NOLS Blog

Three young women sitting on rocks, eating.

How to Make Hash Browns with Cheese

Hash browns have a well-deserved reputation as a delicious breakfast treat, but this cheesy version is great for lunch or dinner too—and that’s before you add nuggets of ham or bacon and a few shakes of hot sauce into the mix! This recipe requires a little forethought—both the hash browns and dried onions benefit from…

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Young woman showing plate with bread and picante sauce on it.
NOLS Picante Sauce
Picante perks up almost any savory recipe—try it on eggs, beans, in soups and coupled with anything on ...
River running between mountains, group of four on right and large cairn on right.
Backpacking Among Giants: A Trip Report from Norway’s Jotunheimen Mountains
Photo by Amanda Klein In August of 2025, the inaugural NOLS Alumni Norway Backpacking Trip ventured into the Jotunheimen Mountains ...
Scenic shot of Ananpurna with prayer flags in foreground lower left
Case Study: Altitude Illness While Trekking
The Setting You are on the trip of a lifetime hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal with one of your best friends. This trip has been in the works for over a year. You’ve spent countless hours training, reviewing maps, and daydreaming about being in the mountains. You can’t believe you’re finally here!  You flew…
Cobalt-blue lake, called Lunch Lake, surrounded mountains and pines in Olympic National Park
What a NOLS Risk Review Really Looks Like: A Case Study with NatureBridge
In the same year as NOLS’ 60th anniversary, we are celebrating 20 years since the formation of NOLS Risk Services. For 60 years, NOLS has operated in remote locations all over the world, and in 2005, NOLS Risk Services was formed to share what NOLS has learned about operational risk management in the process.   NOLS…
Case Study: Dental Emergency while Rafting 
A member of your rafting party loses a tooth partway through a 4-day trip. How do you respond?
Where Play Meets Purpose: A Journey Through the Canyons
Since 2022, NOLS and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business have collaborated on a yearly weeklong expedition to the canyons in southeastern Utah. This expedition is the culmination of a semester-long leadership course for Ross undergraduate students. It combines concepts and learnings from the classroom course with the NOLS leadership curriculum in a…
Rothberg-Birdwhistell Exploration Fund: Expedition to the Peruvian Andes
In the spring of 2025, we set out on an Alpine and ski mountaineering expedition to Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. As outdoor educators with experience leading students on NOLS courses, our team shares a deep commitment to learning through challenge and a connection to wild places. Our goals: explore new terrain, attempt several high peaks, and…
Photo by Liz Schultz
Case Study: Sea Kayaking Slip 
A fall partway through a sea kayak trip deep in the wilderness poses unique issues. How do you apply your wilderness medicine skills to this incident?
Recorder: One In-Tent Kid
Deerfield 14-year-old makes outdoors his home for 200 days straight — so far. He also camped out during his two-week National Outdoor Leadership School trip this summer in the Adirondacks, where he hiked 44 miles and up 17,000 vertical feet over 12 days."
High Point: Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph to Speak at HPU
Marc Randolph, the co-founder of Netflix and an entrepreneur who changed the way we watch movies and television, will visit the campus of High Point University on Nov. 2. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, works extensively with young entrepreneur programs and is a trustee of the non-profit National Outdoor Leadership School.
County 10: Lawsuit against NOLS regarding student’s death in India officially dismissed
Last week, in the midst of the National Outdoor Leadership School’s 50th anniversary festivities, it received word that a federal judge in Cheyenne had dismissed a lawsuit against it.
NOLS Sees the Light
NOLS Sees the Light
Addicted to Oil? NOLS RVO Bus Runs Independent of Nation’s Energy Woes
Addicted to Oil? NOLS RVO Bus Runs Independent of Nation's Energy Woes
Former NOLS Director Dies in Climbing Accident
Former NOLS Director Dies in Climbing Accident
NOLS Bus Tour Declares Energy Independence
NOLS Bus Tour Declares Energy Independence
NOLS Bus Kicks off Second Season
NOLS Bus Kicks off Second Season
NOLS Featured as #1 on Ultimate Top 10 List
NOLS Featured as #1 on Ultimate Top 10 List
The National Outdoor Leadership School Announces Expanded College Credit
The National Outdoor Leadership School Announces Expanded College Credit
Students Slide Across Country on Vegetable Oil
Students Slide Across Country on Vegetable Oil
NOLS Closes East Africa School
NOLS Closes East Africa School