Today was packing day! Still tired and sore from the overnight hike, we turned our focus to the 10-day beast ahead. I mostly nailed my packing list for the overnight experience, but this success was short-lived. Now, we must carry food to sustain 10 days in the wilderness. Something tells me the absurdity of this…

The past 24 hours were unlike any I have ever experienced. Yesterday, after an eventful night of packing, we left in the morning for an overnight hike in Mussoorie. This excursion was included as preparation for our upcoming 10-day trek. The physical components of this experience did not intimidate me as much as cooking outside,…

Over the past four days, my group and I participated in a Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) course. Akshay, the director of the Hanifl Centre, explained that Aerie Backcountry Medicine (the Montana-based organization supervising our certifications) offers several levels of training: Wilderness First Aid (WFA), WAFA, Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician…

After arriving at the Hanifl Centre on Wednesday, we all happily crashed for bed at around 9:00 PM and woke up around 5:00 AM. It seems that we might have to endure jet lag for a bit longer. Nonetheless, our early-rising biological blocks have made 7:30 AM a great time for breakfast, even though this…

About 48 hours after departing Pittsburgh, I have finally arrived in Mussoorie to write this blog post. My journey started with a Pittsburgh-Newark connection; then, I spent five hours in the Newark Airport before a 15-hour flight to Delhi. Neither the layover nor the international flight were as grueling as I anticipated. I ended up…

Hello! My name is Ramsey Smith, and I am a sophomore studying Chemical Engineering and Biological Sciences. I am highly interested in drug development and medicine, and I have worked the past two summers on neurodegeneration projects at GSK and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, respectively. At Pitt, I am a member of the Student…