WFR Training in Missoula

The past five days have been overwhelming in the absolutely best kind of way! My internship started early Monday morning with an introduction to the staff before all of the interns headed off for our eight-day and 72 hour-long Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Training course, which is taking place at the University of Montana. WFR is an intensive course that is a combination of lecture and hands-on, realistic scenarios. I am enjoying the course, although at times it feels stressful to deal with problems such as asthma, appendicitis, broken bones, breathing issues, and even unconscious patients. However, our teachers are reminding us that constantly practicing the process of responding to an emergency makes it muscle memory, so that when an actual emergency occurs, we will know how to deal with it.

Life is Missoula is wonderful. WFR is very time consuming, but we have still manage to have fun, too. Yesterday we all hiked up to the M that is on Mount Sentinel (the M is for the University of Montana). The sun was setting as we arrived, and we sat on the rocks, discussing trees and the upcoming summer. As we all chatted, the sun illuminated the distant mountains and shone onto the Clark Fork River, which runs right through Missoula. The city lights became softer, and the view took my breath away. It is truly amazing how close the mountains are to Missoula, and this proximity provides endless fitness and recreational opportunities to residents.

I am starting to try to learn more about western ecology. My dad is sending me Peattie's A Natural History of Western Trees! I included some quotes from Peattie's eastern version in previous blog posts. Anyways, I'm really excited to start learning about this area of the country. I'm looking forward to wilderness orientation and training, which will occur in June. 

Today was our day off from WFR, but we had intern training all day. We went over our summer schedules in great detail, which got all of us even more excited about what we're going to be doing! In about a week, I'll be moving out to the ranger station, where I won't have internet. My blog posts will probably be few and far between, but I'll try to post photos every now and then when I encounter the internet. Until then, I will be exploring the wilderness, and I hope all of you will take the time to experience nature, whether it is by taking a walk through a city park, enjoying your backyard, or taking a hike/bike ride/kayak/canoe/swim!