Rob is the Spring 2019 NOLS Marketing and PR intern, a Wilderness First Responder, and a Wind River Wilderness graduate. Growing up in New England, he found his love for the outdoors while exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He enjoys hiking, fly fishing, and questioning his life choices while ice climbing.

Erin Rooney Doland fell in love with the outdoors in the timber of her grandmother’s Kansas farm. She kayaks, canoes, whitewater rafts, and backpacks whenever her schedule permits. She is NOLS’ Senior Writer.

Jesse Quillian is the expedition education manager for NOLS and has been a field instructor for NOLS since 2006. She shares a home in Victor, ID with a dog named Ruthie and a cat named Pinguino.

Andy grew up in the maple groves and apple orchards of the Applachians. She now is a field instructor for NOLS who most enjoys sharing both the icy summits and the sunny moments of stillness in laughter.

Jen is a graduate of UMass Amherst and now works as a Local Adventure Instructor with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Youth Opportunities Program. You can find her upside down in a handstand, enjoying a cup of coffee, or dancing. She feels most at home on top of a mountain, on her paddle board, or making…

Mike did his first NOLS course in Alaska as a US Naval Academy Midshipman in 2006. After graduating from the Academy, he spent six years as a Captain in the US Marine Corps before returning to NOLS as an instructor. When not on a NOLS course, Mike enjoys coaching CrossFit to older populations, playing the…

Tricia Ballard will be attending Bates College after a few remaining months in her gap year. When not reminiscing over NOLS, she enjoys baking pies, amateur biking, watercoloring, drinking hot chocolate, and fitting in outdoor micro-adventures into everyday life.

A self-taught, freelance photographer and NOLS instructor who calls Lander, Wyoming home base, Jared finds inspiration taking photographs of people interacting with their natural surroundings, which most commonly involves moving over rock, dirt, snow or water. Originally from Kentucky, Jared was introduced to natural beauty at an early age, exploring nearby forests with his father,…

Brett moved to Salt Lake City, Utah from Connecticut six years ago, where his lifelong enjoyment of skiing and hiking transformed into a passion for all things outdoors. He has been an instructor for NOLS for two years, and spends his free time backcountry skiing when there is snow and rock climbing when it’s warm.

Arthur Herlitzka a NOLS graduate from the Semester in Patagonia, also earning his Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder certifications with NOLS. He was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin and is currently pursuing a degree from Prescott College. He works as a Mountain Guide based in the Pacific Northwest over the summer seasons,…

In addition to working for NOLS Wilderness Medicine, Nate is also a senior field staff for NOLS and a Swiftwater Rescue Technician Instructor. Nate feels the success of his students is cultivated by an attention to building character through service to others and stewardship for the environments in which we explore. Nate Ostis also authored…

Laura Young is a writer, digital content director, yogi, and NOLS alum living in Denver, Colorado. She documents her travels, meals, and outdoor adventures on her blog, NewDenizen.com. Follow her on Instagram at @newdenizen.

Captain Allen Padgett is a leader within the National Cave Rescue Commission and is also co-author of “On Rope, North American Vertical Rope Techniques”. He is also a NOLS Wilderness Medicine WUMP graduate and is involved with NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s partner Landmark Learning.

Ana has been a river guide since 2007, following the rivers in North and South America and Europe with joy and passion. She is a NOLS kayak, canoe and rafting instructor in the United States and India. She loves to challenge herself and represent her native country of Brazil in international and national rafting competitions.…

Benji is the Assistant Campus Director at Three Peaks Ranch in Boulder, Wyoming. She also works as a NOLS instructor for both Wilderness Medicine and field courses. Camping with horses in the mountains, community, and exploring the human experience keep her heart’s cup full.

Celine is an outdoor educator and mountain guide specializing in remote expeditions. Based on Baffin Island, Celine shares her time between the Alaska climbing season for the National Outdoor Leadership School, the guiding season in Antarctica, and personal adventures in the mountains with friends. Her passion brings her where there are mountains left to explore.

In 2013, the year her son Keegan was born, Meg Kee created a social media collective called @mountaingirls in an attempt to get more women into outdoor sports. Through Mountain Girls, she has had the opportunity to host a number of gatherings, introducing groups of women to sports like mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing and…

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez (C’18) is originally from Tucson, Arizona and is majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Consumer Psychology (Behavior & Marketing) at the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, she is involved in the International Affairs Association and has held leadership positions within Penn for Immigrant Rights, an advocacy group seeking…

Alyssa Walker is a freelance writer and editor, parent, and educator. She’s interested in intersections: education, equity, the environment, technology, and politics. She loves to read, write, drink coffee, and play with her kids. She lives in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and you can follow her on Twitter @lysmank. (NOLS Alaska ‘05)

Kenzie Wilkinson works at NOLS Three Peaks Ranch and was the 2018 NOLS Risk Services intern. Her passion for the outdoors began on the shores of Lake Michigan and has pulled her west to live and adventure in California, Colorado, and Wyoming. She loves hiking, biking, riding horses, wide open spaces, and any road trip…

Willy Oppenheim has been playing in the mountains all his life, and has been working in the mountains since 2009, when he began leading mountaineering, rock climbing, and skiing courses for NOLS. Willy has led numerous mountaineering expeditions in the North Cascades and the Waddington Range of British Columbia, and has also worked in India’s…

Elena Cabot Rodriguez is a student and writer currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. She’s an avid traveller, and she’s passionate about sharing her experiences through her written stories and photographs. Elena is a graduate of the 2016 30-day Alaska Backpacking course, and a graduate of the 2017 Rocky Mountain Semester program. You can check out…

Tim Kelley is a river, climbing, and winter instructor at NOLS. When not in the backcountry Tim can be found taking photos, reading non-fiction, eating chocolate, or poring over maps in search of the next big adventure.

Chad Lorenz is Senior Field Faculty at NOLS and a recent champion of all things amphibious. When not dreaming up the next packrafting trip he’s probably asleep.