NOLS Blog
Epistaxis on a Llama Packing Trip
The Setting It’s day two of a guided family llama packing trip deep in the Andes of South America. The scenery is stunning—glacial valleys, high alpine meadows, and dramatic peaks. You’re one of the trip guides, certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR). The group includes several families, and this morning’s plan is to trek…
Medicine in Orbit
Space, some say, is the final frontier. For N. Stuart Harris, M.D., M.F.A., Massachusetts General Hospital Emergency Department ...
6 Reasons Why You Should Take A WEMT Course (And Tips for How to Prepare)
Practicing patient care during a scenario. Photo by Angelica Rydelius Bergman. During the first multiple casualty scenario of ...
Paul Petzold, the U.S. Army, and NOLS
Paul Petzoldt was 36 years old in 1943 when he joined the U.S. Army’s prestigious 10th Mountain Division, an elite group of soldiers who were trained for alpine warfare. Already decades into his career, the future founder of NOLS had worked a slew of jobs, including farmer, waiter, and used car salesman. He was best…
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 a tortilla. This, our favorite picante recipe, can be made with a little tomato base and a well-stocked spice kit, but don’t shy away from adding your own favorites! NOLS Picante Sauce (makes about 1 cup) 1…
Backpacking Among Giants: A Trip Report from Norway’s Jotunheimen Mountains
In August of 2025, the inaugural NOLS Alumni Norway Backpacking Trip ventured into the Jotunheimen Mountains for ten days of challenging hiking amongst stunning scenery. Our group first met in Oslo before traveling about five hours by bus to the Jotunheimen region in western Norway. The bus conveniently dropped us off at our first hut of the trip and…
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…
Camping Recipe: 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Truffles
Chocolate and peanut butter—what's not to love? Here's a quick and tasty dessert to try on your next adventure.
10 Useful Wilderness Medicine Posts To Read Before Your Next Adventure
Check out these blog posts to get a refresher on key first aid topics before heading out on your next outdoor trip.
Tolerance for Uncertainty & Adversity
NOLS grad Carolyn Highland reflects on how learning tolerance for adversity on an outdoor semester in New Zealand translates to challenges at home.
When Your Teammate Becomes Your Patient: My First Aid Training in Action
A NOLS Wilderness First Aid grad shares the story of how his first aid training helped him when a friend was injured in a mountain biking accident.
Why Humans Need Wild Country
For us as a society, wild country gives us a place to wander in, to dream about, to disconnect, to live out our adventures in.
Looking Within, Stepping Forward
52 years after its founding, NOLS reflects on its foundational values and the relevance of its leadership curriculum then and now.
Our 10 Favorite Books about Leadership by Women
Check out top staff picks featuring leadership books by inspiring female authors.
How to Connect Leave No Trace to Your Daily Life
The 7 Leave No Trace principles aren't just for camping. Here are some ways you can apply them at home as well as outdoors.
My Trials and Triumphs Mountaineering in the Himalaya
NOLS grad Haley Peel found the challenge she was looking for on a mountaineering course in India—and learned some lasting lessons along the way.
The Big Picture: How I Found My Grit on a Semester in Baja
A NOLS alum reflects on the life-changing experiences he had while hiking, kayaking, and sailing on a semester in Baja California, Mexico.
Vulnerabilities into Empowerment: What Alaska Meant to Me
A first-generation college student reflects on what she learned on a NOLS sea kayaking expedition for STEP students in Alaska.
