First Post from Costa Rica!

Everyone is here, healthy and happy!  Access to the internet has been spotty and we've been very busy getting settled, so this is our first post.

The program is off to a great start.  After a full morning of practicing patient assessments, we are heading into the field to learn how to make fires in a wet, humid environment.  Instructor Trenton Harper, who works in the summer as a paramedic for Yellowstone National Park, is here teaching fire construction and other survival skills.  After this week, he will head back to Montana and prepare for teaching survival in the snowy mountains.

Although hot by Montana standards, it's a bit cooler here than we are used to seeing.   That has allowed us to ease into our acclimatization, get in some good hiking, and stay healthy.

Aerie instructor Fernando Giaccaglia, pictured below with the water bottle, is leading instruction on knots.  In the first few days, we have reviewed bowline, stoppers and taught-lines.  As the list of outdoor skills grows, so too will the complexity of our medical and rescue scenarios.  Within a few days, students will be navigating through the forest, finding injured patients, stabilizing their injuries,  and evacuating them from the field.

Meals at the ranch have been healthy and filling.  It is a treat eating tropical fruits at a tropical temperature, particularly when most of those fruits have been grown here on the property.  We typically eat dinner around 6:30; after that, most students return to the classroom to study, practice skills, and catch up on reading.

We will do our best to keep the blog active with daily updates.  In fact, if we are able, we'll have another posting later today after class.