NOLS Blog
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…
Knee Injury While Cross-Country Skiing
Photo courtesy of XCSkiResorts.com The Setting You are cross-country skiing with four of your friends on a beautiful ...
Epistaxis on a Llama Packing Trip
Photo by Nick Springer The Setting It’s day two of a guided family llama packing trip deep in ...
Medicine in Orbit
Space, some say, is the final frontier. For N. Stuart Harris, M.D., M.F.A., Massachusetts General Hospital Emergency Department physician and the NOLS Board of Trustees’ immediate past Chair, it’s very much today’s frontier. Stuart, whose first NOLS course was a Fall Semester in the Rockies, is the Founding Chief of Massachusetts General Hospital’s SPEAR Medicine…
6 Reasons Why You Should Take A WEMT Course (And Tips for How to Prepare)
Here are the top six reasons why one NOLS Wilderness Medicine grad recommends taking a Wilderness EMT course.
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…
ASL-Supported Course Fosters Inclusive Diversity and Growth
Longtime instructor shares stories from the most diverse NOLS Wilderness Medicine course she has ever taught.
How to Create an Eye-Catching Resume by Talking about Your NOLS Course
Stand out from the crowd by talking about NOLS on your resume
Into the Wild, Every Day
Both my boys went on NOLS trips when they were 15, spending five weeks in the Wyoming wilderness. With bears. For five weeks, I had no contact with them.
5 Things You Learn from Climbing (That Also Matter in Real Life)
5 Things You Learn from Climbing (That Also Matter in Real Life)
3 Months in the Rockies to 30 Countries in a Year: How a NOLS Alum Went Worldwide
NOLS alum Erica Levine Weber takes her experience on a NOLS semester and turns it into a lifetime of international travel with her family, taking her daughter to 30 countries before her first birthday.
Why Wildlands Studies Attends the Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC)
Why Wildlands Studies Attends the WRMC
Which Wilderness Medicine Course Is Right for You? [Infographic]
Take a look at all your options for wilderness medicine courses
