Wilderness Medicine at Yosemite

As part of an effort to refamiliarize myself with clinical medicine, this past week I attended a Wilderness Medicine continuing medical education course taught by UCSF-Fresno, held at the Tenaya Lodge just outside Yosemite National Park. It was a great opportunity to learn some practical medicine while visiting Yosemite in the winter, and I convinced Mary Brogan to come with me. Together we learned about wilderness medical problems like altitude sickness, cold exposure, wildfires and lightning strikes, toxic plants and animals, and how to fix joint dislocations and stabilize fractures in the wild.


During our off-time, we took every opportunity to explore Yosemite Valley, which in the winter has few visitors, who can enjoy breathtaking snow-laced vistas without any crowds. On our 1st day we hiked up to Vernal Falls in the mist, on our 2nd day we cross-country skied through a snowstorm into Mariposa Grove to see some gigantic redwoods and Sequoia trees, and on our last day we viewed Bridalveil Falls and the Yosemite Falls on a sunny late afternoon before dining in the beautiful old Ahwahnee Hotel.

All in all, a great short trip!