Who We Are and What We Offer

    Daniel Coleman has been hiking on his own and with clubs in the Coachella Valley and nearby areas since 2016. He has participated in many hikes as sweep and enjoys mapping and tracking the hikes as well. Back home in Washington State, Dan hiked and camped over many years with family and friends in the deserts in eastern Washington and in the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges. As a serviceman in the Air Force, he enjoyed some hiking in the Philippines, eastern France, Germany, and Austria. Dan's experience includes marine navigation and sailboat racing as well as search and rescue for the Olympia Harbor Patrol and the Civil Air Patrol. Dan retired from practice after 40 years as a physical therapist and enjoys leading hikes here in the desert as well as other locations. Dan has developed 7 hikes in and around Joshua Tree National Park during which he relates historical tales of adventure and misadventure. When you discover an old cabin or mine while hiking in the desert, it likely holds a story of adventure from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Join Dan on his hikes to hear what happened in seven of these different locations! 

    Dan’s professional life coupled with experience as a hike leader have led him to think about potential injury and safety measures which may either prevent or minimize the effects of injuries on the trail. He has done classes for CVHC and other organizations on the 10+ essentials and first aid. After hearing stories of injured and stranded hikers, he began thinking of a means to prevent injured hikers from waiting on emergency services for help and spending sometimes hours or entire nights out in the cold and dark. Dan has recently designed and patented (pending) a device which can be used with hiking poles to create a temporary crutch. The device is called “Crutch in a Clutch” and can be used in a partial weight bearing manner to allow someone with a lower extremity injury to make their way back to the trailhead. One might use it to minimize activity after a snake bite, to take the pressure off a sore knee, or to avoid using an ankle which has been twisted or broken. Ankle and knee injuries can be stabilized and the affected hiker can then use the crutch to get back to the trailhead. 

    The same device can be modified using additional items to create a traction device for a lower or upper leg fracture. Traction applied timely can reduce pain and stabilize the limb for transport.