Outdoor Education

smiling NOLS student wearing backpack smiles for the camera on a glacier in Alaska with other students in the distance

My Path to Outdoor Education from a Semester in Alaska

NOLS grad-turned-instructor Katiya Gombar says that not a single day goes by without thinking of her expedition in Alaska and the lessons she learned ...

Andrew Bobilya teaches students how to rock climb

Andrew Bobilya: Taking the Classroom Outdoors

Now an associate professor at Western Carolina University, NOLS grad Andrew Bobilya still treasures the lessons he learned on his Baja sea kayaking ...

Competence and Leadership: Making a Good Cup of Cocoa

Want to hike the entire Appalachian Trail? You should know skills like setting up a tent. Competence is often the "how" on the path toward your goals.

Trash Stinks: Backcountry Waste Disposal

Trash Stinks: Backcountry Waste Disposal

Editor's note: Guidelines from the fourth edition of NOLS' Soft Paths, by Rich Brame and David Cole.

Let's talk waste. When we go somewhere to camp out, we're going to produce garbage and human waste. It's inevitable. What's not inevitable is the way we clean up after ourselves. After all, you wouldn't go into your neighbor's backyard, have a barbecue, and leave all the trash behind, right? (Maybe it depends on how well you get along with your neighbor...)