NOLS Blog
Case Study: Fishhooks
The Setting You’re on the first day of a twelve-day whitewater canoeing expedition down the Green River. Your group consists of fifteen students and four instructors. Everyone is paddling close together down a stretch of flat water practicing strokes, building skills, and getting to know one another. Spirits are high. People are laughing, chatting, and…
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
Photo by Kirk Rasmussen The Setting You are working on a Type 2 initial attack handcrew in the ...
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…
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…
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.
You never stop learning leadership — nor should you
Penn Athletics ran a Leadership Academy that was administered by John Kanengieter, a Director for Leadership at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
From college to a sold-out tour in one year: Maggie Rogers performs in The Current studio
Maggie Rogers always loved being outside, so I went on a trip for a month with a group called NOLS and went backpacking in Alaska for a month.
Wilderness First Aid
I recently attended a NOLS Wilderness First Aid class, which was hosted by REI. The class was two full days and covered everything from blister care to lightning.
NOLS Continues to Boost Wyoming Up
NOLS brings more money and jobs to Wyoming. Last year, NOLS had strong enrollment numbers and now are looking towards new opportunities for this year.
The Quiet Confidence of Wilderness Medicine
Day three of our NOLS Wilderness First Responder (WFR — pronounced “woofer”) course was winding down. Each of us had our own reasons for taking the course.
Mountain Skills: Essential Education
Claudia Pearson, Rations Manager at the Lander, Wyo. Rocky Mountain location of NOLS advises, “Eat a variety of food, eat throughout the day and hydrate often.”
Green Frequency
The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) offers programs to wild destinations around the planet, where participants incorporate different skills.
