40 Years Ago Today

June 8, 2005

First_students_2With a “whoop and a holler, ” on June 8, 1965 the first NOLS course ventured into Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains. Food and equipment for the 43-person, all-male first expedition were issued from the school’s Sinks Canyon headquarters. The students were split into separately functioning “patrols” of about a dozen— several patrols were under the overall leadership of “Course Leader” Paul Petzoldt (seen here greeting students Gary Randolph, Chuck Erickson and John Keith).

A lot has changed at NOLS and in the world in the four decades since that first course hiked up the Dry Creek drainage, but our mission and goals remain the same— creating real leaders, careful outdoor travelers, and skilled adventurers.

So think back to those days of double-long wool sweaters, black Limmer boots, goldline, billypots, pack frames, and knickers. Consider the prodigious feats of those first expedition’s instructors Paul Petzoldt, Tap Tapley, Burt Redmayne, Jack Hyland, Bruce Barrus, and Jerry Taylor.

Go ahead. Doff your hat to NOLS— today’s our birthday.

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Written By

Rich Brame

Rich Brame came to NOLS in the 80's as a Fall Semester in the Rockies student and worked his first NOLS course at Wind Cave National Park in 1984. Since then, he's worked varied NOLS trips and courses on five continents—with a few more on the way. Rich does some frontcountry shenanigans for NOLS, too. He's headed up NOLS' public policy, research, LNT, Yukon programs and most recently in the Alumni Relations Department.