National Transportation Week on May, 2024: Hiking through Olympic National Park?

National Transportation Week 2024. NDTA & National Transportation Week NDTA & National Transportation

Olympic National Park is one of the largest parks without roads through it in the lower 48 states. It would take years to explore all the trails in it and it would take a week to traverse some of the longer ones. The various trails all go to different ecozones, from low valleys to high alpine meadows.

I would not recommend solo backpacking in there unless you are a highly skilled backcountry backpacker and hiker. Get a good map of the park (REI usually stocks it) and a trail guide. Study them and get an idea of what routes would be practical for you to attempt. Many of the trail heads are rather remote and you might not be able to reach them without a car.

National Geographic jobs?

Organizations like National Geographic have some paid staff, mostly for editing and publishing the magazines they produce. If you notice, most of the articles are written by people who are NOT employees of the magazine but are journalists, photographers and researchers who are either associated with institutions such as government agencies, foundations and universities or are independent "contractors" who sell their stories to publications. National Geographic sponsors the expeditions and investigations of some of these individuals through grants. Their very small core of staff photographers and field people are only those who are among the very best in the world in their chosen craft.

If that sort of thing interests you, you should be pursuing a degree, probably at least a Master's or PhD eventually in one of the sciences that attracts you OR studying journalism or photojournalism. There are a number of college programs now that specialize in wilderness documentary film-making which would be a good place to start. If you live in a city with any kind of museum, especially natural history, get involved as a volunteer. You would need to be very experienced and somewhat of an expert in your field to work with or for National Geo.

If you want a taste of life as a field researcher, check out

With this organization you pay to be part of the research staff on real scientific expeditions in the US and around the world, in everything from tracking dolphins and studying rain forest plants to excavating archaeology sites. You live in a field camp, sometimes in dorms but more often in tents, for two weeks usually. You have to be at least 16 and they do have some scholarships available. Even if you or your parents pay for it, most of the cost is tax deductible because you are "donating" your time and money to support non-profit research. It would be an excellent way to gain experience and see how you like that sort of work. It can be challenging, sometimes uncomfortable and tiring, but it can also be the most fun and rewarding "vacation" you can possibly have and would enhance your resume in working towards an education and experience in scientific research and reporting.

If you are interested in Antarctica, there are 100s of jobs there every Fall that last about 4 months. Raytheon Polar Services has a contract with the National Science Foundation to support the researchers working there with everything from maintainence on snowmobiles to food service workers in the station cafeteria. Check out their employment website.

They have job fairs around the country (check the schedule at the site) and this is around the time of year they are recruiting for the summer polar season of October to February (which is winter up here in the US). Depending on what you do, the pay isn't huge but they pay your transportation down there and you get free room and board. And how cool would that be to tell your friends you worked in Antarctica (even if all you did was clean bathrooms or make sandwiches)? It would still be an excellent introduction to living and working in a remote area and you could eventually work your way up to more interesting positions in later years since they prefer to re-hire.

What is National EMS Week for?

The purpose of National EMS Week (this year, May 17-23) is to educate the public about emergency medical services, and to bring attention to an important part of emergency medicine.

Those of us in the field already know that prehospital care is a fairly new innovation in medicine. It has only been within the last 40-50 years that emergency care has started to move outside the hospital. When most people think of emergency medicine, they think of the emergency room, or maybe an ambulance. EMS week allows us to highlight each link in the chain - from the first responders whose initial care to a patient can make the difference between life and death, to the BLS (Basic Life Support) personnel like EMTs, to the ALS providers (Advanced Life Support - paramedics), emergency nurses, and then finally to the doctors. Each link in the chain has a very vital part to play.

These links are actually represented in the Star of Life - which is the symbol of emergency care units and personnel. Each branch is a symbol of one of the main tasks performed by EMS providers:

1.The first rescuers on the scene observe the scene, understand the problem, identify the dangers to themselves and the patient(s), and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety on the scene (circulation, electricity, chemicals, radiations, etc.).

2. The first rescuers call for professional help.

3. The first rescuers provide first aid and immediate care to the extent of their capabilities.

4. The EMS personnel arrive and provide immediate care to the extent of their capabilities.

5. The EMS personnel proceed to transfer the patient to a hospital for specialized care and provide medical care during the transportation.

6.Appropriate specialized care is provided at the hospital.

EMS week is a national event when a lot of services hold open houses to allow their communities to meet their EMS personnel outside of an emergency situation, learn about the services and care provided by those organizations, and educate themselves about emergency medical services in general.