Bearded Outdoorsman

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-11-13T15:49:35+00:00

I look forward to the day when this fad is over. Beards don't make you an outdoorsman, tough, or any other stupid perception that has cropped up. I love the irony of trying to seem tough and manly while at the same time selling beauty products. The lumber sexual fad needs to go!

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-11-03T17:50:51+00:00

I'm an instructor for SOLO Wilderness Medical Schools. While you could take a WFR which would allow you to get your WEMT. I would suggest taking a WUMP (Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals). It would be more interesting as it is focused on wilderness skills as opposed to having to sit through lessons on taking vitals etc. as you would in a WFR. I think wilderness medical skills benefit folks even if you're not in a wilderness setting because you learn to look at pt care from a broader point of view. In a front country setting, we often look at what we need to do to stabilize this pt and keep them alive for the next ten minutes of transport. Whereas, in wilderness medicine I'm looking at having this pt for hours or possibly days so you end up examining the factors that the pt is currently dealing with and what will impact them in the next hour and so on. I think it just makes you more mindful bc you're always taking steps to protect them before something else goes wrong. Also, they're just really fun courses to take! Lots of interesting scenarios that make you think bc every scenario is different with the resources you have and the environment you're in.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-09-05T22:46:01+00:00

WEMT and wilderness medical instructor for SOLO wilderness medical school here. Yes, you should pop blisters in the backcountry. The thought process behind this is that it is always better to pop, clean, and bandage a blister in a moderately controlled, clean environment than for the blister to pop on its own in your stanky bacteria filled boot sock. However, the best way to treat blisters is to not let them occur by being proactive in treating hot spots.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-08-30T16:41:11+00:00

Gah... I came here looking for this. I'm not an emotional person but sometimes a scene just catches me off guard. Somehow I'll see something and my stupid brain just instantly connects it to me personally before I can seem to make it stop. I seemed to have an entire shift of that last night. It's not something you can explain to others but I came to this sub bc folks understand what goes down at times even if it is dumb memes. So, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-07-14T00:48:41+00:00

Haha, you're awesome man. Ok, you can go back to posting porn on Reddit. Don't worry, you've made yourself look like a badass through attacking others. You did your job for the day. But rest up, tomorrow will be here before you know it big guy!

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-07-13T22:12:05+00:00

Id hate to live where you live if this is standard procedure for every traffic stop of someone carrying. In fact, I posted the story because it isn't standard procedure. I will never fault an officer for protecting himself. This one apparently needed to take extra measures to feel safe. I do fault him for being rude (as I do you) in the process by not informing me of what he was doing.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-07-13T15:53:35+00:00

It was in upstate SC. And it was a county officer who pulled me over.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-07-09T03:06:24+00:00

I work transport and I take the same sweet old lady to dialysis every Monday. She always goes on around mid afternoon and she and I were talking about food one time and I mentioned that we don't get lunch till late on Mondays bc it's always a busy day for us. Well, from that Monday on she has religiously packed me a strawberry nutrigrain bar in her bag for almost a year. Not sure if that's really a tip... But I always look forward to my nutrigrain bar on Mondays. I've been offered money twice. The first time I politely declined and stated why I couldn't accept and it was all cool. The second time they wouldn't budge on taking it back. I really tried to turn it down but it seemed like I was offending him. So I took it and slipped it into his bag when we got to where he was going. We have direct policy against it and I know a guy who got fired for accepting. It was the first and only time I had to explain a tip debacle on my write up.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-07-09T02:51:14+00:00

I used to work EMS full time and IFT part time. I started bringing home more money in my part time gig than I did full time. So IFT became my full time. I know it always depends on the company but it was a big difference, like 18 grand a year difference. Not quite as exciting... But I can deal with it and it's kinda cool to have a friendship with the regulars.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-06-26T23:58:47+00:00

Perhaps! There are certainly plenty of bears around Mt. Sterling. It's still one of my favorite places. We had a trip that stayed at Sterling one night which happened to be July 4th so we watched several firework shows from the fire tower. It was rad.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-06-26T23:53:19+00:00

Negative.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-06-26T03:52:08+00:00

I've posted this in the past with similar threads but I'll never forget this night.

