Alison Wright, founder of the The Cairn Project, an organization dedicated to getting young women outdoors, reflects on her NOLS Executive Leadership Expedition in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. She left the mountains ready to put expedition behavior to use in the frontcountry—and with an even deeper sense of commitment to her organization's mission.

A part of Colorado’s growing refugee population, Muna Oweidat went backpacking for the first time on a NOLS expedition for MBA students. She says that nature is the “place I go to reenergize and connect with life, just like when I was a kid but with more freedom and attention.”

Florida native and self-identified city kid Reza Darvish recently joined 10 fellow Whitman College students on a week-long NOLS expedition in Utah's Canyonlands. For Reza, the trip was a transformative experience--the rapport he formed with his coursemates taught him important lessons in community-building and helped him successfully navigate the challenges of canyoneering for the first time.

This past March, 12 students from UVA’s Darden School of Business embarked on a six-day backpacking trip in Patagonia. Professor Bobby Parmar notes that while some students were initially hesitant, by the end of the course, they were ready to “go out into business with the confidence that they can succeed in even the most uncertain and difficult circumstances.”

This January, seven students in University of Texas’ Business Honors Program embarked on an eight-day customized NOLS expedition in Arizona. In addition to developing leadership skills and bonding as a group, their favorite memories of the trip include waking up to a surprise snowstorm and discovering that backcountry food can actually be pretty tasty.