Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training

03/19/2026

Last call for the Youth Remote First Aid!

✅ Certified in Remote First Aid inc CPR/AED
✅ OUTSIDE for 3 days!
✅ Building independence and trust in their good sense!

WHAT IF something happens to you? Your teen is capable.

WHAT IF you’re together and you need a helper? Your teen is capable. (Possibly even in more control than you!)

WHAT IF they are off on their own, urban or remote? Your teen is capable.

This course is for MATURE youth who share an outdoors lifestyle with their family. They aspire to venture off on their own/. They have maturity to handle hard conversations. They can stay focused and on task throughout the day with minimal guidance. They WANT to build their skills and abilities to help others.

More info online. Please contact us if you have questions before registering.

If course minimum of 6 is not met - course will not run.

03/19/2026

The guys didn’t want to go out in the MUDDY MUDDY yard yesterday - I sort of agreed ;) It was still a great day in the shop with the guys, a BBQ lunch and really important skills/conversations!

Your first aid training doesn’t need to be boring. On site. Team building. Relevant to you.

03/09/2026

Pretty humbled this week. First The Lost Girl's Guide to Finding the World article in Prairies North Magazine came out - a generous account of Back40’s history and the mission I will never give up on. And then Saskatchewrun Podcast - Jason Burns connected with me to talk about the two ultra races Back40 provides aid at and trail running preparedness. Any chance I get to share my thoughts in a space with other amazing outdoor adventurers is pure joy! Having talented people with their own platforms invite me to be a guest is a privilege and a reflection of just how interconnected our small outdoor community really is.

Thank you Jason for inviting me on the Saskatchewrun Podcast!

Podcast Episode · The SaskatchewRun Podcast · March 9 · 56m

02/26/2026

I wish my kids were younger again. When they didn't grumble about going outside with me. When every trip, short or long, was an adventure to them. I even miss their teenage grumblings when they put up a fight but really were better people once we were out there. They were always better outdoors. I was gifting them fresh air, freedom, imagination, and exploration. Now.....they hardly manage a loop around the dog park with me without complaining.

Those adventures were mine to plan. Mine to prepare. And mine to pack for. (But my kids ALWAYS had their own backpacks unlike this photo!). I felt confident in my preparedness. I was excited to share with them. And I felt alive!

I LOVED the simplicity of filtering water with them. Teaching them to start a fire. Confidently going on hikes knowing we had enough stuff between all of us to manage. Teaching them a little first aid. Putting up hammocks. Trying to impose trail safety lessons on them. And just playing and practicing myself.

But I wasn't always confident. I was new to all this at one time in my life too. I had to start somewhere and taught myself most of what I feel confident in now.

This is why my Trip Wise & Trail Ready really came to be. Because SO MANY people (mostly women) told me they didn't feel confident.

My time is so limited but the April-May Trip Wise & Trail Ready is a program designed by me, reminiscent of the old me, who just wants to invite you to learn, connect, and build that confidence I so easily could have given up on.

Start where you are. And join a group of like minded women, mom's, friends, and fellow dreamers who just want to be self-sufficient, a little more confident, and slightly more prepared than you were when you joined.

Summer is just around the corner!

02/19/2026

Last weekend 4 Trip Wise Alumni got together for an impromptu Galentines winter campout. They met in a Trip Wise session. They started out as strangers, became friends through a shared experience, and now are friends for life. I am so proud watching these ladies take on adventures well after our session is over, knowing they are thriving on their confidence, skill, and shared good sense, and so damn happy for their joyful time together outdoors!

Trip Wise & Trail Ready - a pre-summer opportunity to build confidence in your preparedness for solo and group backcountry adventures. But more importantly, it is a group of people who are your future new friends and adventure partners!

Are you joining us?!?

Day Trippers are generally the LEAST prepared for a backcountry mishap. Most are not prepared to spend more time than originally planned, deal with a drastic change in weather, manage an injury or emergency, and potentially spend an unplanned night out. Especially under stress. This event is an earl...

02/13/2026

I hear it all the time….:
- “my friends don’t like doing outdoorsy things”.
- “I don’t have anyone to go with.”
- “Now that my kids are older I don’t know what to do with my time.”
- “I don’t feel confident enough to go on my own.”

Trip Wise & Trail Ready Spring 2026 is for all those who want to find their people and prepare for summer adventures with confidence in themselves!

But it’s also for all of you who might be out there already but probably need to brush up on essential skills and habits - because no one PLANS to get lost/hurt/delayed!

Get Trail Ready with us this spring!

02/11/2026

Tell me again how cushy classroom courses really prepare your crew for their workplace risks….?

Staying in a freezing puddle of slushy water sure won’t help their problems.

Train where it’s real. Train like it’s real.

There is not a single indoor course that will genuinely prepare your crew to be confident in their first aid in these conditions. Yet they work day in and day out in real environments a classroom could never replicate. Glazing over theory does not foster confidence in skill, decision making, and problem solving. SCENARIOS they can relate to, in environments that they work in is where the real empowerment comes from!

There is zero boredom on days like today. Your crew WANTS the challenge. They are tired of “death by PowerPoint”. They know your generic, safe, unrelatable textbook answers don’t seem to fit the narrative in their emergencies. They want to train. They thrive in scenarios where they can relate to the complexities and messiness that is their every day work life.

This is like recess for adults and it is the highlight of my day to take them out to play!

Their training matters.

02/01/2026

Proud to be a part of this team!

If there is any one group of people who I have had the privilege of training (and training within!) - this team is the absolute most dedicated to training like it’s real. A lot of who I have become as an Instructor has been influenced by the people on this team. They have zero limitations when it comes to training scenarios! Weather - the worse the better. Patient profiles - there is nothing off limits or taboo. “I’d do it if it was real” is NOT in their vocabulary. And every single one of them thrive in being the patient so they can gain insight.

While our call volume is low being on an urban / prairie team…..this team is ready 24/7/365. And training is non-stop - in all things and all ways. Because our readiness matters!

Another great representation of this team - thank you Rogers TV.

For members of Saskatoon Search and Rescue (SSAR), teamwork is at the heart of the volunteer organization where all members share a common desire to support ...