Wilderness First Aid

This weekend I took a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Wilderness Medical Institute (WMI) Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course at the Austin REI store.  This class was needed in order for me to get hired as a trip leader for UT RecSports.  The course was 16 hours, split across two days.

We learned the triangular patient assessment system, which we are to follow for every wilderness first aid situation we encounter.  First we are supposed to size-up the scene by doing 5 things:

• Survey the scene for hazards - 'I'm #1'
• Determine what night have caused the injury - 'What happened to you?'
• Protect yourself from bodily substances - 'Keep goo off me'
• Determine the number of patients - 'Are there more?'
• Form a general impression of the patient - 'Dead or alive?'

Then we perform an initial assessment, looking for immediate threats to life:

• Identify yourself and obtain consent.  Ask what happened.
• Establish responsiveness and stabilize the spine if there is an obvious mechanism for spine injury.
• Airway management: check for obstructions in patient's mouth.
• Breathing adequacy: Ask patient to take 2 breaths.  Look, listen, and feel.
• Circulation: Check for a pulse, and run hands under the patient's body to check for large amounts of blood.
• Decision on disability: Determine if there is a chance of spinal injury - if so, maintain head stabilization.
• Environment: Expose any serious injuries to skin level.

Next we do a complete head-to-toe physical exam, take vital signs, and record history.

• Head-to-toe physical exam
• Look, ask, listen, and feel
• Check circulation, sensation, and motion (CSM) in all four extremities

• Vital signs
• Level of responsiveness (LOR): awake and oriented, awake and disoriented, or unconscious
• Heart rate: beats per minute, strong or weak
• Respiratory rate: Breaths per minute, easy or labored
• Skin color, temperature, and moisture

• Patient history
• Chief complaint
• Age
• Symptoms
• Allergies
• Medications
• Pertinent medical history
• Last fluid/food intake, last urine/bowel output
• Events

Then we covered a variety of topics in detail.  The lessons were interspersed with many scenarios, in which 1/3 or 1/2 of the class would pretend to be a patient.  The patients would be told exactly how to act and what their symptoms were, as well as given fake cuts or bruises using make-up.  The care givers would then have to go through the entire patient assessment system and gather information that could be used in a radio report or to treat the patient.

We discussed the signs and symptoms of various medical issues, as well as how to treat them in the back-country and when to decide an evacuation is necessary.  Specifically, we learned about:

• Spinal injuries
• Head injuries
• Shock
• Wound management and infection
• Burns
• Injuries
• Including decisions on when an injury is usable versus unusable, learning how to tape an ankle, learning how to splint a leg, and learning how to make a sling
• Dislocations
• Heat illnesses
• Cold injuries
• Lightening
• Altitude illnesses
• Anaphylaxis

The NOLS instructors were great.  All in all, I feel much more prepared to deal with any injures that might occur in the back-country.  Not only am I more knowledgeable after this course, but I also feel confident that I could examine a patient effectively and remain calm while handling difficult situations that I might encounter.  I'm looking forward to eventually extending my knowledge in a Wilderness First Responder course (80 hours) at some point in the future.

Spring Adventure Trip Staff Assignments

As I was working the merchandise table at the Longhorn Open racquetball tournament today, I noticed that the staff list for the spring adventure trips had been emailed to me.  We had been asked to submit our trip wishlist by Thursday afternoon, so I was surprised to see assignments were already done by Friday afternoon.

I was assigned to five spring trips, more than any other new trip leader.  Manuel has four trips, and everyone else has less than four.  It was probably just because I asked for more trips, but it could be because they liked what they saw in guide school and/or that I'll have both my CPR + AED and Wilderness First Aid certifications by January 26.

I've been assigned to:

• 2/28-3/2: Introduction to Backpacking at Lost Maples State Park, with Billy and Sara B. I didn't ask for this trip, as it is the same weekend as Explore UT, but Peter said I could keep it once it was surprisingly assigned to me.
• 3/7-3/16: Alternative Spring Break Service Project at Grand Canyon National Park, with Emily, Tommy, and Sebastian.  I'll miss the intercollegiate nationals racquetball tournament and SXSW, but ultimately I think this trip will make me the happiest.
• 3/29: Stand-Up Paddle Boarding & Caving Day Trip at Inks Lake and Longhorn Cavern State Parks with Jakub, Manuel, and Sarah Rose.
• 4/4-4/6: Tubing, Hiking & Camping at South Llano River State Park with Jakub and Scott.
• 5/14-5/18: Canoeing Santa Elena Canyon at Big Bend National Park with Scott, Sebastian, and Ellie.

