Outdoorsy, a company that coordinates RV rentals, recommends NOLS Wilderness Medicine training as one of their top five picks for using paid time off. If you camp and recreate in remote areas, completing a wilderness medicine course is a great way to spend your PTO.
Journalist Shikha Tripathi grew up in the striking landscape of the Kumaon Himalaya and she later earned an advanced degree in mountaineering. But it wasn’t until she took a NOLS Trip Leader course that she learned the principles of Leave No Trace, an experience that shifted her perspective on human presence in the outdoors.
Environmental journalist Sara Sneath reflects on the life-changing three months she spent in the Rockies on a NOLS outdoor educator semester this fall. As she backpacked, climbed, and skied across the western U.S., she faced her fears and rediscovered a “sense of play.”
As a professional ultrarunner, NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructor, and mother of two, Liza Howard is pretty busy—to say the least. But juggling work, family life, and training hasn’t stopped her from winning big races like the Leadville 100 and competing in the 100K World Championships. In fact, she says, her busy schedule is key to her success.
The Mercury News recognized 30 students at the University of California Santa Cruz who completed a NOLS Wilderness First Responder (WFR) recertification course this winter. Founded in 1965 by Paul Petzoldt of the 10th Mountain Division, NOLS has expanded to include the world’s leading wilderness medicine program.
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.