Sarah Grassel is a Wilderness First Responder who believes we all need to be trained to handle emergencies in the backcountry/Sarah Grassel photo
It’s Friday night, and you’re on a backcountry camping trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. After stargazing and planning tomorrow’s hike, you and your friends turn in for the night. The smell of coffee wakes you after a restful sleep. As you gather your gear for the day, a sudden scream bolts you from your tent. You rush to the center of camp to find your friend Becky frantically fanning Clay’s foot—he’s just been burned by a spill of boiling water.
While many people associate wilderness medicine with search-and-rescue teams or extreme survival situations, the above example is a real-life wilderness medicine scenario.
Whether you're a casual hiker, seasoned mountaineer, or urban medical professional, wilderness medicine is crucial for all who venture outdoors. The loss of park rangers due to staffing cuts only emphasizes the need to be prepared.
Increased Park Visitation Among Diminishing Resources
In 2024, the National Park Service recorded a historic high of 331.9 million recreation visits, surpassing the previous record set in 2016. However, this surge coincides with significant staffing challenges.
The Department of the Interior's recent layoffs, including approximately 1,000 National Park Service employees, have heightened concerns about park operations and visitor safety. These cuts impact maintenance, conservation, and visitor services, leaving fewer staff to address emergencies.
For instance, recent layoffs at Yosemite National Park have reduced the number of rangers trained as EMTs, while Denali National Park has cut its search and rescue team by 50 percent, affecting the safety of both casual visitors and adventure enthusiasts alike.
With fewer first responder rangers on duty, visitors will experience longer response times during emergencies. Visitors should be prepared to manage initial medical situations on their own. ]That’s where wilderness medicine comes in.
National park staff reductions could mean it'll take rangers longer to respond to backcountry emergencies/NPS file
The Growing Need for Wilderness Medicine
Wilderness medicine equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to manage injuries and illnesses until professional help arrives—or until they can get themselves to advanced care. Here’s how it prepares you:
- Applicable to Any Injury or Illness – Whether it’s a minor burn, a painful blister, or a serious fracture, you need to assess the situation, determine the best treatment, and decide if you can continue or need to evacuate for advanced care. Wilderness medicine implements a systematic approach to patient care that helps you make these informed decisions.
- Environmental Challenges – Outdoor settings introduce additional hazards such as weather, elevation, and an increased risk of infection. Do you know the early signs of heat exhaustion or altitude sickness? Wilderness medicine teaches prevention and early intervention to stop these conditions from becoming life-threatening.
- Time to Advanced Medical Care –Evacuation in the outdoors, and especially in the backcountry can take hours or even days, requiring individuals to stabilize conditions until help arrives. Wilderness medicine prepares you to not only treat immediate illnesses and injuries but also how to monitor a patient’s condition over time, ensuring they remain stable, calm, and safe until advanced care is obtained.
- Improvisation – Without access to medical equipment, you may need to think on the fly and use available materials—clothing, trekking poles, or even natural resources—to create splints, bandages, or slings. Wilderness medicine teaches you how to adapt and problem-solve in unpredictable situations.
- Communication & Decision-Making – Even with advanced technology of satellite communication devices (e.g., Garmin In-reach, iPhone SOS feature), in remote settings, calling for help isn’t enough. You are responsible for your care and safety until advanced help arrives.
Additionally, if you’re able to call for help, it’s important to communicate with rescue personnel quickly and efficiently so they know exactly what the situation is. Wilderness
medicine trains you how to use common language and documentation that is standard across search-and-rescue services.
- Prevention & Risk Management – Awareness and preparation significantly reduce risk and injury. Wilderness medicine prepares you for risks based on terrain, weather, and personal health conditions, helping to mitigate unnecessary emergencies.
Are you confident in your ability to respond to a medical emergency in the backcountry?/NPS file
Taking Action: How Do I Build My Wilderness Medicine Skills?
No matter your experience level, there’s a way for everyone to build wilderness medicine skills—whether you're just starting out or looking to advance your training.
- Build a First Aid Kit & Know How to Use It - A well-stocked first aid kit is the foundation of wilderness medicine, but it’s also important to adjust your kit depending on the type and length of activity you’re doing, as well as your level of training. For a short hike or camping trip, consider the basics. For a longer or more strenuous activity, something more extensive may be necessary.
- Be Prepared by Developing a Risk Management Plan - Before heading out, make a trip plan that includes potential hazards like weather or terrain, emergency contacts, exit strategies, and essential supplies. A great example to follow is the NPS Trip Planning Guide.
- Take a Course: For those who spend a lot of time outdoors, are involved in emergency medical services, or are advanced medical professionals, enrolling in a wilderness medicine course is invaluable. These courses range in price, time commitment, and experience level, but all provide hands-on training for handling medical emergencies in remote settings.
Numerous organizations offer these courses, such as the National Outdoor Leadership School, Wilderness Medical Associates, and the American Red Cross. Local colleges offer wilderness medicine programs as well. Some of these options provide scholarships, accept service benefits such as military GI bills and AmeriCorps education awards, and offer virtual/hybrid options to increase accessibility for participants.
Conclusion: As national parks face record-breaking visitation alongside staffing shortages, the need for self-sufficiency in the outdoors has never been greater. Wilderness medicine isn’t just for extreme adventurers—it’s a valuable skill for anyone who hikes, camps, or explores remote areas. By learning how to assess injuries, adapt to environmental challenges, and make informed decisions, outdoor enthusiasts can help bridge the gap left by reduced park resources and ensure safer adventures for all.
Investing in wilderness medicine skills—whether by assembling a first aid kit, developing a risk management plan, or taking a course—empowers individuals to respond effectively when emergencies arise.
The wilderness is unpredictable, but the right knowledge and preparation can turn an emergency into a manageable situation. With fewer rangers trained as first responders on the trails, the best person to help might just be you.
Acknowledgement: Wilderness Medicine, much like diversity in the outdoors, is severely lacking in representation and accessibility. To help combat this, many organizations now offer hybrid or completely online courses, as well as scholarships. As the field evolves, it’s important to ask: How do we expand accessibility while maintaining quality hands-on skill development? Thinking critically about these changes can help ensure the best possible outcomes for outdoor safety and preparedness for everyone.
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