Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training

06/02/2026

Preparedness is not just about having the gear with you (although it sure might make things easier!). Preparedness is a combination of skills, life experience, mental resiliency, and situational awareness that can help you prevail in the absence of essential tools. Almost two years ago, Greg Fenty, an experienced outdoorsman, spent two unplanned nights lost in PA National Park. His obvious mistakes forced him to learn the hard way that complacency can get the best of anyone. As his family, Park employees, RCMP, Search and Rescue volunteers and many others searched for him….Greg was faced with the challenge of surviving two nights in unfavourable weather before he was able to walk out. The greatest gift we can give to those who may listen is a gift of foresight. It is far too easy to think it won’t happen to us - and Greg is humbled, but willing, to share his story and the insight he learned from this experience. In our small outdoor community - the mishaps of someone who now has the opportunity to share it forward just might save a life or make a person pause before finding themselves in their own version of risk and misadventure. Greg is a highly respected and experienced outdoorsman and I am honoured to help him share his story. Selfishly I have always been curious about the sequence of events leading up to his two cold, wet nights in the backcountry with nothing else but the clothes on his back and a lifetime of experience outdoors.

Join me and Greg at Eb's Source for Adventure on Thursday June 4th 6-8pm while we sit down to listen to Greg’s story! The event is free but space is limited! (Bring a camp chair!)

Join Greg Fenty and Rebecca from this Thursday at Eb’s!

Sign up on our website, limited spots available

05/21/2026

I can’t find many photos of this crew at work through the 19hr day they pulled off, most of them never took a photo, and I’m hardly a social media content designer….

So here is CHEERS to these friends who gave a boat load of energy to an event which they had no stake in the game. They showed up for the runners. They showed up for the community. They showed up for me.

It is not lost on me that these people showed up for me. For Back40.
For something larger than themselves. They gave HOURS of energy when their own tank was draining. They mended feet, filled water bottles, and dished out love and encouragement when others tanks were empty and quitting was on the table. They ate cold steak, fixed a flat tire, danced, cheered, and even cried.

These are my friends. They aren’t employees. They are volunteers. They didn’t even get gas money for this event (although I think their swag was pretty good!)! They showed up because they find joy in being a part of a community. They showed up because I asked. They are a collection of people I have met through courses or others who have shown me that the HEART of first aid is the most important and that they would serve with kindness first. Credentials matter almost nothing when you’re in the trenches with people who need you to mend their discomfort and boost their morale. And all of them would hike kilometers in to help bring a runner home if they needed. And that is why they are on my team. I trust every single one of them and collectively they are a POWERHOUSE.

I don’t let just anyone wear this shirt. If you’ve had a Back40 shirt on at an event - you’re a member of the team for life. And as our team grows……I’m beyond proud of the team I am building. Damn good people doing damn good first aid.

Thank you team. You matter most to me!

05/13/2026

I don’t have any details myself but what I do know is that the media release was TERRIBLY executed. No details or context = fear inducing. Wrong details = lack of professionalism.

05/11/2026

Ten years of backcountry travel. Dozens of bear encounters. One I still think about every time I step into bear country.This isn't a dramatic retelling. It's...

05/08/2026

No one PLANS to get hurt.

You very well could be one misstep, one bonk you can’t recover from, one nasty cramp that feels like death, one lightening strike or a cougar attack away from not making it back to the yourself.

So while you wait (along with a Sweep or other runners) you will struggle. Because if you can’t get out yourself….we have to come to you.

THIS TAKES TIME.

You might be carried out by hand, loaded onto an ATV, or riding behind Jason on a horse…..but either way it won’t be pleasant, it will be humbling, and it will all take time!

The is a REMOTE race through prairie landscape. Road access is minimal, weather is unpredictable, and you are covering over 40-80km of land on foot! Anything can happen out there! This is NOT A ROAD RACE!

Mandatory Gear:
- Silver Blanket
- 1l water
- Headlamp after 4pm (checked!)

