Cascade Mountain Medicine, LLC

12/28/2025

🏔️ Imagine you’re 5 miles into the mountains. Your friend slips on a wet rock, hits their head, and can’t stand.
No cell service. No rescue in sight.
🤔 What would you do?

Our wilderness medicine courses help you become the person who knows what to do when seconds count.
The mountains are calling — let’s explore them safely. ⛑️🌲

➡️ Get certified with Cascade Mountain Medicine in Wilderness First Aid. Hybrid and fully in-person courses are available 💻
No medical experience required!

📍 Wenatchee, WA

Cascade Mountain Medicine is Central Washington's wilderness medicine school. CMM offers high quality and affordable WFR and WFA courses.

09/28/2025

🌲Wilderness First Aid Tip: Airway Techniques
When a patient is unconscious, maintaining an open airway is your first priority. In wilderness medicine, two key techniques are used — but which one is right for your situation? 👇

Head Tilt–Chin Lift
✅ Best for: Patients without suspected spinal injury
✅ How: Tilt the head back gently, lift the chin
✅ Why: Moves the tongue away from the back of the throat
⚠️ Avoid if trauma or mechanism of injury suggests neck/spinal involvement

Jaw Thrust
✅ Best for: Patients with possible spinal injury (e.g. fall, high-speed crash)
✅ How: Hands on each side of the jaw, lift the mandible forward without moving the neck
✅ Why: Opens airway while protecting the cervical spine
⚠️ More difficult, but critical in trauma scenarios

🏕️ In the Wilderness:
✔️ Always consider the cause of injury
✔️ Use Head Tilt–Chin Lift unless spinal trauma suspected
✔️ If trauma is likely — Jaw Thrust is your go-to
✔️ Reassess airway frequently — conditions can change fast!

📚 Learn more in our upcoming Wilderness First Aid course! The 2026 schedule will be released soon!

04/18/2025

👣 BLISTER TREATMENT 🥾

Blisters can turn a great adventure into a painful one—here’s how to manage them in the wild:
🩹 Do regular skin checks to catch hot spots early
🩹 Drain large, fluid-filled blisters only if they’re likely to pop
🩹 Leave small, intact blisters alone
🩹 Keep the overlying skin as a natural bandage when possible
🩹 If the skin is hanging off, remove it and treat with antibiotic ointment and a bandaid
🩹 Watch closely for signs of infection and seek medical help if needed

Prevention is best—but knowing how to treat them can save your trek.



Content and answers are for educational purposes only, and should not be used as medical advice

04/13/2025

👣 BLISTER PREVENTION 🥾

Blisters are one of the most common and avoidable backcountry injuries. They’re caused by a combo of heat, moisture, and friction. Prevention is much easier than treatment, and thankfully there are plenty of ways we can prevent blisters.

⛰️ Boots that fit well are crucial—too tight or too loose causes rubbing.
⛰️ Sock system: Wear a moisture-wicking liner sock under a thicker outer sock to reduce friction.
⛰️ Keep feet clean and dry—change socks daily, and let feet air out during breaks.
⛰️ Taping hot spots early (with moleskin, paper tape, etc.) is the best way to stop a blister before before it starts.
⛰️ Use foot powder or antiperspirant to keep skin dry.

Follow along for our next post on blister treatment 🩹



Content and answers are for educational purposes only, and should not be used as medical advice

04/01/2025

We’re paws-itively thrilled to announce our newest and most groundbreaking course yet: Cat Wilderness First Aid!

With cat hiking becoming more and more popular, we saw a huge need for this kind of training in the backcountry. From meowth-to-meowth resuscitation to purr-induced shock, we cover it all.

This course is truly the fur-st of its kind.
Check out our website for more info about our upcoming courses (especially for humans)!

03/31/2025

Do you love spending time outdoors? Then a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course is a must! ⛰️

Whether you’re hiking, camping, or exploring remote areas, knowing how to respond in an emergency can make all the difference. Our course equips you with the skills to stay calm and take action when it matters most.

