Mountain Travel and Rescue - II
MTR-II Campfire The "student body" enjoys the warmth of a
campfire before turning in:
Peter, Walt, Dave, Arne, Roger, and Bob

MTR-II Post Event Meal
A weary, but good-spirited group of students
and instructors enjoys a hearty buffet meal and
fellowship after completing the field session at
Jay Cooke State Park.
Front: Dave, Walt, and Peter.
Rear: Mike*, Bob, Arne, Roger, Daryl*,
and Mark*
(*Instructors.  Four other instructors --
John, Howard, Bob and Scott
-- were not able to join us for the buffet.)		 DULUTH - Patrollers say they enjoy patrolling for the camaraderie, I say we do it for the EXTREMES!  Advanced Mountaineering returned to the Western Region this season after a five year hiatus and Mother Nature was happy to help.  The shakedown session at Wild River State Park on January 11-12 was conducted with minimal snow and -5F morning low.  We had a good hike, a nice lunch on a sunny deck, and found a 'lost hiker' (a training exercise.)  Returning to our campsite we gave  presentations on fire starting, adapting to the cold environment, rescue toboggan building, ski waxing, ropes and knots, and night-time preparations.  It was also a time to visit each group's site to see what others planned to use for the field session.  The shakedown ended Sunday morning with a debriefing and a preview of our field session in two weeks.

 As we assembled at Jay Cooke State Park on January 24 for three days of fun in the sun, someone forgot to tell 'old man winter' about global warming.  The weekend went something like this...
  • Drive, HIKE, set up camp, boil water for dinner, eat, sleep. (The variety and performances of our stoves were great for friendly competition.)
  • Boil water, eat, HIKE, boil water, eat, boil water, HIKE.
  • Give presentations on weather and emergency shelters, review rescue toboggan building, practice rope-rescue techniques, and find another 'lost hiker'.
  • Then HIKE, boil water, eat, sleep, build a campfire a couple times, and HIKE.
Did I mention HIKING, and the -10F and -20F  lows on Saturday and Sunday morning?

In spite of the challenges, or perhaps because of them, we'll remember the 2003 MTR-II course as a valuable experience.  All of us wish to thank our instructors (and our 'lost hiker', Vicki) who put so much effort into planning our lessons and activities, and guided us along the EXTREME side of Patrolling.
- David Squires, Detroit Mtn. PR
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