Training courses for Backcountry Safety

[Tom Rankin]

Does anyone know of any resources, either DVDs, books, in person classes, online, etc. that deal with:

Hike planning
Hiking safely
Camping safely
Backcountry sanitation (Yes, there's at least 1!)
Survival in extreme conditions
Map and compass skills

Etc. ?

Most of are very safe, but how did we get that way? Common sense? Word of mouth? Group hiking? A good book? Something else?

A plus would be if it was North-East specific.

 

[Chip]

Tom, I've considered the 5 day AMC Mountain Leadership class. As a matter of fact, if you wanted company for something like this, I might be interested. Also the SOLO WFA and WFR classes are often offered near both of us.

 

[DougPaul]

"Freedom of the Hills" is a classic text covering a wide range of issues for hiking, camping, and mountaineering.

Doug

 

[Little Rickie]

Does anyone know of any resources, either DVDs, books, in person classes, online, etc. that deal with:

Hike planning
Hiking safely
Camping safely
Backcountry sanitation (Yes, there's at least 1!)
Survival in extreme conditions
Map and compass skills

Etc. ?

Most of are very safe, but how did we get that way? Common sense? Word of mouth? Group hiking? A good book? Something else?

A plus would be if it was North-East specific.

Please don't laugh. You'll be surprised.

Just buy a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook and the Adult Outdoor Leaders Guide. Everything you are asking for is in these two books.

It doesn't have to expensive or complicated to be good. It just has to be simple, and easy to understand. Nice pictures and illustrations too.

 

[Maddy]

Does anyone know of any resources, either DVDs, books, in person classes, online, etc. that deal with:

Hike planning
Hiking safely
Camping safely
Backcountry sanitation (Yes, there's at least 1!)
Survival in extreme conditions
Map and compass skills

Etc. ?

Most of are very safe, but how did we get that way? Common sense? Word of mouth? Group hiking? A good book? Something else?

A plus would be if it was North-East specific.

Most definitely.
Sign up for an Outward Bound course of your choosing
http://www.outwardbound.org/index.cfm/do/exp.index
I would recommend and 8 day course or longer.
You will cover all these topics and then some.
They have them for adults 23 + and 30+.
Money well spent and for what you get, I don't think they are that expensive.
There is nothing to compare to "experiential" learning
and I doubt you will ever forget it. Fond, very practical memories!

 

[Nessmuk]

Please don't laugh. You'll be surprised.

Just buy a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook and the Adult Outdoor Leaders Guide. Everything you are asking for is in these two books.

It doesn't have to expensive or complicated to be good. It just has to be simple, and easy to understand. Nice pictures and illustrations too.

It's the Boy Scout Fieldbook that you want, its a different publication than the Handbook and is geared to outdoor activities.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Good stuff everyone! I wish I had some more greenies to go around!

 

[Ed Poyer]

AMC's Mountain Leadership School

MLS is a 5 day (Wed - Sun) experiential learning course which covers all the topics you listed on a three night backpack in the whites. Survival in extreme conditions is not specifically covered.

MLS focuses on leadership skills essential for running recreational trips in the mountains of the northeast. That might mean organized trips, or groups of friends.

Each student is given plenty of latitude to lead a group for 1/2 day, and to 'co-lead' the group for 1/2 day. It is learning by doing, with feedback from peers and instructors.

For example, accident scenes are constructed for the students to manage, not from a first aid standpoint, but from a scene management perspective, including scene safety, triage, task delegation and followup, stay/evac/send for help decision making and implementation, etc.

Similar to Outward Bound, but shorter, cheaper, local and run by volunteers. There are sessions in June and August.

Anyone PM me if interested.
Ed

 

[naturegirl]

SOLO in Conway NH is awesome and they have a great reputation. I got my WFR certification there...highly recommend taking the course on their campus.

http://www.soloschools.com/

 

[teejay]

The 46ers Outdoor Leadership School is pretty basic but useful for a newbie. Just a weekend, but you can't beat the price. Contact me by PM for another resource.

teejay

 

[Little Rickie]

It's the Boy Scout Fieldbook that you want, .

Yup. Great book! It's got everything you need to know, cost effective and more convenient.