NOLS Blog
Case Study: Chest Injury with Fall
The Setting You are on a climbing trip in Red Rocks, Nevada. You’ve spent the last week dialing in your climbing, swapping beta with new friends at the crag and soaking up the desert sun. Today, you decide to take a break from long routes and focus on bouldering. You’re chalking up, eyeing a new…
Backpacking the Vilcabamba Valley to Machu Picchu Alumni Trip: Inaugural Trip Reflection
An Interview with Kellsie Forbes, NOLS Alumni Trips Manager Where did the idea to create an alumni trip ...
Alumni Spotlight: How my NOLS Course Impacted My Career
Almost exactly 10 years after coming to Alaska for the first time to take a NOLS course, Asa ...
The Wilderness Risk Management Conference: a Conference and a Community
An interview with Elyse Rylander, Wilderness Risk Management Steering Committee Chair The 33rd annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) will be held this fall, October 20 – 22nd, in Portland, Oregon. If you haven’t attended yet, the WRMC was developed from the work of multiple outdoor programs who wanted to create a space to foster…
Case Study: Bear Spray in the Face
The Setting You are almost done with a 3-day backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountain Range of Wyoming with two of your friends. You only have a couple miles left to get back to the car, and you’re already dreaming of the cheeseburger and milkshake you’re going to have once back in town. Prior…
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
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
The Setting You are working on a Type 2 initial attack handcrew in the Deschutes National Forest during the early part of fire season. It’s one of the first assignments of the year, and while conditions aren’t extreme yet, temperatures have climbed into the mid-80s°F with full sun exposure on a south-facing slope. The crew…
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…
Teaching Leadership Through Storytelling on Wilderness Expeditions
2017 NOLS Summit speaker and instructor Eric Boggs shares how storytelling is a powerful way to teach leadership.
The Art of a Good Re-Ration Care Package
During a NOLS course that’s longer than a week, you’ll likely have a number of “re-supplies” or “re-rations” where you’ll receive new food, fuel, and supplies..
Make Your Camping Gear Last Longer
Besides saving money, choosing durable gear means conserving natural resources and minimizing your carbon footprint by not constantly replacing your equipment.
5 Things to Check in Your First Aid Kit
Revamp your first aid kit before a trip with these five tips.
Leveling Up: From the Operating Room to the Backcountry
Surgeon Katy Trahan levels up her medical training on a Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals course with NOLS.
How to Choose a Camera for Camping (That’s not your phone)
Here are some considerations to keep in mind when choosing what kind of camera to bring on your next outdoor trip.
Growing Confidence through Solo Canoeing
NOLS instructor Rumi Kodama reflects on a canoeing seminar in Canada—and the intersections between growing her whitewater skills and confidence.
When You Should Wear Cotton in the Outdoors
Get ready for some myth busting! Despite its bad reputation, there are actually times when it makes sense to wear cotton on an outdoor adventure.
Rhode Island: The Final Frontier
In 2017, NOLS finally taught its first course in the nation's smallest state: a Wilderness First Aid course on Rhode Island's Save the Bay campus.
Prepare for the Unexpected with a Solid Trip Plan
'I’m out of layers,' I thought as I searched my pack looking for something to make a splint. A broken femur wasn't a part of our trip plan...
Reaffirming Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future
In 1965, Paul Petzoldt founded a wilderness school built on the principles of environmental stewardship, values that continue to guide NOLS today.
Tolerance for Adversity and Uncertainty in the Southern Andes
A NOLS instructor recounts adventures from a rock climbing trip in Chile and Argentina that highlighted the importance of positivity in the face of adversity.
