NOLS Blog
Outdoor Leadership Programs for High School Students: Why Wilderness Matters
Parents searching for summer opportunities face an overwhelming marketplace of camps, programs, and experiences. Sports camps, academic enrichment, traditional summer camps, leadership programs—the options seem endless. But among all the choices, one category consistently produces deeper, longer-lasting outcomes than the rest: outdoor leadership programs for high school students. These programs combine the transformative power of…
Why Teens Need Leadership Skills: A Guide for Parents
Every parent wants their teenager to succeed—good grades, college acceptance, a fulfilling career. But there's something that predicts ...
Ship’s Log: Sailing in Greece’s Ionian Sea Alumni Trip
Photo by Nick Braun After a few days of moderate winds, good introductory sailing and island exploring while ...
Teen Gap Year Programs: Adventure-Based Options for Before College
The traditional path says: graduate high school, start college immediately, don’t look back. But a growing number of families and college admissions advisors are questioning this formula—and discovering that what looks like a detour often becomes the most valuable part of the journey. Gap year programs for teens have moved from the fringe to the…
Best Backpacking Trips for Teens: Wilderness Adventures That Build Character
Something happens when a teenager shoulders a pack, leaves cell service behind, and walks into the wilderness. Something that organized sports, academic programs, and traditional summer camps—though these experiences have their benefits—simply cannot replicate. Backpacking trips for teens offer more than adventure. They offer transformation. And for parents searching for experiences that genuinely change their…
Leadership Programs for High School Students: What Parents Need to Know
Your teenager stands at a pivotal moment. The skills they develop now—how they handle challenges, work with others, and step up when it matters—will shape their path through college, careers, and life. But here’s what many parents discover too late: traditional classroom settings rarely build the kind of leadership that matters in the real world.…
The Poley-Poley: A Chronicle in the Himalayas
It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop. —Confucius The air was thick. My strides were slow and purposeful, careful not to disrupt the group’s cadence. The thrill of spotting Everest Base Camp, still two hours away, motivated me to maintain the syncopated rhythm of deep breathing. Hypoxia…
Case Study: Injury on the Grand Canyon
The Setting You’re on day 12 of a 21-day Grand Canyon expedition, enjoying a well deserved stretch of flat water, staring at the canyon walls and not paying attention to what’s downstream. While enjoying the last of your morning coffee, you hear someone cry out from a nearby raft. You look over and see a…
NOLS Releases Newest Edition of Leadership Educator Notebook, an Instructor’s Toolbox
NOLS is pleased to introduce the newest edition of the Leadership Educator Notebook, a collection of the educational tools NOLS instructors use to incorporate leadership ideas and activities into courses. What is the Leadership Educator Notebook?Filled with activities, lessons, prompts, frameworks and quotes, and edited by Zach Taylor, Liz Tuohy, Phoebe Gebright, and other members…
Just Go for It: Making Gap Year a Reality
We caught up with NOLS grad Bailey Barnes to learn more about the challenges—and fun—of a gap year, and how she made her gap year a reality.
A Night in Norway: Why I’m Thankful for My NOLS Wilderness Medicine Field Guide
A WFR graduate recalls responding to a hypothermic patient while stuck in a hut in Norway's mountains.
Pursuing a Passion: Choosing an Outdoor Gap Year
Choose an outdoor gap year! Gap year parent Eugene Buchanan writes about his daughter's surprising decision to take a wilderness-based gap year.
Real Life Scenario: Helicopter Evacuation on the Bailey Range Traverse
3 days into guiding a 9-day trip on the Olympic Peninsula, my colleagues and I noticed that a 65 year old client was showing more fatigue than we thought normal.
Reflecting on the 2016 Wilderness Risk Management Conference
Walking through the Exhibitor Reception the first evening of the WRMC, I met and mingled with a lot of folks dedicated to that same goal of being a leader in crisis situations.
Blood, Sweat, and Cheese: The 10 Rules of Backcountry Living
23 days, 12 students, 4 instructors, and 1 epic adventure. This fall, I participated in an Outdoor Educator course with NOLS in Lander, Wyoming.
5 Gap Year Tips from the Wilderness
Check out these top 5 gap year tips and discover the transformative power of outdoor gap year programs.
First Aid Kit Advice for River Travel
When it comes to rafting down rivers, especially on multi-day adventures, we can usually go ahead and build our own comprehensive first aid kit.
No Barriers for the WRMC
WRMC participants from No Barriers reflect on the value of risk in learning.
Busting Popular Leave No Trace Myths
Learn the truth behind popular myths about Leave No Trace principles.
NOLS Historian: Just Close Enough
Meet the author of the book A Worthy Expedition: The History of NOLS.
