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…
A Wind River Take on the “Survival Holiday” Trend
The Wind River Visitors Council recommends NOLS Wind River Wilderness courses as a top “survival holiday” choice closer to home.
Outside’s Gear Guy Shares NOLS Tips on Keeping Camp Kitchens Clean
NOLS field staffing director Marco Johnson offers Outside’s “Gear Guy,” Joe Jackson, some tips on keeping camp kitchens clean.
Higher Body Fat Percentage Helps Retain Muscle Mass In Physically Active Humans
My recent work in nutrition focused on individuals taking part in a 3-4 month outdoor leadership course run by NOLS.
WRMC Announces 2017 Charles (Reb) Gregg Award Recipient
Shana Tarter, founding member of the WRMC and assistant director of NOLS Wilderness Medicine, received the Charles (Reb) Gregg Award at the 2017 WRMC.
Michael Foale, astronaut extraordinaire teaches on leadership and teamwork
We used an approach, starting quite recently in the year 2000 or so, where we adopted the outdoor leadership models of NOLS.
Drilling Near Dinosaur National Monument Draws Criticism
Changes loom near remote Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. It’s a rough region of 1,000-foot cliffs and canyons, and two wild rivers, the Green and the Yampa.
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.
