Molly Barnes

Molly Barnes has always been passionate about helping people develop their own connections to the natural world. A NOLS Fall Semester in the Rockies graduate, Molly took her instructor course and worked in the field for NOLS in the 1990s. With her husband, Christopher, she co-founded the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado, where she was the Head of School for 18 years. After two decades of taking other people’s children on adventures, Molly and Christopher decided it was time to take their two sons on one. Their 3-year sailing expedition included sailing 36,000 nautical miles and exploring remote anchorages in places like Patagonia, Easter Island, Norway, Scotland, and South Georgia Island. 

Molly took her first course with the Wilderness Medicine Institute in 1991 in Jackson, Wyoming and has been a Wilderness First Responder ever since. In 2018, she joined the NOLS Wilderness Medicine staff as a WFA instructor and has enjoyed being part of the Instructor Training Course team and mentoring new WFA instructors. 

Molly earned her MBA from the Daniels School of Business at the University of Denver, an Organizational Development certification from Mountain States, and is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership. In addition to sailing, Molly especially loves to telemark ski, run long trail races, and play cribbage in remote places with her family.