NOLS Blog
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. 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 ...
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…
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…
Applying LNT Ethics: “Leave What You Find”
Doug Schnitzspahn, editor of Elevation Outdoors, uses the Leave No Trace principles he learned on his NOLS course to articulate an ethic that’s transferable to the front country.
Helping Young People Connect with the Outdoors
Mayowa Ogunjobi, youth program trip leader and WFR grad, is committed to helping young people from disenfranchised groups connect with the outdoors. For that to happen, educators must make their programs relevant to students whose communities continue to have limited access to outdoor spaces.
Wyoming’s Future Economy Will Need Protected Landscapes
In an op ed for the Casper Star Tribune, NOLS president John Gans argues that Wyoming’s Wilderness Study Areas should be protected from development. These wilderness lands contribute to the state’s burgeoning outdoor recreation industry and boost local economies.
Reflections on an Intense New Zealand Sailing Course
In a recent Washington Post article, writer David Brown shares his experiences as a 65-year-old student on a 14-day NOLS New Zealand - Prime sailing course.
The Meaning of Active Followership
After a guided backcountry ski trip in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, former NOLS instructor Molly Absolon reflects on the concept of active followership in a column for the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Forest Service Trails in Wyoming Need Help
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently identified two Wyoming trail systems as priority areas for maintenance but failed to set aside federal funds to address the issue. The Shoshone National Forest, a NOLS operating area, is one of the high priority sites.
Public Lands: You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know
A founding member of the Outdoor Industry Association and former top executive at The North Face, Sierra Designs, and Camelbak, NOLS grad Sally McCoy believes the outdoor industry needs to help make public lands accessible to a more diverse community.
New Zealand’s Trail Huts: Shelter, Conversation, and Community
NOLS Instructor Jeremy Cronon gives The New York Times a rundown on New Zealand’s public trail hut system, open to backpackers for minimal fees.
Miho Aida Won’t Let the Outdoor Industry Off the Hook
Former NOLS Instructor Miho Aida is challenging the outdoor industry to make room for women from marginalized communities. Her documentary The Sacred Place Where Life Begins: Gwich’in Women Speak features Native American women activists fighting to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Be Prepared: Pack a Premade First Aid Kit
With input from Shana Tarter, assistant director of NOLS Wilderness medicine, Outside’s Gear Guy discusses the advantages of purchasing a premade first aid kit.
NOLS Instructor Earns 2018 Grit & Rock First Ascent Award
NOLS Instructor Josie McKee was recognized as one of the recipients of Grit & Rock’s 2018 First Ascent Award, a grant that supports mountain exploration and first ascents by women.
The Best Gear for Going Poo in the Woods
Outside’s Gear Guy gets some tips from NOLS instructor Jared Spaulding on the best practices and gear for pooping in the woods.
