Two plane rides, one long shuttle ride, and many mountains later, I’ve finally arrived in Lander, Wyoming — two and a half hours from both Jackson Hole and Casper — to the NOLS Wyss Wilderness Medicine Campus to begin Semester 2 of my gap year. Though the location may be remote, the views are unquestionably stunning and the weather is quite fair in comparison to Chicago’s recent polar vortex.

Throughout the next 3 months, I will be out here in the Rockies getting my Urban and Wilderness EMT certifications with NOLS! In other words, I’m training to keep people alive while I get them from the middle of the woods to the hospital. I’m one of a class of 27 on campus — made up from people all over the country, from 18 to 40 years old. I am one of 5 girls in the program. My first month will be spent preparing for typical urban scenarios and the NREMT test — everything I’d need to work in an ambulance — and I’ll be in class for 9 hours a day learning urban emergency medicine skills. In addition to classes, I have 8 hour shifts at a nearby hospital for observational and hands-on learning.

However, many of these skills aren’t applicable to emergencies in the wilderness, where resources are limited and response times are much longer. In order to learn how to apply the urban emergency skills to the backcountry, I’ll be spending March and April out in the wilderness of Utah and Wyoming. If you’re interested in more details you can check out the program here.

The best thing about being back in the US is that I can receive mail! The best address to reach me with letters (or care packages!) will be:

Grace Turner – WMR Student
c/o NOLS
288 Main Street
Lander, WY 82520

Unfortunately, I won’t be reachable on a consistent basis the second two months, but NOLS should be able to deliver mail during my ration drops. I hope to be able to connect back every few weeks to post here when I have service.

I’m excited to continue to share this endeavor with you all!!