NOLS Blog
Case Study: Dental Emergency while Rafting
The Setting You are on day three of a 4-day rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon. The trip has been incredible so far. Great rapids, beautiful scenery, skies full of stars, and endless cups of hot cocoa. You’re almost to your campsite on day three, but have one more rapid to go. At…
Case Study: Sea Kayaking Slip
Oscar Manguy The Setting You are enjoying an amazing day of paddling on Prince William Sound in Alaska. ...
Gap Year Pros and Cons: Solo vs. Group
Taking a gap year can be a transformative experience that expands your horizons, fosters personal growth, and unlocks ...
Trip Report: Inaugural NOLS Alumni Climbing Trip In Greece
In May of 2025, the Inaugural NOLS Alumni Greece Climbing Trip traveled to the Greek island of Kalymnos, one of the most famous climbing destinations in the world. Our small but mighty group of alumni and NOLS instructors climbed, swam, staged breathtaking photo shoots, practiced climbing skills, visited nearby islands, sampled the best spinach pies…
Exploring the World and Finding Yourself: The Power of a Gap Year After High School
Discover the power of taking a gap year after high school—adventure, cultural immersion, and self-reflection highlight this transformative experience.
Case Study: Embedded Tick while Backpacking
Photo by Eva Darron The setting You’re on day 6 of a week-long backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail in New York. The last few days have been beautiful, and you’re so glad to be enjoying this time outside. You and your friends decide it’s time for a break, so you sit down to enjoy…
Instructor Spotlight: Caeden Greene
A NOLS experience can truly be a transformative experience for a young person’s life, and that was certainly the case for field instructor Caeden Greene. In high school, Caeden embarked on a 30-day Waddington Range Mountaineering Expedition (WAD), long known as one of NOLS’ most rigorous courses. The WAD expedition had such a profound effect…
Case Study: Jellyfish Sting in Paradise
Photo by Molly Hagbrand The setting You and your friend are enjoying some early morning sunshine and perfect waves while surfing on the Pacific Ocean. While waiting for the next break, you are sitting on your surfboard taking in the beautiful scenery when you hear your friend shriek. You ask what’s going on and they yell,…
Through the Diamond Heart of Brazil: Our Next Alumni Adventure!
Lush valleys, waterfalls, ancient ruins, and diamonds can all be found in Brazil’s Chapada Diamantina National Park, the backdrop for one of NOLS’ newest alumni trips. Murilo Bellese and Moaci Dantas, the trip’s primary architects, share a little more about the trip and what makes it special. Looking out over Chapada Diamantina National Park. Photo…
My Suburban Life: Life-changing Wilderness Expedition
A three-month wilderness expedition through the Rocky Mountains with National Outdoor Leadership School gave Hellwig focus.
Army and Navy Academy: Cadet Completes NOLS Course
Cadet recently completed a 30-day National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Course in Alaska. The course is designed to develop leadership and ethics while also teaching technical outdoor skills, like map reading and how to exit from a wet kayak
Trail Lovin’: NOLS Pacific Northwest Trip Leader Seminar Overview
Reflections on my own personal outdoor adventure: a 9-day backpacking course with NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School)
County 10: CWC Students Make Fascinating Discoveries
CWC students, NOLS grads make fascinating discoveries on Dinwoody Glacier
Huffington Post: I Used to Think The Answer Was a Balanced Life
You would just use map and compass and navigate off landmarks. I learned that at National Outdoor Leadership School, which I did when I was 20. And now I'm insanely into saving the planet with maps through my work. My life has been really different in each of those phases.
Charlotte Observer: Mom of the Week
Mom of the week's early camping days with Girls Scouts led to a summer of rock climbing in the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS ) in the summer of 2014.
Eagle Rock School: Scholarships Foster Leadership Skills
Through our growing relationship with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Eagle Rock School is awarded a small number of highly coveted scholarships for our students to attend either a NOLS expedition through its Gateway Partnership Program.
Boise Weekly: Mark Blaiser ‘was a dirtbag once’
The evening was calm and peaceful. Mark Blaiser dipped his paddle through the still water of the Kawishiwi River near the border of Minnesota and Canada. The 25-year-old sat silently in his canoe and watched a moose and her calf splash into the river and swim across. The moment struck Blaiser as profound. Now, at 41, Blaiser is the new executive director of Idaho Rivers United, a nonprofit devoted to protecting, conserving and restoring the state's rivers, streams and riparian areas.
Wave3 News: Three Incredible Women Honored for Athletic Achievements
In 1999, Murden McClure became the first woman and American to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She loves to see the changes coming to women’s sports as young women aren't afraid to go after what they want—and it's being recognized
Adirondack Almanack: NOLS Gives Back
This August, NOLS Northeast, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), hosted a service project trip specifically for NOLS graduates and family members in the Adirondacks.
Paste Magazine: 6 Reasons to Visit Wyoming that Aren’t Yellowstone
Six reasons to visit Wyoming that aren't Yellowstone: Lander and NOLS.
Misadventures: Exploring Women
We live in a time of “Look at me, look at me,” presented to us on a daily basis whenever we have any contact with social media. I am witness to countless situations where people feign interest in news and conversations so that they can turn it around and make it all about themselves.
It’s so refreshing, then, to be able to say, “Look at them,” which is why I am writing about Katie McDonnell, age 19, and Taylor Rabbitt, 22. Although these ladies have never met, they share an exuberance, discipline, and passion to learn about our oceans, mountains, and diverse cultures through adventure, education, and exploration. They both have a great attitude towards life.
Katie McDonnell is a freshman at Elon University and a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) graduate.
