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…
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 ...
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…
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…
Medicine in the Middle of Nowhere
The course, led by instructors from NOLS and a fourth-year medical resident from Harvard, also introduced them to wilderness medicine.
How to Keep Your Camp Kitchen Clean
I spoke with Marco Johnson, who’s been teaching wilderness skills and first aid as the field staffing director at NOLS in Lander, Wyoming.
Working With Difficult Teammates You Didn’t Choose
When Cady became concerned that their crisis preparation training wasn't going well enough, she pushed to have the three of them do a short NOLS program.
“Exploration Film Tour” challenges stereotypical norms on the outdoors
NOLS will bring a series of eight independent films to the big screen for this year's Exploration Film Tour at Ohio State University.
My Drowning (And Other Inconveniences)
Thrown from a raft in Grand Canyon’s Lava Falls, Tim Cahill was trapped underwater. His heart stopped for several minutes. He decided to try Lava again.
Why it’s a Real Mistake To Count on a Cellphone When You Go Hiking
“The classic behavior when you get lost is to speed up,” said Jamie O’Donnell, a field instructor with NOLS, a nonprofit based in Wyoming.
Recreation economy accounts for 50,000 Wyoming jobs
Recreation continues to play an important and growing role in Wyoming’s economy, according to a report released July 26 by the Outdoor Industry Association.
Renowned Astronomer Jill Tarter Says Eclipse Reminds Us We’re Earthlings
Tarter said she’s seen two other total solar eclipses in her life but she chose to see this one in Wyoming because her daughter works for the NOLS in Lander.
Genius Tips to Master Campsite Baking
A week into her NOLS class in the wilderness, Katherine Boehrer experienced the biggest shock of the trip, at dinnertime. "They made this chocolate cake."
How to Ford a River
To learn how to safely ford a river, we called Marco Johnson, a NOLS field instructor who for over 30 years has traveled the globe teaching wilderness courses.
Outdoor Recreation Bolsters Wyoming’s Economy with $5.6 Billion Annually in Consumer Spending and 50,000 Jobs
Outdoor recreation in Wyoming generates $5.6 billion annually in spending, contributes a whopping 50,000 jobs, and $514 million in state and local tax revenue.
Veterans group uses the outdoors, mountaineering to prevent suicides
When the Iraq combat veteran Andrew Collins realized every time he felt lost, or the noise grew louder in his head, he grabbed his backpack and headed outside.
