Coronavirus (COVID-19): What it means for Courses

April 30th, 2020 Update

It truly saddens me but I have canceled all courses until late August.  I realize that learning wilderness medicine is something people need for work and is also a valuable skill set to pursue during the slow down with COVID.  I wish I could provide this service, but I want to feel confident that doing so supports the safety of those in the course, my local community and the request of our government.   The state of CA has outlined its stages for reopening and due to the close contact necessary in these courses, we fit into stage 3.

According to the Governor,  Stage 3 includes “personal care businesses like gyms, spas and salons, sports without live audiences, in-person religious services and other businesses where workers come in close contact with customers.”  In Governor Newsom’s own words Stage 3 is “months, not weeks, away”.  To wait this out would leave everyone (me included) scrambling at the last minute to sort travel logistics and study when things finally move to stage 3.  For this reason, I’ve decided to not offer a course until the end of August.

As soon as it is safe to invite people into the backcountry here in the Sierra Nevada  I will be available for private guided trips or specialized skills courses.   It takes less advanced notice to organize these trips.  You can contact me directly at info@gutzjourney.com.

March 25, 2020 Update

While the world deals with COVID-19, much of our lives have gone on hold and we are all left waiting.  I continue to remain hopeful that by summer the worst will be behind us.  All of my summer offerings remain open for registration with no plans for canceling.  Everyone’s health is my top priority.  I will continue to evaluate as we get closer to summer, if I need to cancel a program for any reason I will issue full refunds to all registrants.

In the meantime, please consider joining my free 2-week Gut-Z Challenge: Health and Immune Boosting.  The challenge starts March 30th- April 12th.  If you miss the official dates you can still grab the information and start your own 2-week challenge.   It’s never too late to make our health and immune system a priority.

March 11, 2020 Update

With the recent news that the coronavirus outbreak has been reclassified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, I want to make sure to update everyone on offerings.

All of my public course offerings will remain open for registration with no plans of canceling any offering. 

My next public course will not start until May 30th and we all can hope that the situation we are facing now has drastically changed in over 2 months.  While I don’t want to contribute to the hysteria, your health and safety are important to me.  I will be emphasizing good hygiene and prevention measures for various infectious diseases in courses.  All Wilderness Medical Courses will require a pre-course health questionnaire just prior to the course start date.  I’ll be continuing to evaluate health and safety as we look forward to summer adventures. I hope to spend time with many of you in the backcountry this summer, our time in nature remains as valuable as ever, if not more so now.

With the constant headlines and rapidly changing regulations around public gathering, I think it’s important we all stop and take a few deep breaths.  As a country, we are facing a time unlike others and how we choose to take action can have a dramatic effect on all of us.    Here are my top guidelines:

• Wash your hands with soap (minimum 20 seconds)

• Only use hand sanitizer as a backup until you can wash your hands

• Boost your immune system by:

  • trying to get between 7-8 hours of sleep minimum a night

  • stay adequately hydrated with real water- not sodas and coffee

  • eat a variety of colorful vegetables in your diet for good phytonutrients

  • take one small action a day to minimize stress and increase gratitude

• Share your love, not your germs

  • Tell people you love and appreciate them, even if you can’t or shouldn’t visit them temporarily

• Oh- and share the gosh darn toilet paper people!

Collectively we can help work through this, take care of those who are in need, and ideally see ourselves on a brighter path soon.