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…
Quiz: Managing Altitude Illness
Take this wilderness medicine quiz to find out what you really know about the symptoms and treatment for altitude illness.
Tolerance for Uncertainty: Sea, Mountains, and Culture on a Patagonia Semester
Chilean NOLS grad Ignacio Martínez shares stories and advice from his Semester in Patagonia.
NOLS and the Wilderness Risk Management Conference: 25 Years of Facing Challenges Together
For the last 25 years NOLS has worked with partners across the outdoor industry to improve risk management awareness, standards, and practices.
7 Fishing First Aid Hazards (and What to Do)
Read our tested strategies for handling the first aid hazards you’re most likely to see when you go fishing in lakes, rivers, streams, or the ocean.
The Top 3 Leadership Lessons You Won’t Learn in an Office or Classroom
NOLS instructor Liz Townsend believes the most important leadership lessons are learned outdoors—not in the business world (although they do apply there!)
Pay It Forward: How My NOLS Semester Helped Me Lead My Own Backcountry Trips
Carolyn Highland reflects on one of her favorite days ever—ascending an unnamed peak with a student-only team on her NOLS semester—and its lasting impact.
Case Study: A Hot Day Becomes a First Aid Situation
Test your wilderness medicine skills to see how you would respond to this first-aid scenario.
Snow in May: Leadership in the Face of Uncertainty
Sarah Delany reflects on the most impactful—and toughest—day of the customized NOLS course she took with fellow Bates College students in the Adirondacks.
Quiz: Treating Heat Illness and Dehydration
How much do you really know about heat illness and dehydration? Test your skills with this first aid quiz from NOLS Wilderness Medicine.
Learning a Non-Linear Leadership Style from Sea Kayaking
Breaking the norms of leadership styles helped this NOLS grad grow on an all-women's sea kayaking leadership course in Baja California, Mexico.
Stay or Go? Making Evacuation Decisions [Infographic]
How do you make decisions about evacuating a patient from the wilderness?
NOLS Instructor Expeditions of 2017
Check out a collection of stories from some of the expeditions and trainings instructors pursued in 2017 to continue growing as leaders and educators.