The Spring Adventure Trip schedule in the Outdoor Center (photo by Jakub).

Guide School Day 15: Driving Home

Today we woke at 4:30am, and left slightly before 5am (our goal was 5am).  I slept in the back seat until we stopped for gas in Study Butte.  Then I slept in the second row until the border patrol checkpoint (both suburbans got through quickly) and then kind of slept until we reached Fort Stockton at 8:30am.  We had breakfast at McDonalds and then stopped for gas in Junction.  I rode in the quieter van that was driven by Chris and Billy all day.

We stopped at a KOA RV park in Fredericksburg to dump the Groover.  It was actually pretty easy.  You hook up the water to a hose that connects to the top of the Groover.  Then you hook a bigger hose to the Groover outflow that connects to the sewer.  Then you just have to turn on the water, rotate the Grover, and massage the big hose some to empty and wash out the Groover.  Then you add some toilet bowl cleaner, scrub, and rinse.  I had pictured a much worse process.

Once we got back to Austin, we stored the canoes in the storage room at the stadium, and then unloaded everything.  We hung up tents and sleeping bags, properly stored food, and either put back equipment into its proper place or put it in a bin for cleaning if it needed to be cleaned.  We were done with unloading and storage in just under an hour.

It was strange to say good-bye.  I'll be seeing (and working with) many of these people soon enough.  But it is still strange to say good-bye after spending a week together.  Some people were certainly ready to be home, but others of us easily could have stayed in the back-country for another week (or perhaps longer).  For the first time, I truly understood how and why someone would want to do a 30-90 day Outward Bound (or similar) course.  It was also interesting to hear some people in our group starting to turn Plan B (a career outdoors) into Plan A.

Personally, I'm not sure where guide school and guiding fits into my life - but I certainly know that this trip had a positive impact on me.  Foremost, it made me feel alive.  It's difficult to explain, but being in the back-country and exploring does something to me.  I enjoyed being pushed outside my comfort zone, and feel empowered by how I was able to rise to challenges.  I also felt like a wall fell down when I admitted to Brenden that I was starting to panic partway up a rock scramble in Fern Canyon.  I feel like I often try to put on a strong front, and that was one situation where I asked for help and had to really rely on and trust someone else.

Guide School Day 14: Emory Peak Hike

Today Sebastian and I were leaders of the day!

I woke up at 5:35am.  I wore my clothing for the day to bed the night before, so not much preparation was needed to be ready for the day.  I got my daypack completely ready before waking everyone up at 6am.  Countdowns for events and expectation were stressed throughout guide school, so I tried to give them throughout the day - starting by noting 30 minutes until breakfast when I woke them.

We ate breakfast - tortillas with peanut butter, dried fruit, Nutella, ect as well as leftover bagels and oatmeal - at 6:30am.  I had a bagel and two packets of instant oatmeal, as I wanted to be on top of my game, and I knew snacks and lunch might be somewhat sparse.  I mixed some red Poweraide into my water too.

We had our safety talk and day overview at 7:30am - this was also the time at which we had asked for everything to be bear-proofed.  I did the introduction, Sebastian led the warm up and stretches, I went over the general plans for the day, Sebastian presented the weather (which I had smartly found on a bulletin board near the bathhouse in the camp ground), I discussed trail etiquette and potential hazards, and Sebastian mentioned Leave No Trace considerations.  Under Leave No Trace, we decided to break our group of 16 into two groups of 8.  We said one group would leave in about 5 minutes and would take a more relaxed pace to the top of Emory Peak.  The other group would finish bear proofing and cleaning up the camp site and leave in about 25 minutes.

My group - Emily, Jakub, Zack, Hannah, Tessa, Ellie, and Manuel - left first.  We drove to the trail head and began hiking at 8:06am.  I originally was first and Jakub last, but my pace was a bit too fast.  I slowed down, but still had some trouble getting the pace right.  Emily suggested that I ask someone of moderate speed to set the pace, and suggested Ellie.  Hence, at the next water break, I asked Ellie to go first and set the pace, with me following right behind.  We chatted about favorite trails and our trips to Turkey as we climbed.  We stopped for short 2-5 minute water, snack, and pee breaks about every 0.8 miles.  Manuel had a GPS, which made this mileage goal between breaks easy to measure.

 Me showing the group what we would be hiking on a map at the trail head (photo by Hannah).

Tessa was struggling a bit to keep up and was cold during a break, so I suggested that she start a bit earlier than the group.  In hind sight, this was a mistake for two reasons: (1) she learned that she liked not having anyone around and (2) she ended up being out of sight too often, which was bad especially in bear and mountain lion country.

