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…
Molly Graham is taking on a top ops role at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Molly Graham has also worked at Google and the Council on Foreign Relations, and was a wilderness instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
Steamboat Springs graduate completes Patagonia expedition
Jackson Perry, a 2014 Steamboat Springs High School graduate spent 80 days during fall term on a NOLS Semester in Patagonia.
This environmentalist is the flag-bearer of the changing face of farming
She became an instructor for NOLS and would live in the mountains for months, the environmental studies, working for the EPA and now farming.
Edmond resident completes 80-day wilderness expedition in Patagonia
Joe Romano, 20, of Edmond, recently completed a fall semester in Patagonia with NOLS.
WWII 10th Mountain Division Victories Honored Through Ski-In
Trained in skiing and mountain climbing during the war, many WWII 10th veterans developed the U.S. ski industry and outdoor recreation programs like NOLS.
Meet the first African-American crew member of the ISS
NASA announced that first flight astronaut Jeannette Epps will be the first African-American space station crewmember when she launches for her mission.
Teton Staycation: A Brief Escape to Baldy Yurt
The NOLS, Driggs location, offers various winter courses, some of which involve yurt trips, depending on the course objective and where the course travels.
Arkose Ridge Leadership Academy finds home at Palmer High
Palmer High School students will have a crack at a new educational model that is agriculturally minded and energy conscious: Arkose Ridge Leadership Academy.
NOLS Working to Educate for Outdoor Emergencies
NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructors gave students the skills to assess and respond during unforeseen emergencies.
What are the Best Snacks for Backcountry Skiing and Riding?
A study of NOLS participants concluded outdoor recreators should eat small bites every 15-20 minutes during exercise, and consume a snack 20-40 minutes after.
The 24 coolest towns in the USA – 2017
Lander is a quirky little town with lots of museums, an amazing alpaca ranch/outfitter, and the home of the National Outdoor Leadership School, or NOLS.
Fake Blood, Real Screams: What I Learned at Wilderness Medic Training
A recount of a NOLS Wilderness Medicine Wilderness course, the Wilderness First Responder, an intensive nine-day medic course to become a certified WFR.
