Field Journal
Paddling, practical skills, expedition stories, and lessons brought home from the water.
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Puss Caterpillar Envenomation: The Campsite Can Wait
A Florida campsite training scenario follows puss caterpillar contact to the ear and cheek, with SOAP assessment, reassessment, evacuation decisions and a separate anaphylaxis branch.
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October Shopping for Wilderness First Aid: Makeup, Props, and Realistic Practice
A practical October guide to Wilderness First Aid training supplies, realistic injury makeup, safe props, and embedded object dressing practice for outdoor leaders.
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Kayaking the Caloosahatchee: W. P. Franklin Lock and Our 2011 Portage
An expedition-tested look at W. P. Franklin Lock, the 2011 Great Calusa Blueway portage, and what paddlers should verify before navigating the Caloosahatchee River.
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The Black Bag in Every Kayak
What a Maine paddling trip taught about taking care of business. A plain account of packing out human waste, Scout responsibility, and keeping camp clean in Muscongus Bay.
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Before You Sell the Adventure, Learn What the Boat Can Do
Firsthand lessons from September 2006 surf training with the Ocean Kayak Yak Board and Prowler 13 following Hurricane Ernesto near Jacksonville, Florida.
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From Sail to Paddle: A Sea Scout’s Guide to Planning a Kayaking Long Cruise
How experienced Sea Scouts can apply sailing knowledge to a youth led sea kayaking long cruise, with navigation, rescue training, Safety Afloat, and Long Cruise badge guidance.
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🩹 SOAP Narrative: The Bite He Ignored
A paddler on a two week Everglades kayak expedition ignored what seemed like a minor spider bite. Five days later, fever, vomiting, dizziness, and a worsening wound forced…
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🩹 The Sting That Wouldn’t Stop
A moment of distraction on Florida’s beautiful Silver River turned into an unforgettable Wilderness First Aid lesson when a colony of fire ants declared a kayak guide the…
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🩹 Florida Summer Hypothermia: The Kayaker Everyone Thought Had Heat Exhaustion
Think hypothermia only happens in winter? Think again. In this true Wilderness First Aid SOAP Narrative, a July sea kayaking expedition to Egmont Key takes an unexpected turn…
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🩹🌊 A SOAP Narrative for Wilderness First Aid — Multiple Trauma, Distraction Injury, and Chest Wall Emergency
Wilderness First Aid training uses acted scenarios because reading about injuries and actually responding to them are two entirely different cognitive experiences. The pressure of a real patient,…
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🩹A SOAP Narrative for Wilderness First Aid – Closed Wounds
🏕️ “Murphy’s Worst Day on the Trail” Here’s a SOAP* story written for a Wilderness First Aid, WFA, audience. This is a medically grounded, narrative-driven story. This is…
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Your Pack Weighs Nothing… Your Kayak Weighs Everything
taking backpacking knowledge and skills and applying it to your First 3-Day / 2-Night Kayak Camping Adventure in Florida
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Unity in Solitude: What the Wild Teaches About Society
The content explores the profound experience of solitude in nature, emphasizing how it brings a sense of belonging and connection to the world. It highlights the shared human…
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Embodied Existence: Learning from the Land
The wilderness transforms your connection with your body and nature, teaching you through movement and stillness. It fosters awareness of your physical presence and emotions, guiding you to…
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The Healing Wild: Nature as Medicine for Modern Malaise
The wild offers a sanctuary for those seeking solace from the chaos of modern life. It invites individuals to reconnect with their true selves, reminding them that healing…
