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…
Our Human Expedition: Stories of Courage in Uncertainty
We are committed to highlighting the inspirational and brave work of those in the NOLS community serving others in need during this crisis
Quiz: What’s Your Leadership Style?
Everyone has their own signature leadership style—but where do you find yourself most?
Wilderness Medicine for Summer Runners
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: Spinal Injuries from a Fall
Do you know the proper protocols for a patient with a suspected spine injury?
Students, Sustainability, and Showing Up
An open conversation with NOLS Instructor and Environmental Stewardship Coordinator Jonathan Williams.
Carbon Offsets: Making Outdoor Recreation More Sustainable
What if LNT also meant taking it a step further and trying to reduce your impact before you even set foot in the wilderness?
How to Make (Irresistible) Fudge No-Bake Cookies
Give these tasty no-bake cookies a whirl on your next backcountry trip (they also taste good at home...).
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!