But that’s not all you should take! For your own damn sake pack things for the “what if”!
- Personal MEDS! (Inhaler, Epi, etc)
- Wind/rain layers
- Silver Bivy (micro shelter!)
- Basic First Aid: Tensor Bandage
- Hygiene needs (TP?!)
- Sun/Lip Protection
- Cell phone charger (bonus if it charges your headlamp)
- Bear Spray! You are in cougar country!!
- Food & Snacks (we know you’ll have that!)

IF you have a mishap or if another runner does - these things just might be essential tools to reduce your stress while you deal with it or wait for assistance.

Do YOURSELF the favour of being more prepared!

05/05/2026

Stop using crowd sourced apps for trail reports & conditions! Or learn to turn around before you’re knee deep in snow without shoes 🤦🏼‍♀️

Parks Canada Rescues Hikers In Banff National
Park

A trails app told a hiker the Big Beehive descent was doable. Parks Canada helicoptered them out thigh-deep in snow.

That's not a freak accident - it's one of three rescues in Banff National Park in the past three weeks, and all of them followed a similar pattern: valley conditions that felt like spring, and alpine conditions that hadn't read the same forecast.

April 9 - Big Beehive: solo hiker follows app route, loses the trail, sinks thigh-deep into isothermal snow, calls 911. Helicopter sling rescue.

April 14 - Big Beehive: two hikers follow the same logic, reach a cliff band, and call 911. Helicopter sling rescue.

April 22 - Bow Summit: a visitor sets out for what was meant to be a short walk, becomes disoriented, loses their footwear in deep snow, and is recovered by a snowmobile and ski-touring team before being handed to Banff EMS.

Parks Canada is asking people to stop using crowd-sourced apps and reports as their primary source for trail conditions. The Banff National Park Trail Report exists. Visitor centres have staff who know what's actually out there.

Freeze-thaw cycles and a very deep snowpack are making conditions near treeline and in alpine zones genuinely unpredictable - even on trails that look familiar on a map.

The Rockies in late April are not a spring destination. They're a late-season winter destination with occasional warm afternoons.

Do you check the official trail report before heading out, or do you mostly go by what you find on apps and forums?

05/01/2026

YOU are your own first responder.

While you wait for help….what will you do to help yourself?

Be aware of your services and surrounding agencies capacities. And align expectations accordingly. Know before you go. I very much appreciate the full disclosure here - but fear so many who visit or are summer tourists to the area will have no clue.

04/24/2026

She’s the person you’d want beside you if you were dying. Or melting in the sun. Or puking your guts out. Or falling apart.

She’s quite literally my saviour and sanity.

It’s a milestone birthday year for my best friend. I hired her almost 20yrs ago to work at an aquatic facility I was managing and from there she proved to be one of the most important people in my life. The first time she saved me was with an emergency delivery of A&W after giving birth…..and from there I don’t think there has been a life event or random moment she had missed.

Many of you have met at some point over the years. Most of you - in a chair (or on the ground!) at the or or maybe in a class or at our house. She’s OUR Jen! And when you meet her she becomes yours too! This woman gives her soul to bring joy, support, and a little craziness to the anyone she shares space with.

Send her a little love today! And follow it up with a big hug the next time you see her! 50th Birthdays are a big deal that last a whole year! Cheers to many more adventures together Jen! And a lifetime left of life events, ups and downs, and figuring out s**t out! I love you!

04/21/2026

So proud of Mandy! Mandy Currie - you are an inspiration! Small town prairie people can do BIG things!

On Friday, , 36, of Saskatoon, topped the women’s podium in the Hikuri 81K race at in 12:01:35. Race conditions were challenging, combining over 3,900 metres of elevation gain with temperatures up to 28 C and 88 per cent humidity, making it feel closer to 35 C. 🥵

Currie crossed the finish line holding a small trinket in the shape of a turtle with “Here with you” engraved on its underside. The turtle contained ashes of her late sister Lisa, who died of cancer in August 2024.

“She was my biggest cheerleader,” Currie says. “She used to say, ‘I wish you could put me in your backpack and take me on your running adventures,’ and today I could really feel her presence during the run.” 🐢❤️

Read more in link in bio.

Photo: Diego Winitzky