This Mexican Jay was very interested in our snacks at a rest break (photo by Manuel)

Nearing the top of the Pinnacles trail with my group (photo by Manuel)

We reached the Emory Peak turn-off, and stopped to take a short break and put our lunch foods in the bear box (since we planned to eat lunch when we returned).  The other group caught up to us, and we all decided to walk the last 1.5 miles to the Emory Peak summit together.  However, the other group wanted a 5-10 minute break first.  As I was talking with the other group, I saw Tessa starting to walk up the trail to Emory Peak.  I felt I was left with no choice but to follow her, as I could not stop her and I did not want her to be on the trail alone.  Much of my group followed, which left us breaking our agreement with the other group to summit together.

Tessa was out of sight again, and neither Emily nor I was thrilled.  Emily said I needed to have the tough conversation with Tessa that she couldn't keep walking this far away from us.  However, when we caught up to her at one point, we agreed to stop for a water break, but she hurried away when we stopped.  I eventually caught up to her again, and told her that walking that far ahead was not an option.  I proposed multiple valid options - like her walking with Jakub or myself ahead or behind our group.  She eventually agreed that we could trail her closely, but she seemed despondent and angry with me.  I was at a loss of what to do besides trail her closely, with the group moving slowly behind me.  When we reached the rock scramble before the summit, she sat down and did not want to go to the top.  I stayed with her for a bit with Jakub, but when the second group appeared I led them to the top.  I was at a complete loss for how to handle the situation, but felt sure I should be doing something different.

View from the Emory Peak trail (photo by Manuel)

 My group on the Emory Peak trail (photo by Manuel)

Most of the ladies at the Emory Peak summit (photo by Hannah).

Group picture at the Emory Peak summit (photo by Manuel).

Me near the Emory Peak summit (photo by Hannah).

View of the basin from Emory Peak (photo by Manuel)

After taking pictures and enjoying the summit, we all walked casually back to the split point and our food left in the bear boxes.  We had lunch together, and then split into two groups based on who wanted to leave now and who wanted to leave later.  Sebastian went with the now group, and I finished eating and carried the remaining food and trash with the later group.  Chris took Tessa with him, and I went with Jakub, Hannah, Manuel, Sarah B, and Zack.  I opted to walk in the back, as did Jakub, as I figured I could see the group and the trail was obvious and the same trail we came up on.  However, the group kept getting farther and farther ahead of Jakub and I (since we are both slow on downhills), until we eventually lost them.  We never caught them, and were physically unable to safely go any faster.  I felt like this was a failure as a guide, but no one else seemed to think this.  Chris and Jakub knew (since Jakub was with me and we caught up to Chris and Tessa on the trail), but I guess they were okay with it and I guess the four people in that group were also okay with it.  As Jakub and I walked down, we talked about our different PhD programs, job searches after PhDs, and defenses.  Jakub had just defended his thesis in December.

People were shopping in the general store and the ranger station when we came down at 2:16pm.  We had hiked a total of 9.26 miles.  I hopped in the first suburban to leave for camp, and told everyone they had 10 minutes to change before we left for the hot springs.  Then we drove about 45 minutes to the hot springs near Rio Grande village.  We saw some petroglyphs on the short hike to the hot springs.  The hot springs were empty when we arrived, and they felt good.  Many in our group enjoyed jumping into the cold river from the hot springs.  Brenden and Manuel even swam down river a bit.  We all had fun relaxing and chilling.  By the time we left, about 10 other people (9 men and 1 woman) had arrived.  Most of the girls were in sports bras and shorts or bikini bottoms - which was fine with our group but seemed kind of awkward with all these random men.

All of us relaxing in the hot springs (photo by Manuel)

(L->R) Sebastian, me, Ellie, Hannah, and Sara B sitting on the ledge to the hot springs with our feet in the river (photo by Jakub).

Then we happily walked back to the cars and drove back to camp.  The other car, which was driven by Sean and contained most of the girls plus Sebastian, was having a pretty humorous dance party ahead of us.  We had fun watching them bob around as we drove back to camp.

We took about 10 minutes to change out of our wet clothing, and then headed to the lodge for dinner.  Chris had walked up to the restaurant the night before so they were expecting us and were able to quickly handle all 16 of us at one table.  Some people went out all, getting the $22 duck special and dessert and/or the $6 soup and salad add-on.  I opted for a simple turkey burger and fries.  It was tasty and we all enjoyed just relaxing and being together.

