In celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month this June, The New York Times recognized NOLS and other organizations offering outdoor expeditions for the LGBTQ community. In November 2019, NOLS will offer its first LGBTQ+ affinity expedition: a nine-day backpacking course in Utah’s Canyonlands.
In 1989, NOLS semester grad Lauren Hefferon singlehandedly founded a bike touring company to lead trips across Italy. Today, Forbes reports, Ciclismo Classico is celebrating its 30th anniversary and has expanded to offer a wide variety of trips across Europe. Lauren says it was her NOLS course that inspired her to pursue a life of learning, exploring, and teaching outdoors.
This spring, students and instructors from the University of Wyoming nursing program took a two-day NOLS Wilderness Medicine for the Professional Practitioner course. Participants agreed that the course offered valuable leadership training as well as preparation for providing patient care in resource-limited environments.
After taking a NOLS instructor course in 2016, longtime porter and trekking guide Jagan Timilsina founded the Outdoor Education Project to provide youth in rural Nepal with a pathway toward working in the outdoor industry. Since August 2017, more than 500 local teens have participated in his 10-day basic course—and many of them are now working as professional guides.
Gear Patrol recently consulted Senior NOLS Instructor Marco Johnson for advice on how to pack well for a backpacking trip. His recommendations, based on more than 30 years of experience in the field, include “don’t overpack” and “eat everything you bring.”
In addition to serving as Facebook’s Chief Product Officer for the past 13 years, Chris Cox is also a NOLS semester graduate. He says the lessons he learned about resiliency in Patagonia’s mountains have served him well at Facebook and beyond.
The West Michigan Environmental Action Council recognized environmental justice advocate and sustainable business manager Alice Jasper for participating in a 10-day NOLS backpacking expedition designed for leaders of color in the outdoors. She’s attending this course, focused on decolonizing outdoor spaces, as part of her work with the WGVU Shaping Narratives program.
Vidya Murthy, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Executive MBA program, shares what she learned about leadership on a NOLS mountaineering course in Alaska. Working with a team of fellow Wharton students, Vidya gained experience leading in uncertainty as well as new insight into her own leadership style.
NOLS semester grad Andy Hill recently received one of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 “4 Under 40” awards for his work as High Country Regional Director & Watauga Riverkeeper for MountainTrue.
In partnership with Landmark Learning, NOLS Wilderness Medicine offered a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course at UNC-Greensboro’s Piney Lake in March 2019. University students, educators, Boy Scout leaders, and other outdoor enthusiasts participated in this two-day introduction to preventing and treating common injuries and illnesses in remote settings.