Following three curriculum-packed and technical skill-intense months, I’ve successfully graduated from the NOLS Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Semester as a Wilderness EMT! But what does this mean — and what did I actually learn?

During one class in the pouring rain, with seven of us tethered onto a small ledge 60 feet in the air, our instructor explained how to rappel down a rope to somebody in danger at the bottom of a cliff: you attach yourself to the rope, double-check your gear, and then walk off the edge backwards. This is a simple skill to anyone familiar with companion rescue or even just multi-pitch climbing — but as a beginner to the world of rescue, the thought of stepping backwards into the nothingness of mid-air and trusting a single dusty rope sent visions of catastrophe through my mind.

Barely two weeks later, I arrived as the first responder on the scene of my team’s final practice scenario to find a (simulated) head-trauma patient lying unresponsive at the base of the cliff I was at the top of. In less than 10 minutes, cams were jammed in cracks in the rock, anchors were built, carabiners were locked, and I took a step backwards into the nothingness of mid-air. Seconds later, I was at the side of the patient, jumping into the primary patient assessment and management of immediate life threats.

The semester began with an intense EMT certification course — with classes from eight in the morning to sometimes nine in the evening and a load of reading and studying each night, the pure amount of knowledge presented every single day set the scene for a semester of learning. In addition to class, studying, and practicing skills in simulated scenarios, weekends were full of real application of these skills in the emergency rooms of the local hospitals. 

Following the standard test for national registry, we jumped into application of these skills in a backcountry setting — abandoning the urban environment and systematic protocol of preparing for work in an ambulance to embrace the unpredictability of emergency situations in the wilderness. 

After 21 days of standard NOLS leadership curriculum in the deserts and canyons of Utah, we donned drysuits and learned the skills of a swift-water ninja: learning how to swim through roaring rapids, setting up rope systems and eddy-lines to unstick entrapped swimmers, prying multiple-ton boats free from powerful currents pinning them to rocks.

For the next part of the course, we headed to St. George, Utah where I learned how to be a climbing superhero: simple things like leading, belaying, and rappelling preceded elaborate systems to rescue an injured climbing partner dangling from a rope many feet above. Improvised rescue of climbing companions may possibly be my favorite skillset that I learned on this course: climbing up and down ropes or hauling climbers up difficult sections using only the pieces of equipment that the average climber carries on them can be very empowering and full of lots of clever problem-solving.

Following companion rescue, we spent five days learning elaborate two-rope systems to haul patients in litters up and down the sides of cliffs. The physics and engineering that came into play in the systems to make this feat possible was frankly mind-boggling: mechanical advantages rigged to pull heavy loads up long distances with a small team, systems built and built again to achieve redundancy in case of any emergency.

This semester brought me face-to-face with the realities and dangers of working, living, and playing in the outdoors — and armed me with the technical skills and medicinal knowledge to address them. In addition, I came away with much more robust risk management, decision-making and leadership skills that will no doubt prove to be applicable in my endeavors in and out of the wilderness.

I’ll continue to keep you all updated on how this semester continues to apply in my life — and in the meantime, I’m in Chicago for the summer! Next challenge: finding a summer job — if anyone knows of any openings, let me know!! — and preparing for freshman year of college!

For more photos, see my earlier post here.