NOLS Blog
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.
How to Make Hash Browns with Cheese
Photo by Karly Gutermuth Hash browns have a well-deserved reputation as a delicious breakfast treat, but this cheesy ...
NOLS Picante Sauce
Picante perks up almost any savory recipe—try it on eggs, beans, in soups and coupled with anything on ...
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…
Case Study: Altitude Illness While Trekking
The Setting You are on the trip of a lifetime hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal with one of your best friends. This trip has been in the works for over a year. You’ve spent countless hours training, reviewing maps, and daydreaming about being in the mountains. You can’t believe you’re finally here! You flew…
What a NOLS Risk Review Really Looks Like: A Case Study with NatureBridge
In the same year as NOLS’ 60th anniversary, we are celebrating 20 years since the formation of NOLS Risk Services. For 60 years, NOLS has operated in remote locations all over the world, and in 2005, NOLS Risk Services was formed to share what NOLS has learned about operational risk management in the process. NOLS…
Case Study: Dental Emergency while RaftingÂ
A member of your rafting party loses a tooth partway through a 4-day trip. How do you respond?
Where Play Meets Purpose: A Journey Through the Canyons
Since 2022, NOLS and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business have collaborated on a yearly weeklong expedition to the canyons in southeastern Utah. This expedition is the culmination of a semester-long leadership course for Ross undergraduate students. It combines concepts and learnings from the classroom course with the NOLS leadership curriculum in a…
Rothberg-Birdwhistell Exploration Fund: Expedition to the Peruvian Andes
In the spring of 2025, we set out on an Alpine and ski mountaineering expedition to Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. As outdoor educators with experience leading students on NOLS courses, our team shares a deep commitment to learning through challenge and a connection to wild places. Our goals: explore new terrain, attempt several high peaks, and…
Lightning Safety for Anglers
Summer means it’s time to grab your fishing gear and head outside. But have you checked the forecast—and do you know how to manage risk from a lightning strike?
How Risk Management Training Improved Our Programming at Move United
Program Manager at Move United Julianne Mills shares how Risk Management Training creates opportunities to expand programming to people of all abilities
Grad Set to Tackle 58 Peaks as NOLS Fundraiser
An intrepid WFR graduate sets to climb 58 peaks to raise money for NOLS
The Road Less Traveled: How a NOLS Course Changed my life
A snap, hasty decision in college led me to attend NOLS. Usually a calculated person, l changed my life course in about 60 seconds.
An Artist. An Adventurer. A Q&A with NOLS Grad Dori Bergman
National Outdoor Leadership School graduate and artist, Dori Bergman, talks about how her outdoor adventures inspire her artwork.
Learning Resources for Earth Day (And Every Day)
Join us in reading books, downloading apps, and following influencers who can help self-educate on all topics connected to Earth Day
Turning My NOLS Experience Into a Minimalist Lifestyle
Camper life comes with some challenges; however, it’s the most freeing thing I have experienced since my gap year, and I can’t recommend the experience highly enough to anyone interested.
Why I Trusted a NOLS Course during COVID
When I say 2020, what comes to mind? Pandemic, quarantine, fear, loneliness, job loss, online overload. It was February 2020 when I began my journey with NOLS, and I’m so glad that I did.
Case Study: Abdominal Pain on the Trail
At 6:30 in the morning some of your participants come and tell you that their tentmate is complaining of abdominal pain. As the WFR-trained course leader, you go to their tent to investigate.
How NOLS Helped Me Thrive After Dropping Out of College
Out of the blue, a tip from an old mentor pointed me towards NOLS as an alternative, and maybe more fitting, way to continue my education.
First Ascent of Cerro Nora in Patagonia
Stretching myself right to the limit, day after day, and finding camaraderie in that challenge gave me a new sense of capacity and bravery as we attempted to climb Cerro Nora.
5 Myths About a NOLS Gap Year
5 Gap Year Myths Debunked - Worried that a NOLS gap year expedition is beyond your reach in terms of timing, finances, or technical skills? Guess again!
