NOLS Blog
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 ...
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 ...
Best Summer Programs for Teens: Outdoor Adventures That Build Leaders
Most teens will spend this summer doing something fun, but maybe not so meaningful. Not because they lack ambition, but because the summer camps available to them were designed to center around fun, rather than building long-lasting skills. The difference between a summer that fades and one that becomes a reference point — something your…
Case Study: Motion Sickness on a Surf and Dive Trip in Oahu, Hawaii
The Setting You’re leading a small group on a combined surf and introductory scuba trip on Oahu. The group is staying on the North Shore and driving early in the morning to a south shore harbor to meet the dive boat. The coastal road is narrow, hilly, and full of tight curves. Several group members…
Summer Programs for High Schoolers: Choosing an Adventure That Lasts
Every parent of a high schooler feels it: these summers matter. The window is short, and how your teen spends it shapes more than you’d think. The science backs that up. Adolescence, roughly ages 12 to 18, is one of the most significant growth windows a person will ever experience. It’s when teens actively figure…
The Complete Guide to Summer Programs for Teens
Each summer between high school years is about 90 days. For most teens, the time passes quickly — and how it’s spent matters more than it might seem at the moment. For parents thinking about how to help their teen get the most out of these months, a structured summer program is one of the…
Teen Wilderness Programs: What Parents Need to Know
If you’ve started searching for programs that will allow your teen to spend time outside learning leadership, adventure skills, and more, you’ve probably noticed that the term “teen wilderness programs.” This term covers very different types of experiences. Some are clinical. Some are recreational. And some are educational: multi-week expeditions built around outdoor skills, leadership…
Case Study: Bug Bite or Blister on a Trail Crew Project
The Setting You are working as part of a backcountry trail crew in the Nantahala National Forest near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The project involves brushing and tread work in steep, densely vegetated terrain with long approaches and limited access points. Summer conditions are hot and humid, and the crew has been in the field…
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.
How to Hunker in Your Tent Without Getting Bored
Here are some ways to stay happy and occupied while you wait out a storm on a backpacking trip.
A First Responder Changes the Conversation about Mental Health
NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructor discusses the mental challenges of emergency medicine and raises awareness of PTSD for first responders.
The 5 Components of Psychological First Aid
Wilderness First Responders need to know how to treat physical wounds. But it's also important to keep a patient's mental health in mind.
Improve Your Appetite for Uncertainty
Instructor Molly Herber shares her learnings about tolerance for adversity and uncertainty, one of the key leadership skills students learn on NOLS courses.
Rescue at Goblin Valley State Park
On a family trip in Utah, NOLS grad Shelli Johnson suddenly found herself using her Wilderness First Responder skills at the scene of a serious accident.
Camping Recipe: No-Bake Powerhouse Cookies
These tasty treats are easy to make and sure to be a crowd please, whether you're at home or in the backcountry!
Prevent Minor Trail Injuries with Advice from NOLS Staff
Here's some key advice from NOLSies to help ward off small illnesses and injuries that could lead to a more serious medical situation.
Educator Expedition: Family Time Rafting on the Middle Fork
A NOLS instructor applies his teaching skills to a river expedition with his family on the Salmon River.
Get Off the Grid for a Gap Year
NOLS staff share why they love off-grid gap years. Escape the routine and disconnect from the world by getting off the grid for a gap year.
New Courses for Fall 2017
We’re introducing five new courses to our fall lineup that are all 10 days or shorter. Enjoy!
It Takes a Village: WFRs Come Together in the Linville Gorge Wilderness
A NOLS Wilderness Medicine grad shares how her first aid training became critically important when she encountered an injured climber on a weekend trip.