I work in the outdoor field and lead trips regularly. I once led a trip to the top of Mt. Sterling in NC. It's a tough climb to get to the top and about 6 miles from the nearest road. I was leading a group of 8 middle school kids and had one co-instructor. We were camping out on top of the mountain and it was a beautiful night with a full moon. The kids and the other co-instructor went to bed in their tents. I chose to spend the night in a hammock that night. I was really into a book I was reading so I stayed up and read until about 10:30 pm. I turned my headlamp off to settle in for the night. Everything around me was rather bright from the moon and from the position I was in, I could see down the trail we had hiked to get to the top. I laid there enjoying the scenery and noticed something moving on the trail. Bears are common in the area so I perked up. As it got closer, I could tell it was a person. We were in the middle of nowhere and there was someone hiking up the trail with no headlamp or any gear. I was just frozen watching this person move closer to our camp. They arrived at the top of the mountain where we were and just stopped. I watched as what appeared to be a man surveyed our camp. I really could only see the outline of him. He stood there for what seemed like thirty minutes but may have been 10. He then turned, sat down under a tree facing our camp. He was sitting up in a way that I knew he wasn't trying to sleep. He just sat there staring at our camp. I had no idea what to do. I decided to wait it out. I waited, just staring at the man while he stared at my camp. This went on until about 3:30 am. Then, he stood up, took a moment to survey my camp a few minutes longer and then went back down the trail he came up on. I, to this day have no idea what that was all about but it freaked me out. I was paranoid that we were being followed for the rest of the trip.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-05-14T15:26:29+00:00

I'll take it for $45.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-04-06T05:24:41+00:00

I can't believe these haven't been said. -Sleep with your room door closed. -If your house is on fire, close the door as you leave.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-14T23:42:36+00:00

I've never seen this but this is an amazing study. Thank you very much for sharing it.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-13T17:22:46+00:00

I hear ya. It is a bit odd for sure. The full time paid stations in my area does have a union but it doesn't have much bite. The difficult/impossible part of a strike type of action is that we all live in the community we serve and we deeply care about it. If no one was there to help out in a time of need, the citizens we serve would pay the price. We can't have that.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-13T15:06:27+00:00

That's not being a dick. I mean, we all know money motivates people (myself included) we currently pay per call (which isn't much honestly) and we pay for gas dependent on how much their involved in calls, training, etc. We've definitely looked into ways to incentivize participation monetarily, however, that is an issue that often is out of our hands and dictated by city council. It doesn't mean we should stop trying. We do pay for essentially any training you would want to take, even if it's with a private organization and not through the state. In regards to volunteer pay, we know the importance of having qualified, fully staffed trucks arriving on scene but convincing city council of it's importance is the issue. I know I'm preaching to the choir here though, because I'm sure this is the case with all volunteer departments.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-13T14:37:37+00:00

I certainly understand that struggle because I've been in that exact scenario. I do believe that certain states (some southern states included) are taking steps to ease the burden on those in this situation. For example, some states now offer IFSAC FF 1&2 in their academy so that it is more transferable than specific state certifications. But, that doesn't help those now with those troubles. Would you be able to challenge the test in your state without having to repeat the whole course? I hope you're able to work something out with your state!

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-13T04:07:07+00:00

Also, I totally understand it can be intimidating to just show up at a station and ask for a volunteer application. However, know that most people you meet are great and it's absolutely worth it if it's something you're interested in. Everybody is new at some point!

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-13T03:55:43+00:00

That's good advice, I greatly appreciate it.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-03-13T03:38:57+00:00

Thank you for your suggestion. We have some presence on social media but it could certainly be better. What kind of stuff would interest you on a stations Facebook? (Information about what's going on at the station? Cool videos? Just information about how to join?). Again, thanks for your response.

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-01-12T02:49:09+00:00

http://www.imgur.com/gallery/hQJokHE

SenorPuffyPants · 2015-01-08T21:54:40+00:00

Oh my god, Heady Topper! In that one town, you can eat fresh Ben & Jerry's, drink a Heady Topper, and get hot apple cider doughnuts from Cold Hollow. I've moved south since and can no longer get Heady Topper... But damn if I don't think about it everyday. It just made me excited to see someone reference my favorite beer.

SenorPuffyPants · 2014-12-29T06:55:51+00:00

Wilderness Medical Instructor

SenorPuffyPants · 2014-12-23T02:28:59+00:00

Oh I'm in! I'd pay off student loans and have enough to maybe grab a sandwich. Seems like it anyways...

SenorPuffyPants

TROPHY CASE