🗓️ Hybrid and in-person options available — sign up now to secure your spot!

Visit CascadeMtnMed.com to learn more.

Cascade Mountain Medicine is Central Washington's wilderness medicine school. CMM offers high quality and affordable WFR and WFA courses.

03/10/2025

We’re proud to be an authorized ECSI Education Center! As a recognized leader in emergency education, ECSI sets the standard for high-quality training. Our First Aid & CPR and Wilderness First Aid courses are conducted in partnership with ECSI, ensuring content that meet industry standards. Upon completion, course certificates are issued directly through ECSI and are widely recognized across the nation.

For more information about ECSI, visit their website or visit us at cascademtnmed.com under the First Aid & CPR Courses tab.

03/07/2025

Let’s talk lightning! 🌩️

⚡️Lightning strikes are rare, and about 90% of people survive them. However, when a person is struck, the electrical shock can stop the heart or cause abnormal heart rhythms. In some cases, the heart may restart on its own, but the person still might not be breathing because lightning can temporarily shut down the brain’s ability to control breathing. This means that even if their heart starts pumping again, if the person isn’t breathing they can die from lack of oxygen and subsequent cardiac arrest (again).

⚡️The good news is that lightning-related cardiac arrest can often be reversed if CPR is started quickly. If a person is unresponsive and not breathing, start rescue breaths and chest compressions immediately.

⚡️In a mass casualty situation where multiple people have been struck, focus on those who appear lifeless (not breathing, no pulse) first. Unlike other emergencies where the most injured may have the worst outcome, lightning victims who look dead might actually have the best chance of survival if CPR is started right away.

⚡️Key takeaway: If someone is struck by lightning and isn’t breathing, act fast—CPR can save their life.



Content and answers are for educational purposes only, and should not be used as medical advice

03/06/2025

🤩 Instructor Spotlight 👋🏻

Meet Jason! 👨🏻‍🚒 He is one of our Wilderness First Aid and CPR instructors, and is the lead for logistics and rescue content. Jason is a full time firefighter and paramedic. He holds numerous emergency medical certifications such as PALS, ACLS, PHTLS, and is a certified hazmat technician and trained in ice water rescue. He is passionate about skiing, climbing, biking, and hunting. Jason is also a radio enthusiast with his HAM radio license and broad knowledge of communication for the wilderness. Jason says his current favorite outdoor activity is chukar hunting with his German Shorthair, Fisher.

Fun fact: Jason is an Eagle Scout

CMM is lucky to have Jason's medical expertise in the pre-hospital setting, and his extensive skill and knowledge as a wilderness recreationist! Read more about Jason's background and the rest of our team on our website (link in bio)!

03/04/2025

New course dates!! We have posted two August courses to our website for booking. One is hybrid, meaning students will watch didactic videos at home in the 1 month leading up to the course. Hybrid students will then meet for 8-10 hours for content review and hands on skill training. The fully in person course is 20 hours in the classroom with didactic lecture and hands on skills. Both course options include a textbook.

Visit cascademtnmed.com to book your spot!

03/04/2025

⛰️ Improvised Tourniquets🩸

What do you do if someone is losing a massive amount of blood? Arterial bleeds or significant bleeds that don’t stop with pressure require a tourniquet to prevent hypovolemia (low blood volume) and death. Commercial tourniquets are the preferred method, but improvised tourniquets can successfully stop a bleed if done correctly.

🩸Material at least one inch thick
🩸2-3 inches above the wound (when in doubt, place at the top of the extremity)
🩸Must use a windlass to get TQ tight enough
🩸Bleeding should fully stop and distal pulses should disappear
🩸Belts are not effective

Studies have shown that improvised civilian-made tourniquets have low success rate. This is due to lack of knowledge about proper placement, material, and tightness. Training is essential! Our classes teach how to apply commercial TQs and improvised TQs.



Content and answers are for educational purposes only, and should not be used as medical advice.