After dinner, we went back to camp and met for the leader of the day debrief.  Sebastian and I both got a lot of positive feedback and no negative feedback.  I personally got the following feedback:

• I was confident and decisive when answering questions
• I was well-informed and knowledgeable about the hike
• I gave good countdowns, especially the humorous but useful 30 second countdowns during hiking breaks
• I was receptive to altering pace, and was smart to use Ellie to pace our uphill group
• Ellie said she enjoyed chatting with me on the uphill climb, and said she felt like I was accessible and was leading without trying (I agree - leading today did feel natural)
• I had a 'motherly' feel to my leadership - I did a good job looking after people and caring for them during the hike
• They liked the friendly/funny reminder the night before: 'This is your friendly leader of the day reminding you to pack your daypack tonight'
• They liked the happy tone of my wake-up

The four guides did not have much to say during the debrief.  Emily said on the uphill hike, as I was not sure what to do about Tessa, that she thought I was doing a good job.  Chris said that he thought we did a great job, and thought that the 6:30am breakfast ended up working on nicely.  We seemed to be the first group of the day to the Emory Peak summit (a guy who arrived after us seemed surprised that he was not first).

Chris talked shortly after the leader of the day debrief about the next steps.  Trips usually have 2-3 paid guides and then can have some volunteer guides as space permits that do not get paid but also do not have to pay to go on the trip.  Volunteering on a trip is a good opportunity to gain experience guiding as well as to gain experience in an area that you want to strengthen (like canoeing, climbing, kayaking, ect for me).  Volunteering at their outreach activities will help you gain priority on trips.  They also have some staff trips, and we can plan scout trips for potential new trips (they pay for everything except food, and will provide us a suburban and gas). We can volunteer until we get our wilderness first aid or wilderness first responder certification, at which point we can get paid if we are one of the trip leaders.

We packed up everything except for tents, sleeping bags, and pads (sleeping in what we planned to wear the next day), and repacked the box trailer.  Then I went to sleep.  I listened to Brenden play guitar for a while, as well as listened to some people talking outside the tent, as I contemplated the entire epic experience.

Guide School Day 13: Gourmet Gamp to the Chisos Basin

Today Sara B and Manuel were the designated leaders of the day.  The guides let us sleep an hour later today, waking at 7am instead of 6am.  This facilitated the campfire time the night before, which was great bonding time for us.

We had toasted bagels for breakfast, which was great with butter.  I ate at least two, as I was pretty hungry after the quesadillas came up a little short in quantity the previous night.

Sean taught me how to steer today.  His teaching style matched my learning style nicely, and he's just generally a great person.  Definitely a role model for me in how he acts on the river and in camp.  Sean taught me the various strokes and then coached me through when to use them.  He was a great person for me to be paired with, and I'm very appreciative of his patience and great attitude throughout the entire trip.

We stopped at Fern Canyon after paddling for about 1 mile.  We were supposed to take a hike into the canyon.  We started to change into hiking boots, but stopped when we learned that we would be hiking through knee deep water and mud.

Chris and Jakub paddled ahead to make sure the cars and keys had reached the take-out point as planned.  We thought Chris had said to hike left to the rock wall before entering the canyon to avoid knee-deep mud, but this led only to dead ends.  We finally backtracked and found a way to the canyon entrance, but this took about 30 minutes.

Many people in our group thought we should just leave since we already used 30 minutes (and the leaders of the day claimed we were only scheduled to spend 45 minutes at Fern Canyon), and the first scramble would require us to crawl on our stomachs through the dirt under a ledge next to a muddy pool.  The consensus seemed to be that we could either spend more time to explore Fern Canyon now or do the Window Trail in the Chisos Basin that night.

The leaders of the day decided to put it to a vote, but Sean and I insisted on making points before the vote.  Sean noted that the Window trail is a front-country trail that can be done in '6 minutes' whereas this was a back-country trail.  People objected that the Window trail would take more than '6 minutes' and lost the point.  Billy then said something that supported not exploring Fern Canyon, but I do not remember what it was.  And then I said what Sean later said he meant: The Window Trail is a front-country trail that can be done any time you come to Big Bend, whereas it will take a canoe and time to be able to explore Fern Canyon on a future trip.

We then took a vote -  7 people voted to do Fern Canyon, 2 people voted not to do Fern Canyon, and the remaining 5 people abstained.  Emily, Billy, and Tessa opted not to go into the canyon and instead stayed with the canoes.  I was super excited about exploring the canyon, and scampered 3rd (after Brenden and Sebastian) under the ledge next to the muddy pond.  It was a tight squeeze and then we had to climb up a smooth, narrow space between two rocks.  Brenden gave me a hand up, which helped a lot.  Both Brenden and Sean were great in the canyon.  There were a lot of rock scrambles in the canyon - and my river shoes did not provide a reassuring amount of traction.

