Volume 27, Number 2 - Wilderness Medical Society

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for Work and Play Christopher Van Tilburg MD Urbaneering with cyclocross When I lived in the city, I sought out wild places in every nook and cranny of the urban megapolis. Trail running was my connection to the landscape. Kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, and buildering (climbing the university brick buildings) were all readily available from campus. Despite now living in a small mountain town, my urbaneering skills (as in, outdoor adventure sports in the city) just broadened to include the wild and crazy sport of cyclocross (a high-speed off-road criterion with some running and a scosh of mud). Photos by Christopher Van Tilburg Coaxed unexpectedly into a race by a friend, I pulled into the lineup with no prior experience, using my girlfriend’s shoes (one size too small) and by friend’s bike (once size too big). The mass start was disorientating as I careened across a horse pasture, slid into a gully, peddled frantically through a muddy canyon, and emerged in a field. Note to reader: a key part of cyclocross is barreling down a hairpin mud slope, jumping off your bike, hucking it on your shoulder, bounding over an obstacle, running up a mud bank still with bike, and sliding back on the saddle. All this joy comes in five, 2-mile laps around a fairground, equestrian center, park, or any other spot of urban green space. Make that urban brown space: did I mention the mud? At one race in the rain, a halfdozen 6-inch-deep, 10-foot-long puddles the color of a double nonfat latte developed. We rode through them without pause, getting doused with frigid brown goodness. One slope was so muddy, I had to put my hand down in 6-inch-deep goo to climb the hill. This vintage sport—started in Europe in the early 1900s when cyclists added wide knobby tires to their road bikes to negotiate foul-weather— has gone high tech and urban. Races have the festiveness of a tailgate party, replete with cheering crowds, clanging cowbells, and tachycardia into the mid-triple digits. But don’t be fooled: anyone can ride cyclocross. Beginners and kids. Tandems, unicycles, and single speeds. The best part: the bikes are multifunctional. They are similar to road bikes, with burly mods. They zip through tight turns with a short wheelbase, bound over rocks with a high-clearance bottom bracket, run tubeless knobbies to minimize pinch flats, and sport old-school mud-shedding cantilever brakes. The workhorse cyclocross stallion will do double-duty as an overnight touring mount (add panniers), a randonneuring steed (aka long-distance cycling), a daily commuter (add fenders and flashing light), or wet-weather trainer (keep your carbon roadie in the garage). Except for true mountain bike trails, these bikes are built to tackle urban bike/ped paths, dirt or gravel backroads, or, yup, muddy low-tech singletracks. So, go get dirty. 20 WILDERNESS MEDICINE // Spring 2010
What’s in Your Pack? We invite you to send in five things you couldn’t do without in your pack. Dr. Natsch is currently the Chief, Bureau of Emergency <strong>Medical</strong> Services for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. He has been involved with EMS for over 35 years, 30 as a paramedic. Dr. Greg Natsch shares his can’t-do-without-gear: My Camelbak Hydration system (built into all my packs) goes without saying, but these are my “American Express” items… I don’t leave home without them. With me at all times. 1. Cap 2. Good prescription sunglasses. Good for all conditions. 3. Swiss Army knife – all the tools you could want. 4. Global Positioning System (GPS). 5. Smartphone – loaded with medical references, maps, emergency beacon, camera, and music for sanity. VISIT WWW. MMMEDICINE. COM FOR MORE INFORMATION MATTERHORN MOUNTAIN MEDICINE Zermatt, Switzerland July 14-17, 2010 Join the faculty of Mountain and Marine Medicine for our 4th annual High Altitude and Mountain Medicine conference! This interactive course is designed for physicians, nurses, EMT's, health providers, climbers and mountain sports enthusiasts. Join us for an incredible educational event at the base of the Matterhorn! Guided climbs and adventures offered by: Suntoucher M o u n t a i n G u i d e s THIS ACTIVITY HAS BEEN PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ESSENTIAL AREAS AND POLICIES OF THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION THROUGH THE JOINT SPONSORSHIP OF THE WILDERNESS MEDICAL SOCIETY AND SUNTOUCHER MOUNTAIN GUIDES. THE WILDERNESS MEDICAL SOCIETY IS ACCREDITED BY THE ACCME TO PROVIDE CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION FOR PHYSICIANS. THE WMS DESIGNATES THIS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY FOR A MAXIMUM OF 23 AMA PRA CATEGORY 1 CREDITS TM . EACH PHYSICIAN SHOULD ONLY CLAIM CREDIT COMMENSURATE WITH THE EXTENT OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE ACTIVITY.
Page 1 and 2: SPRING 20 10 Volume 27, Number 2 Di
Page 3 and 4: EditorIAL STAFF SPRING 2010 INSIDE
Page 5 and 6: Dispatches froM Haiti Paul S. Auerb
Page 7 and 8: Photo by Eric Holden. January 20…
Page 9 and 10: January 24… January 25… It was
Page 11 and 12: 82nd Airborne preparing for a food
Page 13 and 14: sion Congo Michael Hauty MD, FACS P
Page 15 and 16: Garden of "Villages des Mamas" set
Page 17 and 18: Nature, however, is a cruel prankst
Page 19: Mount Hood SAR Operations On Decemb
Page 23 and 24: AWLS Instructor Cory Kreutzer demon
Page 25 and 26: SOCIETY MATTERS News & Announcement
Page 27 and 28: Members in the News Kenneth W. Kize
Page 29 and 30: CLIFF NOTES Catherine Chamberlin MS
Page 31 and 32: 2010 conference calendar & affiliat

Volume 27, Number 2 - Wilderness Medical Society

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