NOLS Blog
When Everything Came Into Focus — Hiking Patagonia’s Torres del Paine O Circuit Alumni Trip
I first learned about the O Circuit in 2025, a year before I actually did it. My wife and I were in Patagonia on a Road Scholar trip. It started with a cruise through the Strait of Magellan and the Darwin Passage, followed by a few days in Torres del Paine National Park doing short…
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
Team selfie. In May 2025, Bharat Bhushan, Prerna Dangi, and I took on a challenge to climb Panchachuli ...
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…
Connection, Resilience, and Dal Bhat: Manaslu Circuit Alumni Trip 2025
In November 2025, five gentlemen, one lady, three guides, and three support staff met in Kathmandu in preparation for a two-week NOLS alumni trek on the Manaslu Circuit in Nepal. Although we were all strangers coming from different parts of the world, our shared excitement for setting foot in the Himalayas was palpable. During those…
NOLSies At Work: Sustainability & Conservation
See the ways NOLS grads are leading in the field of sustainability
Artist Alina Drufovka on her Path to the Outdoors
Artist Alina Drufovka on Being a Latina Backpacker, NOLS Fellow, and Turning COVID into an Opportunity for Art
Intro to Federal Public Lands in the U.S.
America’s federal public lands are an amazing resource for all kinds of recreation—but how much do you know about the different kinds of public land?
How to Make Cheesy Breakfast Bagels
This recipe for cheesy breakfast bagels with sausage is easy to make and easy to adapt to your tastes.
Case Study: Runner Begins Feeling Ill
You and a friend are on a long run in the foothills of the Laramie Range in Wyoming. It’s a hot day. Four hours into the run your companion stumbles, slows, staggers, and sits on a log. He says he “feels awful.”
The Leadership Project: Tolerance for Adversity & Uncertainty
Tolerance for adversity and uncertainty is something all of us practice every single day. To conclude our series The Leadership Project, NOLS President Terri Watson tells stories from her experiences while teaching and putting this skill into practice.
Celebrating Black in National Parks Week with Carter McBride
Carter McBride joined us to celebrate Black in National Parks Week and share from his experiences in National Parks, as well as perspectives on the opportunities and areas for growth that NOLS and other outdoor organizations can pursue in the realms of representation and inclusion. He is a member of NOLS’ Advisory Council, a NOLS parent and graduate, and participated in Expedition Denali in 2013.
The Leadership Project: Judgment & Decision-Making
NOLS Instructor Andy Blair introduces us to the leadership skill judgment & decision-making
The Leadership Project: Communication
NOLS Instructor Jesse Quillian introduces us to the importance of communication, and how it changes in groups over time
Our Top Stories on Getting Others Outdoors
Enjoy reading our posts with advice for parents, role models in outdoor education, and all things focused on getting others outside
Case Study: An Anxious Rappel
A trip participant has trouble on a rappel. When they are safely on the ground, you begin your patient assessment. Test your wilderness medicine skills with this case study.
The Leadership Project: Competence
NOLS Instructor Sanjana Govind introduces us to competence—being skilled both on our own, and as part of a group.
