Hemphill Bald Loop, thoughts on fast and light first-aid.

This hike brought me closer to wrapping up the Cataloochee section of the park. Starting from Polls Gap we made the circuit clock-wise, opting to finish with a ridge walk along Hemphill Bald Trail versus a long slow uphill on Caldwell and Rough Fork Trails.

So, for the first aid part. I worked a few carry outs in the past year, most were accidents, but some were avoidable. As for the avoidable stuff, this is easily dealt with... don't be an idiot. Accidents now... that's a different critter. While the carry outs have changed my thinking somewhat on what to carry for day hikes/runs, it was really a fall I took this summer that crystallized my opinion on this topic. While running down Ramsey Cascade trail for time I took a fall that was both awkward and abrupt, losing my breath and lots of skin. Looking around where I fell, I could've been impaled or busted up worse by any and all sticks/rocks in the area. In short, I was lucky.

Not being one to promote carrying more stuff than is minimally required, I've reduced my trail-running first aid kit to a very few items. Latex gloves, antiseptic, gauze, tape, and benedryl for short trips, add a lighter and dryer lint for winter trips (more survival than first aid really). All this can fit in a snack size ziploc and weighs 2 to 3 ounces depending on how you package and amounts carried. My bag is easily fit into the back pocket of my camelbak along with a small multi-tool and headlamp. By itself, most of the first aid stuff could probably be placed in a hand-bottle pocket if you were skimpy on amounts.

And while running the Hemphill Bald Loop I actually got to use some of this stuff! Caitlin took a solid fall with her right knee taking the brunt of the damage, resulting in a dirt infused bruise that was slowly bleeding through the skin. We quickly cleaned it out and covered it in gauze to keep thirteen more miles of trail funk from working its way in. Overall, not a life threatening situation or anything, but a little added piece of mind for sure that kept her trucking through the rest of the day. Most likely, situations like these are all you will ever encounter, but a minimal amount of preparedness can help to avoid getting stuck somewhere and being the subject of an embarrassing carry-out.