NOLS Blog

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…

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Climate Medicine: Where Climate Change and Healthcare Meet
Fires at wildland-urban interfaces—the transition zones where human development, such as houses and infrastructure, meets or intermingles with ...
Lila Sternberg
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. Lila Sternberg There is ...
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…
Teens working together on a rope activity in a forest during a wilderness expedition.
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…
Photo by Oscar Manguy
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…
Kirk Rasmussen
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…
Three teens on a NOLS course huddle over a map with an instructor in the sun-dappled forest.
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…
How Outdoor Adventures Set Teens up for Life Success
Mistakes aren't fun. But they might be just what teens need to succeed! NOLS courses offer an opportunity to make mistakes productively and learn key leadership skills.
Stepping into Action: First Aid on the Appalachian Trail
NOLS grad Kimberly Blazzard unexpectedly put her wilderness medicine skills into practice on a solo trip on the Appalachian Trail.
Case Study: Ankle Injuries while Climbing
Do you know how to test an ankle injury for usability?
NOLS Grad Wins Nonprofit Business Professional Award in Boone, North Carolina
NOLS semester grad Andy Hill received one of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 4 Under 40 awards in the nonprofit business professional category.
NOLS Wilderness Medicine Course Well-Received at UNC
In March 2019, NOLS Wilderness Medicine and Landmark Learning partnered to hold a Wilderness First Aid course at UNC-Greensboro.
Photo by Vivian Merrill
New Zealand Semester Grad & Gap Year Student Excels at Oberlin College
After taking a NOLS Semester in New Zealand as part of her gap year, Claire Tiedemann headed off to Oberlin College, where she was recently recognized for her outstanding 2019 performance on the track and field team.
NOLS Advisory Council Member Recognized for Community Service
Retired Rear Admiral Gretchen Herbert, a NOLS grad and Advisory Council member, was recognized for her commitment to STEM advocacy and community service in Transylvania County, North Carolina, in April 2019.
National Geographic Recognizes NOLS Grad for “Biggest Free Solo of the Year”
National Geographic recognizes NOLS grad and WEMT Jim Reynolds for his unprecedented free solo climb up and down Patagonia’s Cerro Fitz Roy in March 2019.
Popular Science Looks to NOLS Wilderness Medicine for First Aid Tips
NOLS Wilderness Medicine Curriculum Director and Senior Instructor Tod Schimelpfenig shares first aid tips with Popular Science magazine.
Adaptive Biotechnologies CEO Credits NOLS with Leadership Success
Adaptive Biotechnologies CEO and NOLS grad Chad Robins says his leadership style is based on the lessons he learned during his Spring Semester in the Rockies.
NOLS Graduate and Instructor Jimmy Chin Receives Oscar for Free Solo
NOLS graduate and former instructor Jimmy Chin and his wife and co-director E. Chai Vasarhelyi won an Oscar for Free Solo, their film chronicling Alex Honnold's unprecedented climb of El Capitan without ropes or safety equipment.
NOLS Celebrates Landmark Federal Public Lands Victory
NOLS is celebrating the fact that local, grassroots conservation efforts can make a big difference in preserving the crown jewels of the United States' public lands.