Wilderness Medicine Case Study 61

You are a trip leader on a five-day winter break backpacking trip in Linville Gorge, NC. It's day three of the trip when the gorge is hit unexpectedly with 14 hours of freezing rain. The rocks, trails, and trees are covered with an inch of ice; numerous trees have fallen, leaving the trails littered with trees and tree limbs, further increasing the difficulty of foot travel.

You are camped at the bottom of the gorge and scheduled to be picked up at 10 AM on the fifth day. To reach the pick-up at the scheduled time, you need to hike most, if not all, of the day.

What are your concerns and what should you do? Click here to find out.

Don't know where to begin or what to do? Take one of our wilderness medicine courses. Guides and expedition leaders should consider taking our Wilderness First Responder course.

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