NOLS Blog
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
Photo: Lindsay Nohl The Setting You’re on the first day of a twelve-day whitewater canoeing expedition down the ...
When Everything Came Into Focus — Hiking Patagonia’s Torres del Paine O Circuit Alumni Trip
Photo: Libby Poston I first learned about the O Circuit in 2025, a year before I actually did ...
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…
Case Study: Non-Freezing Cold Injury on a Canoe Trip
The Setting You are leading an early-season canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It’s mid-May, and while the days are mild, the water is still very cold. Travel involves frequent portaging and wading in and out of the canoe to load and unload gear. Despite good effort, everyone’s feet have been wet…
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…
When Urban Environments Go Wild: Wilderness Medicine in the Aftermath of Disaster
When Urban Environments Go Wild: Wilderness Medicine in the Aftermath of Disaster
13 Signs You’re Having Trouble Getting Back into City Life
13 Signs You’re Having Trouble Getting Back into City Life
Putting Leadership into Practice: AmeriCorps and NOLS
AmeriCorps and NOLS grad Travis talks about how combining both programs helped him put leadership experience into practice.
Ready for the Challenge: How I Became a Wilderness EMT
Ready for the Challenge: How I Became a Wilderness EMT
Backcountry Chilling Over Oil Drilling [Book Review]
Backcountry Chilling Over Oil Drilling [Book Review]
How I Became a NOLS Nerd
Swedish master mariner and ships’ pilot Jonas Alexanderson tells stories from his 50th birthday present, a NOLS sea kayaking course in Prince William Sound
Bruce Palmer On the Value of a Gap Year
I caught up with Bruce Palmer. We talked about the importance of outdoor education, Gap Years and the value of this experience in the life of a young person.
Beyond Limits and Proud: LGBT & NOLS Wilderness Medicine Experience
River guide Emily Ambrose shares lessons learned about building confidence as a leader and in her identity during a WFR course
