From the Grand Canyon to the mean streets

Commenter Tom B was my Grand Canyon guru. He taught me the basics of hiking and foot care when facing a mile-high climb with minimal water, and yes, that background came in very useful during Friday's Wilderness Medicine Adventure Race. Fortunately we never had to make use of trauma management skills on any of our hikes together. He sends a link to this Grand Canyon Hikers thread with his response. The poem at the top is uncredited, but Tom's inimitable style shines through. ("Advice given here is not guaranteed. / Before you go a hikin' and wind up birdfeed....")

Finally, I nearly had a chance to put all this training to use just last night. It was a beautiful evening and Lady M and I were eating dinner outside at a downtown restaurant when a guy went past on a motorcycle. Once he was down the street, out of sight, we heard "screech" and then "crash." Lady M looked at me and mouthed "go!" and I ran over to the scene. On the way there I was wondering "will I need to start CPR? splint a leg? needle a chest?" As it turned out, the dude was already walking his bike to the curb, having sustained only minor ego lacerations and pride contusions. But it was nice to feel that if there had been a serious situation I might have been able to help. Eager to help, in fact. Maybe I have learned something in medical school after all.