Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training

Gardiner Dam will be releasing water on Sunday. For anyone planning to camp downstream of the Dam this weekend or who may have plans Sunday into next week….know before you go. This is a significant increase and will affect sandbars and flow rate/paddle experience.

WSA to Significantly Increase Flows from Gardiner Dam - Caution Urged on South Sask River | News and Media | Government of Saskatchewan A number of pages on the Government of Saskatchewan's website have been professionally translated in French. These translations are identified by a yellow box in the right or left rail that resembles the link below. The home page for French-language content on this site can be found at:

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

The Bear Encounter I Think About Every Single Season 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...

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!

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.

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!