NOLS Blog
Stories from the field
Advice, stories, and inspiration from the wilderness
Case Study: Asthma During an Introductory Mountaineering Course
The Situation You are leading a five-day introductory mountaineering course in the Sierra Nevada in early October. The course includes basic climbing and scrambling at elevations between 8,000 and 11,000 feet. Emily is a participant who grew up in the mountains of Colorado but has lived on the East Coast for the last several years. She…
Articles
Case Study: Asthma During an Introductory Mountaineering Course
The Situation You are leading a five-day introductory mountaineering course in the Sierra Nevada in early October. The course includes…
Articles
Case Study: Chest Injury with Fall
The Setting You are on a climbing trip in Red Rocks, Nevada. You’ve spent the last week dialing in your…
Articles
Backpacking the Vilcabamba Valley to Machu Picchu Alumni Trip: Inaugural Trip Reflection
An Interview with Kellsie Forbes, NOLS Alumni Trips Manager Where did the idea to create an alumni trip to explore…
Articles
Alumni Spotlight: How my NOLS Course Impacted My Career
Almost exactly 10 years after coming to Alaska for the first time to take a NOLS course, Asa Darnell finds…
Articles
The Wilderness Risk Management Conference: a Conference and a Community
An interview with Elyse Rylander, Wilderness Risk Management Steering Committee Chair The 33rd annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) will…
Articles
Case Study: Bear Spray in the Face
The Setting You are almost done with a 3-day backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountain Range of Wyoming with…
Articles
Case Study: Fishhooks
The Setting You’re on the first day of a twelve-day whitewater canoeing expedition down the Green River. Your group consists…
Articles
When Everything Came Into Focus — Hiking Patagonia’s Torres del Paine O Circuit Alumni Trip
I first learned about the O Circuit in 2025, a year before I actually did it. My wife and I…
Articles
Case Study: Heat Illness on an Early-Season Wildland Fire Assignment
The Setting You are working on a Type 2 initial attack handcrew in the Deschutes National Forest during the early…
Stay in the Field
Weekly stories, wilderness tips, and expedition dispatches delivered to your inbox.
Join 45,000+ subscribers. Unsubscribe anytime.