Tight squeeze under a ledge by a muddy pool at the entrance (photo by Manuel).

Sebastian next to the ferns near the mouth of Fern Canyon (photo by Sara B).

At one point it seemed like we had to bolder up a rock face, but I froze about halfway up.  I told Brenden this and both he and Sean came over to help coach me.  Brenden originally encouraged me to downclimb, but Sean encouraged me to climb up as he felt it would be safer and easier for me.  Brenden spotted me from below and Sean coached me up and gave me a hand through the toughest part (but told me not to pull if I fell, as then I would pull him down since he didn't have a great hand hold!).  They both helped me find good hand holds and foot holds to get out of the uncomfortable situation.  We soon realized that this was the part of the canyon that Chris had meant when he said there was a section where you could either do a sketchy rock scramble or an easy climb thorough a tunnel and up a water fall.  Sean later apologized for pushing me past my comfort zone, but that he felt going up was ultimately going to be the safest decision for me.

Sebastian and Hannah exploring in Fern Canyon (photo by Sara B).

Exploring in Fern Canyon (photo by Manuel)

Sebastian and Ellie dealing with some tricky footing as Brenden helps (photo by Manuel).

After this, we scrambled around the canyon for a while.  Way too quickly, it was time to go back.  I led the way out with Ellie, and had a blast going down the water fall, through the tunnel, and finally down the last scramble to drop down before crawling my way out.  By this point, we were so muddy!  But I was so happy.  This was my favorite part of the trip besides Joel's Canyon.

I was so muddy after exiting Fern Canyon (photo by Manuel)

Once everyone was out of the canyon, we snacked and then took off.  I was still steering, but doing much better now.  I made a few poor decisions -  one caused us to slam into a wall shot, another caused us to get stuck on gravel (Sean had to hop out and push us), and yet another caused the front of the canoe (and Sean!) to run straight into a river cane thicket.  However, Sean was so patient and encouraging the whole time - such a great canoe partner!

Nearing the exit of Santa Elena canyon (photo by Manuel)

As we exited the canyon, we saw our first tourists hiking the short Santa Elana trail.  It was definitely strange to see other humans, and to have to consider how our behavior might affect them (be it singing, telling jokes, or peeing behind bushes).

Group picture near the canyon exit (photo by Manuel).

Now pretend you actually like each other (photo by Manuel)

Sean and I were the first to reach the take-out point.  We quickly unloaded all the canoes and then carried them up to the canoe trailer.  Then we ate lunch and loaded into the suburbans to go to the Chisos Basin - somehow ahead of schedule even though we spent extra time at Fern Canyon.

Sean and I approaching the take out point.  Note our flag (aka spare paddle). (photo by Jakub)

Once in the Chisos Basin, we found two non-reserved sites next to each other at the Chisos Basin campground.  I'm not sure why Chris did not know there were group sites.  Then about 10 of us went to hike the Window Trail for 2 hours while the other 6 put up three tents and cooked dinner.  Brenden cooked a delicious potato soup with bunches of left over food, like almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, ect.

The Window Trail was disappointing to me.  The actual window was not that cool, and I was bothered by all the cement brought in to make a trail near the actual window.  We then took another tail to see an overview of the window, which was cooler.  However, this left us to hike about 1.5 miles back in the dark with headlamps, which is pretty much one of my worst nightmares.  Even with the headlamp, depth perception is still poor and hence hiking is difficult.  Jakub was hiking slow too, so we hiked back together although the rest of the group was hurrying ahead of us.  At least Sara B was kind enough to not push us to hurry.

Hiking towards the window on the Window Trail (photo by Manuel)

 

Group picture of the group that hiked to the window (photo by Manuel)

Once at camp, we ate dinner, bear proofed everything (which was surprisingly time consuming), and had the leader of the day debrief.  I do not remember what was said about Sara B and Manuel, as I was nervously anticipating my upcoming leader of the day status.

Sebastian and I decided to have breakfast the next morning at 6:30am instead of 7am, but still have people wake up at 6am (since we would not have to pack-up our camp).  After meeting with the 4 guides to get briefed on the upcoming day, we sat and talked about our schedule for tomorrow, our safety talk, and how we wanted to organize the hike.

Guide School Day 12: Entrance Camp to Gourmet Camp

Ellie and Tommy were the assigned leaders of the day as we entered the Santa Elena canyon!  My team (Sean, Manuel, and Sara B) was in charge of meals today.  For breakfast we served apples and bagels with dried fruit, peanut butter, jelly, honey, Nutella, and cream cheese.  We left camp at 9:02am.

