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…
NOLS Wilderness Medicine Featured on University of Kentucky Radio Station
WUKY recently interviewed NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructor Greg Gaskin about a Wilderness First Responder course held at the University of Kentucky.
Aparna Rajagopal Receives Charles (Reb) Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award at the 2019 Wilderness Risk Management Conference
Aparna Rajagopal received the 2019 Charles (Reb) Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award for her significant contributions to the field of risk management in outdoor education and adventure professions.
NOLS Grad Haley Robison Recognized as Top Business Leader
Conscious Company recognized Haley Robison, Kammok CEO and NOLS semester grad, as one of the Top Conscious Business Leaders of 2018.
“Camp Like a Girl” on a NOLS Adventure Course
In an article for Teton Family magazine, Georgie Stanley explains that NOLS adventure courses offer teenage girls like her daughter an empowering opportunity to develop leadership skills while facing real challenges in the wilderness.
UVA Students Test Limits in Patagonia Wilderness
In March 2018, 12 students from UVA’s Darden School of Business embarked on a six-day NOLS course in Patagonia to develop backpacking and leadership skills.
AmeriCorps Grad Uses Education Award to Explore Tanzania
After serving at City Year Boston, Brenna Easton used her AmeriCorps education award to fund her NOLS course in Tanzania.
NOLS Grad Inspires Minneapolis High School Students to Get Outside
In 2013, NOLS grad and high school teacher Randy Baum co-founded the Edison Outdoor Club to expose Minneapolis students to outdoor adventures ranging from backpacking trips to rock climbing and mountain biking.
Outing Clubs: Risk Management and Leadership on Student Trips
In the wake of Penn State Outing Club’s controversial decision to prohibit its student-led outing club from organizing outdoor trips, NOLS Risk Manager Katie Baum Mettenbrink suggests that student leaders complete leadership, risk management, and wilderness first aid training before heading out.
NOLS Grad Advocates for Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Lucas St. Clair, NOLS semester grad and son of the Burt’s Bees founder, played a key role in preserving Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. He's currently the Democratic candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
NOLS and Girls, Inc. Partner to Get Santa Fe Teens Outside
Since 2004, NOLS and Girls, Inc. have worked together to give Santa Fe teens an opportunity to participate in outdoor leadership programs. So far, 22 girls have received scholarships to fund NOLS courses of their choice.
Abby Warner: Leading by Example
One of the school’s longest-serving directors, Abby Warner has the led the team at NOLS Teton Valley since 2003. She was featured in the Summer 2018 edition of the JH Style magazine for her work.
Instructor Marco Johnson Gives Gear Patrol Tips on Building Snow Shelters
In December 2018, Gear Patrol consulted senior NOLS instructor Marco Johnson on how to build snow shelters in the backcountry.
