NOLS Blog
Case Study: Fishhooks
The Setting You’re on the first day of a twelve-day whitewater canoeing expedition down the Green River. Your group consists of fifteen students and four instructors. Everyone is paddling close together down a stretch of flat water practicing strokes, building skills, and getting to know one another. Spirits are high. People are laughing, chatting, and…
When Everything Came Into Focus — Hiking Patagonia’s Torres del Paine O Circuit Alumni Trip
Photo: Libby Poston I first learned about the O Circuit in 2025, a year before I actually did ...
Case Study: Heat Illness on an Early-Season Wildland Fire Assignment
Photo by Kirk Rasmussen The Setting You are working on a Type 2 initial attack handcrew in the ...
Rothberg-Birdwhistel Expedition Fund: Panchachuli III Peak Climb
In May 2025, Bharat Bhushan, Prerna Dangi, and I took on a challenge to climb Panchachuli III (6,349m), believed by local residents to remain unclimbed. We aimed to approach it via the northeast route through the Meola Glacier. Despite occasional visits by military and paramilitary personnel, there was no recorded mountaineering information or documented route…
Case Study: Non-Freezing Cold Injury on a Canoe Trip
The Setting You are leading an early-season canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It’s mid-May, and while the days are mild, the water is still very cold. Travel involves frequent portaging and wading in and out of the canoe to load and unload gear. Despite good effort, everyone’s feet have been wet…
Lou Gordon: Three Decades of Influence
Louise “Lou” Gordon’s office in the Wilderness Medicine wing of NOLS Headquarters is tucked into the perpendicular intersection of two banks of offices, in the center of the activity but quiet and a little reserved. Like Lou herself.
After more than 30 years, the last 6 1/2 as NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s Wilderness EMT Supervisor, Lou is cleaning and packing up her office in preparation for her retirement. Her last day is May 1.
Climate Medicine: Where Climate Change and Healthcare Meet
Springtime has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. Trees and grasses are greening up, flowers are blooming, and birds have returned to greet the morning with song. As many of Earth’s residents head into boreal summer, they know to expect rising temperatures. But what does that heat mean for human health? What happens when infectious diseases…
Summer Travel Programs for Teens: Why Wilderness Expeditions Offer More Than a Passport Stamp
Most summer travel programs for teens promise adventure. A select few actually deliver it. There is a difference between traveling through a place and learning to move through it with skill and intention. That difference is worth understanding before you commit to any program, and before your teen boards a plane. This guide breaks down…
Staying Power
Shari Kearney didn’t just find a place at NOLS—as our longest serving female instructor, she has worked over 424 weeks in the field and influenced generations of students. Shari Kearney is checking on Three Peaks Ranch’s stable of horses, kept on pastures outside of Lander, Wyoming in the offseason. Each autumn, the horses—dozens of them—are…
The Summit Experience – Notes from Aconcagua
Summiting Aconcagua, the tallest peak outside of Asia, is an impressive accomplishment. Learn how you can achieve this with our NOLS Alumni course!
Learning to Slow Down in the Winds
Nate had taken lots of adventures in wild places, but nine days traversing with Winds on a NOLS Alumni Trip taught him to slow down and enjoy the view.
Watercolors: Worth the Weight
When packing for a journey into the backcountry, every ounce matters. Knowing this, Isabelle faced a dilemma: is taking my watercolor kit worth the weight?
Lessons We Carry Forward
With the help of her strong female instructors, Bella gained the skills and confidence that she carries far beyond her wilderness experience.
Opportunity to Engage
As a queer person of color, Lauren shares her journey to discover the programs NOLS implements on affinity expeditions and instructor-in-training programs.
Life Lessons That I Learned
NOLS semester graduate reflects on the lessons learned and the lasting impact of his experience.
Best Senior Project Ever: Inspiration from my NOLS Semester
Jay Clark's fall NOLS Outdoor Educator semester started with questions looming for their senior year. Inspiration struck while traveling in Utah's desert.
Wilderness Medicine for Mountain Bikers
To reduce the strain on local health care facilities during a global crisis, you can step up and use your first aid training to treat some injuries at home.
Case Study: An Injured Ankle on the Hunt
Test your knowledge with this case study about a patient with an ankle injury on a backcountry hunt.
Case Study: Breathing Difficulty in the Absaroka Range
Test your knowledge with this case study about a patient having breathing difficulty in a remote mountain setting
Case Study: Nauseous in the Heat
This case study focuses on how responders must be creative and thoughtful to adapt plans as they care for patients on a wilderness—not city—timeframe.