Entrance Camp in the early dawn (photo by Manuel)

Entrance Rapid has been making us nervous since we had first seen it on our hike on the second day on the river (guide school day 10).  Navigating Entrance Rapid did require some good steering and draws - but we all got through without any serious issues.

All but three canoes decided to line the next rapid, since it was an easy line and the chance of flipping seemed high (and there were no anchors nearby if we wrapped a canoe on the rocks).  Manuel and Chris as well as Sara B and Jakub (video complements of Manuel) went through the rapid with no issues.  However, Sean and Brenden (who had decided to run it together as their partners - Zack and I - lined the other canoe) flipped (video complements of Manuel).  It was an easy recovery, but they and the stuff in Zack and Brenden's boat got wet (luckily we had removed the guitar, just in case a flip occurred).

Then, we reached the rock slide rapid (which was only about a mile from Entrance Camp).  Manuel and Chris 'went to Mexico' to scout, and then Sean and I followed.  As we cut across the current from the Texas side to the Mexico side, I was certain at multiple points that we would flip and/or end up going through Rock Slide prematurely (with or without our canoe).  But we made it.  Then we did a tough but fun rock scramble up to some lookouts where we could see the entire rapid from above.  I did not go as far or high as Sean (who is really comfortable with rock climbing), but could still see all of the rapid.  We stayed high to watch as some of the other groups made their way through the Mexico Gate of Rock Slide (Texas Gate was blocked by a strainer).

 Scouting rock slide rapid from above on the Mexico side (photo by Manuel)

Sarah and Emily aiming towards Mexico Gate (photo by Manuel)

There was a bit of drama when both Emily and Tommy were standing on a rock in the middle of Rock Slide yelling conflicting instructions at couple groups.  Some of the people in those groups got really irritated.  Seeing this, I asked Sean before going into the rapid whether I should listen to his directions or theirs while in the rapid, and he said theirs - I felt better knowing we were on the same page going in.

Sean and I ran the rapid 7th, and actually ended up going through the narrow middle gate although we were originally aiming for Mexico Gate.  We started to go towards the middle gate, and just opted to go with it, since we knew from looking from above that we would be fine.  Although the middle gate was narrow, it was actually much easier.

Sean and I starting off from Mexico side, getting ready to go into the rock slide rapid (photo by Manuel)

We stopped for lunch at Camp Misery, which was located right after rock slide.  We served sandwiches with tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados, summer sausage, salmon, tuna, cookies, oranges, and chips.  After lunch, we saw a presentation by Manuel and Sara B on the 'Respect Wildlife' Leave No Trace Principle.  Their presentation was really cute, and involved them role playing with Sara being knowledgeable in Leave No Trace and Manuel being a naive tourist.

We ran a variety of tough rapids before reaching Gourmet camp at 3:29pm (4.88 miles from Entrance Camp).  Sean had been pushing me to learn to steer, but I was glad while running these rapids that Chris has said to wait until the following day.  Sean and I are working well - my paddling skills have improved a bunch since day 1!  We rocked rapids today that we would have struggled with (or chosen to line) on day 1.

Sean and I chilling (photo by Manuel)

Once at Gourmet Camp (in the middle of the canyon!), we set up the kitchen, changed into dry clothing, and cooked quesadillas for dinner.  We served tortilla chips, salsa, and oranges as an appetizer.  As I was cooking, flocks of birds began swarming inside the canyon, which was pretty awesome to see (especially considering how it relates to my research!).  The presence of the birds also decreased the presence of the small flying insects we had experienced earlier in the night.

Looking downstream from Gourmet Camp (photo by Manuel)

 Looking upstream at Gourmet Camp (photo by Manuel)

For dinner we mixed and cooked corn and pinto beans and grilled zucchinis and onions.  We then had people add these ingredients and/or sun-dried tomatoes and cheese to a tortilla, and then we grilled their made-to-order tortilla for them.  Sean insisted on manning the grill the entire time, claiming it kept him warm.  Everyone seemed to really like the quesadillas, but I think we could have had more food.

After dinner, everyone started chilling at the fire listening to Brenden play guitar. Sean and I washed the dishes, and most of the girls were braiding each others' hair.  After we finished the dishes, we all sat around the fire listening to Brenden playing and singing with Sebastian playing drums on an empty water container.  It was a pretty cool feel.  For me, the most memorable song was about the Groover: 'My name is Charles (thanks for asking)'.  Brenden is indeed really talented at crafting lyrics on the fly.

