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…
Whitman College Student Pushes Boundaries in the Canyons
Whitman College student Reza Darvish recently joined 10 fellow students on a week-long NOLS expedition in the Utah canyonlands, backpacking and canyoneering for the first time.
Case Study: Hiking through a Thunderstorm
Test whether you know what to do in this case study of a storm brewing and a nearby lightning strike.
No Phone Calls, No Emails, No Texts
When her 14-year-old son went on a two-week backpacking NOLS course in the Wind River Range, Robin Noble realized that in a world of constant connection, there’s value in disconnecting. Temporarily unable to call, email, or text each other, both Robin and her son learned from the experience.
Climbing for More Than the Summit
NOLS Wilderness Medicine grad Carina Ahlqvist will be the first Scandinavian woman to summit Makalu— but that's not why she joined the 2018 Climate Climb.
The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: Why I Went Back to NOLS
Struggling with the big city life she thought she wanted, Elena Rodriguez realized that what she actually needed was a NOLS course—or two.
Quiz: Handling Burns in the Outdoors
If you're camping and someone gets burned, do you know how to help? Test your first aid skills with this wilderness medicine quiz.
Why Students Who Learn Leadership Stand Out
Learning leadership doesn't have to wait till you're an adult—given the opportunity, teens show they're capable of good decision making and problem solving.
Using Your Wilderness Medicine Skills to Treat Pets
You never know when your first aid training might come in handy—you might even wind up using your skills to treat your pet!
How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Take a NOLS Course
Want to take a NOLS course? Here's how to get your boss on board.
What to Do When You Hook Yourself: Removing a Fishhook
Getting caught by a fishhook isn't fun, but it doesn't necessarily mean the end of your fishing trip—if you have the appropriate first-aid skills.
4 Strategies Leaders Use to Make Better Decisions
Stop! Before you make that decision—have you considered what type of decision-making strategy you're using and why?
Quiz: First Aid for Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Teeth
Test what you know about providing first aid for ears, eyes, nose, and teeth when you're in the wilderness.
