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 RaftingÂ
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 President John Gans Announces Retirement
John Gans is NOLS' longest-serving director and his tenure has been notable for strengthening the school and prioritizing the well-being and needs of students.
Help Your Friends Love NOLS Alumni Trips
NOLS alumni give advice for taking friends and family on a NOLS alumni trip.
Real-Life Scenario: Stuck on a Climbing Route
NOLS instructor Jake Blackwelder tells the story of a rescue on a rock climbing route in Moab, Utah.
How to Take the Mountains Home: A Gateway Scholar Reflects on Horsepacking
Rebeca Espinosa, a NOLS Gateway Scholar, set off on her Wilderness Horsepacking and learned to find satisfaction in the hard work of horsepacking.
Sketches from Tanzania
Mingyuk Chen shares sketches and stories from her expedition with NOLS in Tanzania, East Africa
Case Study: A Hard Fall While Skiing
See if you know how to aid an injured skier with this wilderness medicine case study.
New Courses for Winter & Spring 2019
Take a look at new upcoming courses for winter and spring in 2019.
How Valuing Different Leadership Roles Makes Better Teams
Leadership is about more than the designated leader—anyone can be in a leadership role at any moment.
Real-life Scenario: A Surfing Rescue in Baja California
One NOLS graduate uses her Wilderness First Responder skills to help a surfer in need.
Why I Left School for a NOLS Semester
Claire found the new experiences and energy she needed to refresh from school on a Semester in Baja
Case Study: Is Hydration Always the Answer?
The patient is a 30-year-old complaining of fatigue, dizziness, and a headache—how will you respond? Test your knowledge with this case study.
Simple Views Teach Profound Lessons: Sunrise in the Himalaya
A NOLS alumni reflects on the lessons of watching a sunrise in the Himalaya Mountains.