After a bit, Sara's dutch oven chocolate cake was finally done cooking.  It turned out pretty nice (especially considering we didn't know the exact proportions of the ingredients), and we all shared a few plates and forks around the camp fire.  Tonight was a great night of bonding around the camp fire.  Looking up and seeing the stars and the canyon walls was also completely amazing.

Relaxing around the camp fire (photo by Manuel)

Gourmet Camp at night (photo by Manuel)

Tonight the guides announced that Sara B and Manuel would be the leaders of the day tomorrow, which leaves Sebastian and I to lead the Emory Peak day by default.  I'm pumped, as I wanted to be leader on the Emory Peak day from the start.  Sebastian seems cool, so I'm excited to be working with him.

Everyone seemed to think today was amazing.  I thought it was cool to be in the canyon (looking up at the walls is pretty neat), and I enjoyed the challenge of the many rapids today, but I thought yesterday was so much cooler.  I guess different people have different things that really excite them.  For me, although today was awesome, yesterday was super amazing.

Guide School Day 11: Joel's Canyon

Tessa and Brenden were the leaders of the day today.  Tessa had predicted that she would be leader of the day today, as she was scared of repelling and figured that the guides realized making her leader of the day would be the only way to get her to do the repelling.

Chris talked to us about Joel's Canyon the night before.  He told us what a special place it is for him, and how he plans to have his ashes scattered at the top of the last repel when he dies.  It was a pretty touching and real talk.

I awoke at 5:30am (after sleeping for 9 hours!) since Tessa was leader of the day and wanted to get an early start to the day.  I didn't end up leaving my sleeping bag until 6:15am, as it was pretty cold out.

Rio Grande from Entrance Camp (photo by Manuel)

Dance circle for warm up (photo by Manuel)

We left camp at 9:10am for Joel's Canyon.  I carried 1 liter of water (since I only brought one Nalgene), 3 blocks of cheese, 2 knifes, my harness and repelling device, my helmet, my water shoes and socks, and a rain jacket in JT's small day pack.  I opted to take JT's 14 liter day-pack instead of my 25 liter Camelbak because his doesn't have a rigid suspension system and hence could be stuffed into the bottom of the dry bag I was sharing with Manuel.  We hiked 2.14 miles to the head of Joel's Canyon.  I stayed near the front of the hiking group with Sean (my designated hiking and harness checking buddy for the day) and kept up well with the pace.

Hiking on a faint back-country trail in the Mesa de Anguila (photo by Manuel)

Joel's Canyon (photo by Manuel)

We had some short but steep uphill climbs.  Brenden slowed the pace after people complained after the first uphill, and I thought the resulting pace was very comfortable if a bit slow.  The group kept wanting to stop for water and/or to remove layers, which led Chris to seem worried that we were moving too slow.

We saw a pack of 15-20 cattle illegally grazing on Big Bend land in the Mesa de Anguila as we hiked today.  I'm assuming they belong to the Hispanic man we saw on a horse the previous day.  Chris said we are technically supposed to report the cattle sighting when we reach the Basin, but that in general there is not much the park system is going to be able to do.  This started an interesting discussion between Brenden and Chris about cattle grazing in the park (Brenden was noting that ranchers have historically used land on both sides of the border without any restrictions).

 Hiking through the Mesa de Anguila (photo by Jakub).

 Hiking through the Mesa de Anguila (photo by Jakub).

Manuel's GPS track of our hike from Entrance Camp to Joel's Canyon

When we got to the head of Joel's Canyon (at 11:27am), we put on our harnesses, helmets, and water shoes while Chris, Emily, and Sean set up anchors and ropes for the first two repels.  The pool in the middle of the first repel was knee-deep, so I was happy for my water shoes but sad that my base-layer, tights, and nylon pants would not roll up past my knees.  I went down 7th, after Ellie and before Manuel.  Hence, Ellie usually belayed me, and I usually belayed Manuel.

For each repel, there was always someone at the start of the repel to make sure you connected to the rope properly and to coach you through the start of the repel.  For me, Emily did the first repel, Sean did the second repel, Sean did the third repel, Sean did the fourth repel, Emily did the fifth repel, and Chris did the sixth repel.  Since Chris, Emily, and Sean were always moving through and setting up new repels, they would often leave their post when another one of them came through.  However, either Chris, Emily, Brenden, or Sean were always the last person down a repel.  Once you were past the start of the repel, whoever was belaying you would coach you on how to best repel down the rest of the route.

