Hey trail babes!
If you’ve been following The Hiker Babe for a while, you know I’m all about helping women feel safe, strong, and confident in the outdoors. So I decided to take my skills to the next level and get Wilderness First Responder certified… aka WFR (pronounced “woofer” like a cute outdoorsy dog 🐕).
Let me tell you: it was intense, empowering, and honestly, kinda life-changing!
What Even Is a Wilderness First Responder?
WFR is basically the gold standard for backcountry emergency care. It’s designed for hikers, backpackers, outdoor guides, or anyone who might find themselves dealing with a medical emergency far from a hospital, or even cell service.
This isn’t just “basic first aid.” We’re talking full patient assessments, splinting broken limbs with trekking poles, identifying spinal injuries, stabilizing wounds, and knowing when to evacuate someone from the backcountry. Serious stuff!
80 Hours of Training (and Totally Worth It)
The course was 80 hours total. Half was online… reading the (very thick) handbook, watching training videos, and taking quizzes on everything from head trauma to hypothermia.
Honestly? I was into it. There’s something about learning the actual science behind how the body responds to injuries that made me feel so much more confident.
The second half was a full week of hands-on training, and that’s where the real magic happened. Picture this: I’m in the woods with a group of fellow outdoor lovers, practicing emergency scenarios like:
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Treating a friend who “fell off a cliff”
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Responding to heat stroke mid-hike
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Managing a “dislocated shoulder” using a sleeping pad and a fleece
These were realistic scenarios, with fake blood, surprise “injuries,” and pressure to act fast. We learned how to stay calm, make decisions, and, most importantly, give people hope when things feel scary.
My Biggest Takeaways
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Stay calm. Your energy matters. In any emergency, people are looking to you for stability. If you’re calm, they can be too.
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Hope is medicine. Even if someone is injured or scared, your words matter. A steady voice, eye contact, and reassurance can go a long way.
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You don’t need fancy gear. We learned how to improvise with what we had, like using a hiking pack as a cervical collar or duct tape for just about everything.
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Knowledge = confidence. This course wasn’t just about saving lives (though yes, that too). It gave me a deep sense of trust in myself. That no matter what happens out there, I have tools to respond.
Why This Matters for The Hiker Babe Community
Ladies, if you’re hiking solo or leading your friends into the wild, this kind of training is a game changer. It’s not just about safety, it’s about empowerment. Knowing you can handle yourself (and help others) makes every mile feel stronger.
Whether you’re considering a WFR course, a basic first aid class, or just brushing up on your outdoor skills, I 100% encourage you to invest in your backcountry confidence.
You deserve to feel safe and unstoppable.
If you have questions about WFR, what the course was like, or if you’re thinking about taking one yourself, drop them in the comments or DM me. I’m happy to share resources or just cheer you on.
Keep hiking with heart,
Noelle, founder of The Hiker Babe
