This summer, Evan Marie Allison, associate director of the University of Michigan’s Sanger Leadership Center, completed a two-week NOLS backpacking expedition in Alaska. The overarching lessons she took away from the course ranged from “you’re capable of more than you think” to “don’t count your blessings: recognize your privilege.”
Getting ready for the winter season, Gear Patrol consulted NOLS instructor Marco Johnson on how to build snow shelters. A senior instructor, Marco has plenty of experience teaching students how to construct snow caves and quinzee huts on NOLS winter courses.
In August 2018, nine students from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business backpacked through Wyoming’s Wind River Range on an eight-day NOLS Custom Education expedition. Students reported that participating in a guided leadership progression in the outdoors was a valuable complement to learning in a traditional classroom setting.
U.S. Naval Academy senior and NOLS Yukon grad Anne Richter was recently awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholarship in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement. An engineering major, Richter will pursue a master’s degree in additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing at the University of Sheffield, U.K. before entering nuclear power school to train as a naval submariner.
U.S. Naval Academy senior and NOLS Alaska grad Margaret Dods was recently awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in recognition of her academic achievement and excellent leadership skills. The Naval Academy’s 52nd Rhodes Scholar, Dods will pursue a masters in philosophy at Oxford before completing her service in the Marine Corps.
NOLS grad Meredith Lind discovered the power of active followership while sea kayaking in the Marlborough Sounds during her semester in New Zealand. Now a software consultant and developer, Meredith frequently applies the concept of active followership in the office, recognizing that sometimes asking thoughtful questions can be just as informative as years of experience.
The NOLS Cookery, edited by NOLS Rocky Mountain Rations Manager Claudia Pearson, won the “Classic” category of the 2018 National Outdoor Book Awards. Now in its seventh edition, the Cookery is chock-full of iconic NOLS dishes like backcountry pizza and cinnamon rolls—as well as tips on nutrition and backcountry cooking techniques.
This summer, two rising seniors at Branksome Hall school received scholarships to fund month-long NOLS expeditions of their choice. One student learned to mountaineer and whitewater canoe in the Yukon, while the other backpacked and sea kayaked her way across Alaska. Both returned home with newfound confidence in their leadership abilities.
As part of their 2018 gap year experience, Winterline students backpacked through the Gila National Forest on an eight-day NOLS expedition. Reflecting on their course, students touched on themes of leadership, tolerance for adversity, appreciation for the natural world—and fun.
Alpinist, writer, outdoor educator, and former NOLS instructor Szu-ting Yi reflects on her 2017 traverse of the Wind River Range and its impact on her personal growth as a climber. She and her husband, Dave Anderson, also a former NOLS instructor, managed to climb 33 peaks in the Winds over the course of 20 days despite challenging conditions.