying an empty plastic water bottle in the middle of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, suffering from severe heat stroke. I had never seen that level of “being out of it” outside of being a college kid living on campus, and it put me on edge. I did the right thing in that scenario, but I wanted to be confident in my decisions if I happened to run into anyone else encountering an emergency.

I’ve since had to use my limited medical training multiple times around strangers. I was able to keep my cool, solve problems, and stay safe in the process. There will always be that one unprepared hiker, and I like to stay prepared for those unexpected situations.