NOLS Blog
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…
NOLS Picante Sauce
Picante perks up almost any savory recipe—try it on eggs, beans, in soups and coupled with anything on ...
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 ...
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…
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…
How to Make Oat Scones in the Backcountry
Oat scones taste delicious plain or with honey, peanut butter, wild berry jam, or cheese. They are also excellent with soups or casseroles and make good trail food. Oat Scones ½ cup butter 2 cups oatmeal 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder Pinch of salt (allows recipe to use less sweetener) ¼ cup honey or brown sugar…
Rothberg-Birdwhistell Exploration Fund: Mount Hooker Expedition
An expedition to climb Mount Hooker in the Wind River Range via “The Optimist.” The trip provided ample learning, an opportunity to scout a new route at Hailey Pass, and a mountain birthday celebration.
Case Study: Shortness of Breath While Fishing
Test your wilderness medicine skills to see how you would respond to this first-aid scenario.
Case Study: A Slip on a Slope
Your hiking partner slips on a snowy slope and slides head-first into a tree. What do you do next?
NOLS Alumni Skiing Under Sweden’s Northern Lights: Trip Report with Dirk Kramer
In March 2024, two groups of NOLS alumni ventured into Sweden's Arctic winter. Although they faced the cold, the kind hospitality of Sweden's locals, hard-earned days skiing, and several sauna sessions left them returning home warm and happy with new memories.
Rothberg-Birdwhistell Exploration Fund: Climbing Alaska’s Mount Fairweather
Thanks to the Rothberg-Birdwhistell Exploration Fund for NOLS Instructors, John Sims and Brian Sarge set out in the spring of 2023 to climb Mt. Fairweather's Carpe Ridge in Alaska.
Packrafting Basics: A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Packrafting Skills
This beginner’s guide to packrafting basics covers everything from essential gear to paddling and self-rescue skills. Prepare for your next packrafting adventure with NOLS.
The 2023 Denali Science Expedition
During the summer of 2023, NOLS instructor and PhD candidate Emma Erwin led a scientific expedition in the high peaks of Denali National Park to help characterize the behavior and age of glaciers on Denali and Begguya (Mt. Hunter). This all-female expedition navigated a season of challenging weather to come away with an exciting new scientific data set from the summit plateau of Begguya.
Case Study: Heat Cramps on the Rio Grande
On a paddling trip in Big Bend National Park, a participant starts having leg spasms. What do you do?
What is Packrafting?
What is packrafting? Learn the unique history of this adventure sport and what makes it so awesome for exploring water and land!
How to Prevent Altitude Sickness: From Acute Mountain Sickness to Severe Altitude Illness
Learn how to prevent altitude sickness with NOLS wilderness medicine courses. Take a proactive approach to your next mountain adventure.
Case Study: Burn in the Backcountry
A student gets a hot water burn deep in the backcountry. What do you do?
How to Prevent Hypothermia in Cold Climates
Take a proactive approach to your next adventure. Learn how to prevent hypothermia, manage cold stress, and be prepared for cold illnesses in the wilderness.
