NOLS Blog
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 ...
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 ...
Best Summer Programs for Teens: Outdoor Adventures That Build Leaders
Most teens will spend this summer doing something fun, but maybe not so meaningful. Not because they lack ambition, but because the summer camps available to them were designed to center around fun, rather than building long-lasting skills. The difference between a summer that fades and one that becomes a reference point — something your…
Case Study: Motion Sickness on a Surf and Dive Trip in Oahu, Hawaii
The Setting You’re leading a small group on a combined surf and introductory scuba trip on Oahu. The group is staying on the North Shore and driving early in the morning to a south shore harbor to meet the dive boat. The coastal road is narrow, hilly, and full of tight curves. Several group members…
Summer Programs for High Schoolers: Choosing an Adventure That Lasts
Every parent of a high schooler feels it: these summers matter. The window is short, and how your teen spends it shapes more than you’d think. The science backs that up. Adolescence, roughly ages 12 to 18, is one of the most significant growth windows a person will ever experience. It’s when teens actively figure…
The Complete Guide to Summer Programs for Teens
Each summer between high school years is about 90 days. For most teens, the time passes quickly — and how it’s spent matters more than it might seem at the moment. For parents thinking about how to help their teen get the most out of these months, a structured summer program is one of the…
Teen Wilderness Programs: What Parents Need to Know
If you’ve started searching for programs that will allow your teen to spend time outside learning leadership, adventure skills, and more, you’ve probably noticed that the term “teen wilderness programs.” This term covers very different types of experiences. Some are clinical. Some are recreational. And some are educational: multi-week expeditions built around outdoor skills, leadership…
Case Study: Bug Bite or Blister on a Trail Crew Project
The Setting You are working as part of a backcountry trail crew in the Nantahala National Forest near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The project involves brushing and tread work in steep, densely vegetated terrain with long approaches and limited access points. Summer conditions are hot and humid, and the crew has been in the field…
The Hurrier I Go: What This Winter Taught Me about Patience in the Mountains
Instructor Navarana reflects on what it means to practice patience and compassion in the face of adversity, using outdoor experiences to frame her learning.
Applying Wilderness Medicine Skills During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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.
What Can Spring Learn from Winter? Lessons for the Transition
Reflecting on seasonal transition, NOLS instructor Jonny Hepburn shares lessons learned during ski season and how they might apply to spring adventures.
Cowboy Tough Race: Team Wind River Country is On the Course!
Cowboy Tough Race: Team Wind River Country is On the Course!
Climbing Goddess Majka Burhardt Nominated for 2010 Epic Award
Climbing Goddess Majka Burhardt Nominated for 2010 Epic Award
Stepping Out of the Classroom: Diversity & Inclusion at NOLS Rocky Mountain
Stepping Out of the Classroom: Diversity & Inclusion at NOLS Rocky Mountain
60 Pounds of Cheese and 104 Degrees: After a Long Summer, Super Hero In-Town Staff Re-open NOLS Southwest for Fall Season
60 Pounds of Cheese and 104 Degrees: After a Long Summer, Super Hero In-Town Staff Re-open NOLS Southwest for Fall Season
Keeping America Beautiful
NOLS Instructor Molly Absolon reflects on the evolution of environmentalism in the U.S., calling for a renewal of the energy and commitment of the 1970s.
What It Means to Leave No Trace
Journalist Shikha Tripathi reflects on the Leave No Trace principles she learned on her 2016 NOLS India Trip Leader course.
Takeaways from the 2019 Wilderness Risk Management Conference
Why should you bother attending the Wilderness Risk Management Conference? Get the inside scoop on the 2019 WRMC from NOLS staff member Molly Herber.
