NOLS Blog
When Everything Came Into Focus — Hiking Patagonia’s Torres del Paine O Circuit Alumni Trip
I first learned about the O Circuit in 2025, a year before I actually did it. My wife and I were in Patagonia on a Road Scholar trip. It started with a cruise through the Strait of Magellan and the Darwin Passage, followed by a few days in Torres del Paine National Park doing short…
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
Team selfie. In May 2025, Bharat Bhushan, Prerna Dangi, and I took on a challenge to climb Panchachuli ...
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…
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…
NOLS Celebrates Fifth Year of Innovative Partnership with C5 Youth Association to Serve High-Potential Under-Resourced Youth across the Country
NOLS celebrates five years of working with C5 Youth Association to lead wilderness expeditions for high-potential under-resourced youth across the U.S.
Forbes Recognizes Italian Cycling Company Founded by NOLS Grad
In May 2019, Forbes recognized the 30th anniversary of Ciclismo Classico, a bike touring company founded by NOLS semester grad Lauren Hefferon.
Casper Star Tribune Features Run the Red, a Race Celebrating Public Lands
Get excited! This year’s Run the Red race, sponsored by NOLS, will be held on September 28, 2019, Wyoming’s first Public Lands Day.
Outdoor Professionals to Convene in Albuquerque for 26th Wilderness Risk Management Conference
In fall 2019, NOLS will host the 26th annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
New York Times Features New NOLS LGBTQ+ Backpacking Course
In June 2019, the New York Times highlighted the NOLS LQBTQ+ Canyonlands Backpacking - Prime as part of a feature story on LGBTQ outdoor expeditions.
Senior NOLS Instructor Advises Field & Stream on Picking Campsites
Field & Stream recently sought Senior NOLS Instructor Marco Johnson’s advice on how to pick the perfect campsite.
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.
