“Guide Service Offers CPR and Wilderness First Aid Courses”  

By Judy Routson, Published in the Boonville Herald on May 7, 2008

 

Tired of the corporate world, 52-year-old Gary Ramsey is now doing what he loves: working in a slower-paced fun environment, teaching others to enjoy the outdoors, and hunting.  “He has a passion for hunting,” said Gary’s wife, Marilyn Ramsey.

Originally from Delaware County, the Ramseys settled in Woodgate about three years ago and now operate Bear Creek Guide Service and Wilderness Education School. They had previously spent a lot of time at their Forestport camp before moving to Bear Creek Road in the Adirondack foothills. A licensed Adirondack guide with more than 30 years experience in the outdoors, Gary had been guiding for about 10 years on a “freelance” basis, but with the move to Woodgate, he and Marilyn established their business, intending initially to teach only hunting skills.

Last July, however, the couple began offering training in CPR and wilderness first aid, in addition to guide service and hunting workshops. Gary explained that many of his clients and those who take the hunting workshops are from metropolitan areas and at first are not comfortable in the wilderness, often worrying about becoming lost. Once they’re familiar with hunting and navigating with topographical maps, a compass, and a GPS, they are curious and want to know more. “They have so many questions,” said Gary. Clients sometimes ask, “What if I fall and break a leg?” or “What if my buddy falls and breaks a leg?”

“Wilderness first aid is quite different from basic street first aid,” Gary said. “There are no cell phones, and no EMTs.” Additional training and knowledge is necessary to prepare for backcountry mishaps, he said.

Frequent questions on wilderness safety led Gary and Marilyn to become certified instructors and to offer several wilderness emergency care classes. The Ramseys both have the requisite skills and background to provide their clients quality training in survival techniques. They are authorized instructors for the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI), a national association of over 35,000 professional safety and health educators. Many state, county, and local government agencies use ASHI programs, which are approved by the National Registry of EMTs, the Department of Labor/OSHA, the Department of Homeland Security/U. S. Coast Guard, and the Continuing Education Board for Emergency Medical Services.

A Registered Nurse and a trained EMT, Marilyn has extensive medical knowledge. She has had specialized training in cardiac life support and pediatric care. Like her husband, Marilyn is a licensed Adirondack guide with over 30 years experience hiking, camping, and backpacking. She is the Training Director for their Wilderness First Aid Program and is a certified instructor for basic and advanced wilderness first aid, wilderness first responder, and CPR. She teaches hands-on skills in an informal and relaxed style, a technique she developed as an adjunct instructor for SUNY Delhi’s nursing program.  

While employed for 18 years as a senior manager with MeadWestvaco, a Fortune 500 company in Sydney, New York, Gary acquired extensive knowledge in practical skills training. Trained in water safety, boating safety, and search and rescue, he also attended the Whitetail University and completed a course with The North American School of Conservation, Wildlife, and Forestry. He began teaching first aid and CPR in the early eighties through the American Red Cross, and is a certified instructor for wilderness first aid, wilderness first responder, and CPR.  Gary has served for over 20 years as an EMT with volunteer emergency squads.

An eight-hour course for those involved in wilderness recreation, Basic Adirondack Wilderness First Aid is also intended for those who lead groups on short trips in relatively low-risk situations. Advanced Wilderness First Aid is a 16-hour course for anyone involved in serious wilderness activities, such as trip leaders and guides. Adirondack Wilderness First Responder is an intensive 60-hour course for volunteer and professional wilderness rescue team members. All the Wilderness First Aid and Emergency Care (WEC) programs include a textbook, and upon passing written and practical exams, course attendees receive a three-year ASHI certification card.

The Ramseys also offer Community/Professional CPR, a four-hour course providing the skills and knowledge necessary for effective life support in an emergency. A Community CPR Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and a Basic Wilderness First Aid Course is planned for Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information about these classes or other available choices, visit www.bearcreekguideservice.com, or call Gary or Marilyn at (315) 392-2115. Pre-registration is required, and according to Marilyn, e-mail registration is preferred. Write to gary@bearcreekguideservice.com.

Continued questions and comments were the incentive for additional classes, other than how to bag a bear or track the elusive whitetail. Besides the first aid courses, Gary and Marilyn are now planning workshops on hiking and backpacking, navigation and survival, and winter camping, which should all be in place by fall.

Bear Creek Guide Service and Wilderness Education School is presently a part-time business, according to Gary, but he plans full-time operation in three years. He is currently employed full-time as the grounds manager at Old Forge Camping Resort, which he describes as “a fun place” and where he says it’s “a joy to work.” He also writes a monthly outdoor column for the Old Forge Adirondack Express and teaches hunting seminars for Gander Mountain. A licensed watercraft pilot/engineer for all navigable waters in New York state, Gary is also a member of the New York State Guides Association. He has hunted big game in five states and in Canada.

“My husband has a lot of experience,” said Marilyn, to whom he has been married for 32 years. The couple has two daughters and two grandchildren.

Apparently, Gary does not miss the corporate life. What he enjoys most about his new lifestyle, he says, is teaching others to safely enjoy the outdoors. “I enjoy watching others learn,” he says, “so they can enjoy the outdoors on their own.”