The first repel was probably the 3rd longest, and required going through a knee-deep pool partway down.  The start of the repel was just through a tunnel and up a scramble to a ledge, which required an awkward entry.  I made an undignified entry on my stomach to the ledge, where Emily was tied in and ready to check me and coach me on the start of the repel.  Once you trusted the system and got over the initial ledge, the first repel was pretty straight forward.

Jakub's picture of the start of the first repel (where Emily is on the ledge in the pink jacket) from above.  The repel ends near the person standing at the bottom.

Waiting in the end of the tunnel for Ellie to clear the beginning of the first repel (photo by Manuel).

Hooked in and going over the ledge (photo by Manuel).

 The entire first repel (photo by Manuel).

The second repel was pretty short. However, it had a really weird start - you had to lay down on your stomach and slide down between two rocks and place your feet on a ledge that you could not see.  After you did that, the rest of the repel was pretty straightforward.

Laying on my stomach as Sean tries to describe to me where the ledge for my foot is (photo by Manuel).

Found the foot hold, but trying to squeeze myself between the two rocks (photo by Manuel).

 The entire second repel (photo by Manuel).

Then we had lunch in waves in a wider part of the canyon.  We had packed in tortillas, cheese, lettuce, hummus, oranges, trail mix, Oreos, chicken, and tuna.  I also changed into my dry hiking boots here, since word was that the rest of the repels would be dry and my hiking shoes would give me better traction.  As we finished lunch, we went to the 3rd repel which Chris, Emily, and Sean had moved quickly to set up.  We had two long ropes, so we could have two repels going at any given time.

The third repel was somewhat awkward in that it was narrow and required a squeeze through two rocks near the beginning.  Then you had to sit on a rock part-way down to reorient, before free repelling to the bottom.

Waiting with Sean at the top of the third repel (photo by Manuel).

Hooking in for the third repel (photo by Manuel).

Zack going down the last part of the third repel (photo by Manuel).

The fourth repel had tricky footing at points, and required you to switch walls some.

Going down the start of the fourth repel (photo by Manuel).

Repelling down the fourth repel, with Ellie belaying (photo by Sara B).

The fifth repel was my favorite and the second longest.  The middle part of it was down a water shoot where you could go quickly.  It was so much fun!  Near the bottom (and a small pool of water that you would naturally land in) - your belayer and someone else had to pull your rope as you jumped across the (now larger) water shoot to avoid landing in the pool of water.  This repel was also cool in that it allowed people who had finished to look back and watch other people do the entire repel.

At the start of the fifth repel (photo by Zack).

A bit further down the fifth repel (photo by Jakub).

Coming down the fifth repel (photo by Hannah).

On the fifth repel (photo by Hannah).

Doing the jump on the fifth repel (photo by Hannah).

 Belaying Manuel on the fifth repel (photo by Hannah).

The sixth repel was by far the longest.  Sean had went first, and found that the normal route had 15-20 bees near the bottom.  Hence, they moved the ropes to a place with less bees but with a much more difficult route.  The new route was awkward to start, and required a bunch of free repels with awkward starts and landings before going into an awkward water shoot that you had to straddle.  However, Tessa - who was very scared of repelling - wanted to go down the easier route with bees.  Hence, Chris moved the original rope back to the normal route (which now had no bees) and rigged a new rope for use on the new, more difficult route.  Then, we started having people use both routes, with the normal route taking about 1/3 of the time of the new route.  I went down the normal route, which was awesome.  Although it kept pushing me to the right and I needed to go straight down or to the left, it was still a very straight-forward and fast route.  I went to look at the other route after I got to the bottom and belayed for Chris, and am happy that I did the normal route since it allowed me to go quickly (which is a great feeling!).

View from the top of the last repel (photo by Zack).

 Sean belaying at the bottom of the more difficult route (photo by Manuel).

The dinner team had already headed back to camp to begin preparing dinner when I finished the sixth repel.  Once Brenden, Emily, and Sean were the only ones left to repel, the rest of us headed back to camp with Jakub and Billy.  We started walking down a wash and then I found the carn we were looking for to leave the wash.  I then I led our informal group back to camp.  It was cool to see that I could easily follow the faint back-country trail (which was better defined and better marked than I expected).

Once back at camp, we ate tacos with beans, cheese, lettuce, mango, and oranges.  Multiple people - including Hannah, Tessa, and Chris - said I looked so happy and excited all day.  I really had a blast and I'm glad it showed.  Repelling at a fast speed was awesome, and getting through some tough, challenging spots was cool.  It was also neat to be in such a rarely used back-country location.  Such an awesome day!

Our tent all lit up at night (photo by Manuel).