Photo by Alyssa Walker.

On our last family car camping sojourn, a three-day affair two years ago, we learned that two- and four-year-olds are too young for anyone to enjoy any aspect of car camping. There were diapers. There were legions of biting insects. There was not one, but two kid backpacks. There was a frog potty. There were tantrums. Everything was sticky. It rained. We were too close to our neighbors. Fun, but not. At all.

We took a break for a year, thinking two potty-trained kids, at a minimum, would help. This time, we resolved, would be better, more fun, the stuff of memories and traditions. Our children, at four and six, were ready. So were we.

Topics: Tolerance for Adversity, expedition behavior, Live the Dream, kids, parenting, car camping, story

Photo by Alyssa Walker

The most miserable and telling moment on my monthlong NOLS Alaska Outdoor Educator Course 13 years ago—descending a steep talus slope—taught me the value and beauty of expedition behavior, or EB. It also prepared me for an even bigger life adventure: parenthood.

Topics: Live the Dream, Alaska, expedition behavior, Family

The start of a course, or any trip with new people, is usually a little bit messy. Setting up the tent just took 45 minutes and, when you finally finish, you realize that no one has started cooking dinner yet. On top of that, you don’t even have water to cook with yet.

Topics: Behind the Scenes, expedition behavior, leadership

Astronaut and U.S. Navy Commander Reid Wiseman wrote the following missive about expeditionary behavior from low Earth orbit to be read to the astronaut class of 2013 on their NOLS course. A highlight of that course was connecting with CDR Wiseman on the International Space Station via satellite phone from deep in the Wind River Range of Wyoming.

Topics: Educators Notebook, NOLS Professional Training, Astronauts, NASA, leadership, expedition behavior

Yes, things are very real up here. Some are unfortunate accidents; other things are risk of being in the mountains. The incident where the Sherpa fell into the crevasse was totally avoidable. I have gone through the Khumbu Icefall four times now, once completely alone. I clipped into almost every fixed rope, which are many, most so that I would not fall into a crevasse, others so that my body could be found at the next fixed anchor should anything cut loose.

Topics: Khumbu Icefall, NOLS, decision making, avalanche, Lhotse Face, Everest, skills, communication, Sherpa, Khumbu, Live the Dream, expedition behavior, expedition, Phil Henderson, Camp I, Camp II, judgment, Nuptse