by Maryanna Brown
Our Sucia Island Wilderness First Aid course is a collaboration with instruction from Backcountry Medical Guides and the Aspire basecamp experience, creating an idyllic classroom where trail runners recieve sport-specific instruction on how to prepare for and respond to adverse events in the wilderness. Participant Maryanna Brown shares more in the following trip report.
Gearing up for a summer of mountain adventures, I knew it was time to refresh my rapidly deteriorating first aid skills. I took a Wilderness First Responder course several years ago, but I hadn’t had to use any of the skills (thank goodness) and was feeling decidedly iffy about my abilities to respond to an emergency in the backcountry. If I packed a first aid kit at all, it was either mini pre-packed baggie of mystery items I wasn’t really sure what to do with or a behemoth first aid kit overflowing with dusty gauzes, ointments, a selection of picked over bandaids. A Wilderness First Aid course geared towards trail runners seemed like just the ticket to kick off a summer of backcountry adventures. Not only would I feel more confident about going further into the backcountry solo, but I’d be a better partner for my trail running buds.
I had never heard of Sucia Island before the course and had no idea what to expect when the ferry pulled up to Orcas Island on Friday afternoon. From the ferry terminal, we took a quick shuttle van ride to catch our chartered boat to the mysterious Sucia Island. Speeding through splashing white-capped waves with dolphins breaching in the distance was sheer delight. It truly felt like we were leaving the rest of the world behind, charting a bold new path to trails that weren’t even listed on Trail Run Project.
Sucia Island did not disappoint. It was a little slice of wooded paradise with enviable sunsets and zero cars. It’s only accessible by small boats and it’s criss-crossed with a spider web of dreamy single-track with peek-a-boo glimpses of Kulshan (Mt. Baker) and the Olympic Mountains. We had our own secluded group campsite which had the effect of making us think we were the only ones on the island. Not until we started exploring Sucia on our morning runs, did I realize the island was a buzz of kayakers, sailers, and the happiest dogs I’ve ever seen. I think almost everyone there remarked at least once that they would prefer to say goodbye to life outside the island and settle in for an extended stay of sunsets, otter parties, and lonely trail runs.
We may have been on “island time” but we had a bit of routine to our days. The early birds would start the day with 6:30AM exploratory runs around the island, skipping down the little land fingers that jutted out into the sound and marveling at the blossoming succulents and seals bobbing just offshore. We’d roll back just in time for freshly brewed coffee (!!!) and a delicious homemade breakfast. I’m vegan and Aspire did an amazing job providing plant-based alternatives that were just as tasty as they were nutritious – tofu pad Thai, ridiculously good potato breakfast burritos, and high protein snacks like edamame pods. We’d even have happy hour with cold beers, cider, and hard seltzer and appetizers while waiting for dinner every night. Now I finally understand what glamping is. I like it.
Backcountry Medical Guides ran such an engaging and fun course. After breakfast, we’d have class on the beach (!!!) and while it was somewhat distracting to have a family of otters playing in the background, it was pretty amazing. The course was a perfect mix of hands-on scenarios and mini-lectures.
We started with the ever important patient assessment system – concrete steps to take when faced with any incident in the backcountry. From there, I learned a ton of steps to take when faced with various trauma, medical, and environmental emergencies – with a particular focus on emergencies most commonly faced by trail runners such as rolled ankles, heat exhaustion, and wound care. One of the highlights of the course was performing chest compressions on a mannequin while one of our instructors blasted Whitney Houston’s – I Want to Dance with Somebody, to keep the beat. Hilarious, yet surprisingly helpful. With the soaring temperatures in Seattle this week, I’ve already used what I learned about heat emergencies and their prevention to not only keep myself safe but monitor those around me.
One of the most helpful lessons was on first aid kits and ways to keep the weight pared down by picking items that can have multiple uses. Apparently honey can be used as an antibiotic, source of sugar for a diabetic emergency, and a tasty addition to a peanut-butter sandwich.
I not only traveled back from Sucia with a keen interest in perfecting my first aid kit (add honey) but some new friends! Some of the Seattle runners exchanged numbers at the conclusion of the course (Sunday) and by Tuesday morning, I was out for a dawn patrol lap around Green Lake with another woman from the course with plans to regroup at the Big Foot 20 miler in early July with a few more students. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better Wilderness First Aid course experience. The Sucia Island WFA was a perfect blend of education, glamping, trail running, and hanging out and swapping stories with other runners.
The Fall Edition of the Sucia Island Wilderness First Aid Course takes place August 27th – 29th. Learn more and register!