NOLS Blog
Case Study: Bear Spray in the Face
The Setting You are almost done with a 3-day backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountain Range of Wyoming with two of your friends. You only have a couple miles left to get back to the car, and you’re already dreaming of the cheeseburger and milkshake you’re going to have once back in town. Prior…
Case Study: Fishhooks
Photo: Lindsay Nohl The Setting You’re on the first day of a twelve-day whitewater canoeing expedition down the ...
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
The Setting You are working on a Type 2 initial attack handcrew in the Deschutes National Forest during the early part of fire season. It’s one of the first assignments of the year, and while conditions aren’t extreme yet, temperatures have climbed into the mid-80s°F with full sun exposure on a south-facing slope. The crew…
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…
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.
UT Austin’s Business Honors Program Gets Outside with NOLS
In January 2018, seven students in University of Texas’ Business Honors Program embarked on a custom NOLS course in Arizona.
Making History: An American Ascent
The film An American Ascent chronicles the journey of Expedition Denali, the first all- African American team to climb Denali, the highest peak in the U.S.
MHYC Alum Inspired by Wilderness First Responder Course
MHYC alum uses AmeriCorps award to complete a NOLS Wilderness First Responder course.
Celebrating Expedition Denali
In honor of Black History Month, Glacierhub recognized Expedition Denali, the first all-African American team of climbers to summit the highest peak in the U.S.
NOLS Leadership Training Comes in Handy in Outer Space
Members of NASA’s class of 2013 give Men’s Health the inside scoop on their training, which includes customized NOLS courses.
