NOLS Blog
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…
Rothberg-Birdwhistel Expedition Fund: Panchachuli III Peak Climb
Team selfie. In May 2025, Bharat Bhushan, Prerna Dangi, and I took on a challenge to climb Panchachuli ...
Case Study: Non-Freezing Cold Injury on a Canoe Trip
Two people paddle a canoe on a calm river. Photo by Craig Muderlak The Setting You are leading ...
Lou Gordon: Three Decades of Influence
Louise “Lou” Gordon’s office in the Wilderness Medicine wing of NOLS Headquarters is tucked into the perpendicular intersection of two banks of offices, in the center of the activity but quiet and a little reserved. Like Lou herself. After more than 30 years, the last 6 1/2 as NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s Wilderness EMT Supervisor, Lou is cleaning and packing up her office in preparation for her retirement. Her last day is May 1.
Climate Medicine: Where Climate Change and Healthcare Meet
Springtime has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. Trees and grasses are greening up, flowers are blooming, and birds have returned to greet the morning with song. As many of Earth’s residents head into boreal summer, they know to expect rising temperatures. But what does that heat mean for human health? What happens when infectious diseases…
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 424 weeks in the field and influenced generations of students. Shari Kearney is checking on Three Peaks Ranch’s stable of horses, kept on pastures outside of Lander, Wyoming in the offseason. Each autumn, the horses—dozens of them—are…
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 for a two-week NOLS alumni trek on the Manaslu Circuit in Nepal. Although we were all strangers coming from different parts of the world, our shared excitement for setting foot in the Himalayas was palpable. During those…
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…
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.
I Crave the Quietness: What a City Dweller Learned from Two Weeks in the Wilderness
Growing up as a city slicker, I had minimal experience with backpacking and the outdoors.
Highlights from the 2016 NOLS Wilderness Medicine Staff Meeting
September 12 kicked off the 2016 NOLS Wilderness Medicine Staff Meeting, our annual gathering at the Wyss Campus in Lander, Wyo. Read on for highlights!
10 Things That Will Happen to You in the Backcountry
Number 1, You will remember songs that you have not heard in forever.
Big Agnes Co-Owner Len Zanni: Finding His Way in the Outdoor Industry
Len Zanni, co-owner of Big Agnes, Inc. and NOLS grad, talked with us about what he’s learned from NOLS and from his years of working in the outdoor industry.
Sam Glinsmann Completes 77-Day Wilderness Course
Sam Glinsmann’s Semester in New Zealand was with NOLS, which aims to teach participants leadership skills in the wilderness.
Any Year Can Be a Gap Year
Best Time to Take a Gap Year: Discover how any year can be transformed into an impactful and transformative gap year.
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
