“Camp Like a Girl” on a NOLS Adventure Course

front cover of Summer 2018 Teton Family with girl wearing PFD jumping into a lake with kayakers in background

Despite her enthusiasm for traditional summer camp experiences, Georgie Stanley believes that the NOLS expedition model offers something more meaningful. She explains that a two-week backpacking adventure provides teenage girls like her daughter an unmatched opportunity to develop leadership skills while tackling real-world challenges in the wilderness.

“Girls don’t need to have cabins on a lake and uniforms to benefit from a summer break away from family. Out here in the West, enriching summer experiences revolve around adventure. On a National Outdoor Leadership School trip, girls ages 14 and 15 venture into the mountains for two weeks. NOLS’ wilderness expedition model makes girls realize what’s really important in life, especially when it becomes all about finding your way, feeding your body and working as a team, even when you’re cold and tired. It’s about living with a simplicity we cannot re-create at home.”

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Written By

Brooke Ortel

Brooke is a runner and writer who enjoys finding adventure in the everyday. True to her island roots, she loves sunshine, that salty ocean smell, and the sound of waves against the shore.