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The Conversation
The Conversation
Elaine Reno, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine-Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz

Could you survive The Oregon Trail? An emergency medicine doctor offers tips on how to not die in the great outdoors

You might not die of dysentery on the trail these days, but there is still plenty of danger outdoors. Different_Brian/iStock via Getty Images Plus

If you grew up in the United States in the 1980s or ’90s, chances are you remember The Oregon Trail. For many like me, it was our first computer game and our first introduction to wilderness survival. We hunted buffalo, forded rivers, broke wagon wheels and, of course, learned about dysentery years before Google even existed, all while hoping our group would make it to Oregon City alive.

Lately, the game has found a second life. Nostalgic social media posts, memes and updated versions of the game have introduced The Oregon Trail to a new generation while reminding millennials just how unforgiving that grainy computer screen journey could be.

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