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…
Joe Austin Receives AEE Servant Leader Award
At the 2018 Association for Experiential Education (AEE) conference, NOLS Health Review Manager Joe Austin received the Servant Leader Award in recognition of his excellent leadership during nine years of service on the Accreditation Council.
Naval Academy Midshipman and NOLS Grad Receives Rhodes Scholarship
U.S. Naval Academy senior and NOLS Alaska grad Margaret Dods recently received a Rhodes Scholarship to pursue a masters at Oxford before her service in the Marine Corps.
The Power of Active Followership—On the Ocean and in the Office
NOLS semester grad Meredith Lind discovered the power of active followership while sea kayaking in New Zealand. As a software consultant and developer, Meredith frequently applies the concept of active followership in the office.
Branksome Hall Students Build Character and Climb Mountains with NOLS
During their 2018 summer break, two rising seniors at Branksome Hall girls’ school received scholarships to fund NOLS expeditions of their choice, returning home with newfound leadership skills.
Winterline Students Reflect on Their NOLS Experience
Winterline gap year students share reflections on an eight-day NOLS expedition spent backpacking through Gila National Forest in September 2018.
NOLS Med Kit Rated Top Gift for Outdoorsy Friends
The NOLS Med Kit 4.0 makes the short list of a former park ranger’s recommended gifts for outdoorsy friends. Like wool socks, a good light, and water filtration device, a NOLS med kit is a must-have for backcountry trips.
NOLS Rocky Mountain Assistant Director Comments on the Value of Wyoming’s Wilderness Study Areas
In a conversation with Wyoming Public Media after three Wyoming counties opted out of a collaborative land management process, NOLS Rocky Mountain Assistant Director Andy Blair commented that lifting protections on wilderness study areas will negatively impact student experiences.
Clare Dallat Receives the WRMC’s 2018 Charles (Reb) Gregg Award
At the October 2018 Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) in Portland, Oregon, Clare Dallat received the Charles (Reb) Gregg Award for her contributions to risk management in the outdoor industry.
Jessica Wahl Receives 2018 NOLS Stewardship Award
Jessica Wahl, Government Affairs Manager for the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), received the 2018 NOLS Stewardship Award in recognition of her commitment to environmental stewardship and involvement in the permitting process for public lands.
Ride the Wind: Szu-Ting Yi’s Wind River Traverse
In an article for Alpinist, former NOLS instructor Szu-ting Yi reflects on her 2017 traverse of Wyoming’s Wind River Range. She and her husband, Dave Anderson, climbed 33 peaks in the Winds over the course of 20 days despite challenging conditions.
NOLS Horsepacking in Wyoming’s Red Desert Threatened by Oil and Gas Development
September 20, 2018 press release from NOLS regarding the recent Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to move forward with an oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming's Red Desert, a key operating area for NOLS horsepacking courses.
How to Raise an Adventurer
A climber, alpinist, skier, photographer, filmmaker, and former NOLS instructor, Jimmy Chin believes adventure in the outdoors is key to successful parenting.
