Wilderness First Responder - Recertification

This past weekend I trekked up to northern Vermont to renew my certification as a Wilderness First Responder through SOLO (http://www.soloschools.com/index.cfm?event=course.wfr).  The course was hosted at the property of the Hulbert Outdoor Center (http://www.alohafoundation.org/hulbert-outdoor-center/) which has some great facilities, an awesome history, and a spectacular location in VT:

I have found over the past three years since I was originally certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) that it is the most useful set of skills and knowledge that anyone who leads camps or trips could have.  While the skills it teaches are superb (from splinting broken bones using odds and ends from around the campsite to applying a tourniquet to a shark bite) what I gained most from the course is the emphasis in prevention and teamwork.  Almost all summer camp injuries and ailments can be prevented by being proactive with the group.  Staying hydrated can ward off heat exhaustion as well as hypothermia and proper clothing and equipment can minimize the risks of any given activity.  Communicating as a group and fostering an environment of openness and trust keep little issues from going unnoticed and possibly getting infected or otherwise worsening.

The re-certification course itself was a ton of fun.  It is based around a series of scenarios where participants alternate in being rescuers or patients.  First I pretended to have fallen down a hill and broken my arm while also getting stung by a bee and suffering an allergic reaction which my rescuer had to figure out and alleviate.  Next I came across an unconscious patient who I figured out had fallen off a cliff, broken his femur, and then gone into a diabetic coma from low blood sugar that I had to awaken, build a traction splint, and evacuate from the hill.  Over the two days outside in VT there were also cuts, dislocations, concussions, and mass casualty situations all designed and supervised by the instructors to test and refresh our ability to cope with a wide array of wilderness scenarios we may encounter (all extreme but within the realm of a WFR's abilities).

Having passed the re-certification course I am now a WFR for three more years.  My skills are refreshed and I am more confident than ever in my ability to keep my campers safe, healthy, and having fun.

 

Getting the Centurion put away...

In New Hampshire it is inevitable that each year our boating season must come to an end. Along with brilliant foliage comes colder temperatures and last week I finally decided to give in and pull the boat out of the water to avoid the risk of the engine freezing.  Technically it could have stayed in the lake through October but surfing and riding just is not as fun with water in the mid 50's.  Everyone with a boat knows what it takes to keep it properly maintained and in pristine condition buy many out there - including my campers - get the benefits of the boat but do not share in the work so here are all the details! The winterization process began on Monday with a thorough cleaning of the inside of the boat.  I first removed every life jacket, board, ski, and piece of equipment then got busy with a shop vac.  Once all of the loose stuff was out it was time for four or five hours of scrubbing the cushions, deck, glass, and every square inch of the inside.  By the time I was done the Centurion looked just as good as the day we bought it back in May.

Having already washed and waxed the outside of the boat earlier in September, all that was left was to get the boat on the trailer and into the hands of the Merrymeeting Marina mechanic, Chuck.  Chuck was nice enough to let me watch over his shoulder and help out a bit so that I could learn more of the ins and outs of the Centurion's complicated systems.

The first task was to swap out the old oil for fresh stuff.  We change the oil every 40 to 50 hours and it is better to have clean oil in the boat for the long winter in storage.  With the oil taken care of, Chuck next forced anti-freeze through the ballast system.  We had to make sure there was no water trapped in the pumps or tubes that could potentially freeze during storage.  It was pretty cool to see how the system functioned and watch the red anti-freeze make its way through the intake, into the tanks, and finally out the back of the boat.

The next hour was spent draining the engine's water cooling system and again forcing anti-freeze everywhere there was formerly water.  That being done, we disconnected the battery and the inside of the boat was ready to go.

We moved the boat to the indoor wrapping station to get it shrink wrapped.  The first step of this process is to build a framework for the wrapping.

Framework in place, the plastic wrap was stretched over the boat, secured to the framework, and shrunk into place with a 1,500 degree propane torch.

With the wrapping done, our boat is now prepared for storage in the cold, New Hampshire winter.  The engine will not freeze and the interior is safe from snow, rain, and other debris.  As sad as it was to say goodbye to the boat for the year, it is the price we pay for having our camp in the northeast.

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2012 season recap

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We are riding high at Water Monkey Camp after a tremendous 2012 season of camp!  First off, a huge thanks to our campers and their parents for giving a new camp a chance, our staff for putting in 20 hour days for weeks in a row so that everyone could have an awesome time, and my friends and family for nonstop support (and help breaking in the boat). Some 2012 stats:

  • Campers came from 6 states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and California
  • 19 campers over 2 weeks of camp
  • 82% of our campers were 13, 14, or 15 years old
  • 81 degrees was the average water temperature during camp
  • 125 hours logged on the Centurion from June through August
  • 450 gallons of gas consumed producing roughly 4 metric tons of CO2 – offset by planting 40 trees through CarbonFund.org!
  • 6,764 unique visitors to www.watermonkeycamp.com in the past 12 months
  • 1 newspaper article featuring Water Monkey Camp & wake surfing
  • 0 hospital visits!
  • 1 chipmunk living in the girls' cabin

And some goals for 2013:

  • 70 campers over 7 weeks of camp from June through August!
  • 100 more gallons of ballast capacity on the Centurion for an even bigger wake!
  • More fresh gear!
  • New recipes for even more variety in our home-cooked meals!
  • Two additional instructors for even more one-on-one coaching!

I will be travelling the northeast throughout the fall and winter visiting schools, camp fairs, and homes spreading the word about our camp and finding great guys and girls to fill our bunks.  If you want me to come to your town just shoot me an e-mail or give me a call and I will make my way over to convince your family and friends that Water Monkey Camp is the ultimate spot for teens for wakeboarding, wake surfing, waterskiing, wake skating, tubing, and summer fun!

Keep shredding, enjoy the fall, and when you start planning for the summer hit us up!

-Evan

617-855-WAKE (9253)

 

All healed up...ready for camp

So back in March I wrecked my right leg while snowboarding in Colorado; if you do not remember here is the original blog post and x-ray: http://www.watermonkeycamp.com/blog/?m=201203&paged=7 As soon as I was off of my crutches in late April I got in to some serious physical therapy to be in shape for Water Monkey Camp.  I spent May and June pushing it to the limits biking, hiking, and, of course, wake surfing on the new boat.  Every morning I did "paddle board therapy" where I would paddle across the lake and strengthen my knee and ankle through constantly maintaining my balance.

After 4.5 months the x-rays showed an almost perfectly healed tibia and my fibula is on its way as well.

The doc gave me a clean bill of health and added that my leg is stronger than ever.  While it still hurts from time to time - especially after a particularly active day - it is pretty amazing how fast it went from shattered to solid.

All's well that ends well.

Time to shred on the lake.