NOLS Blog

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Advice, stories, and inspiration from the wilderness

MACHU PICHU

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 the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu come from? Jorge Anhalzer, a NOLS instructor from Ecuador, and his friend Sam Husley, a NOLS instructor who lives in Peru, proposed it last year. It’s such a spectacular place. Most of our alumni…

Kellsie Forbes August 2026 5 min read
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All Alumni Expeditions Gap Year Gear Leadership Wilderness Medicine
What Can Spring Learn from Winter? Lessons for the Transition
Articles

What Can Spring Learn from Winter? Lessons for the Transition

Reflecting on seasonal transition, NOLS instructor Jonny Hepburn shares lessons learned during ski season and how they might apply to…
Jonny Hepburn April 2020 1 min read
Cowboy Tough Race: Team Wind River Country is On the Course!
Articles

Cowboy Tough Race: Team Wind River Country is On the Course!

Cowboy Tough Race: Team Wind River Country is On the Course!
Kim Freitas March 2020 1 min read
Articles

Team NOLS PNW dominates Ski to Sea 2010!

Team NOLS PNW dominates Ski to Sea 2010!
NOLS March 2020 1 min read
Climbing Goddess Majka Burhardt Nominated for 2010 Epic Award
Articles

Climbing Goddess Majka Burhardt Nominated for 2010 Epic Award

Climbing Goddess Majka Burhardt Nominated for 2010 Epic Award
Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin March 2020 1 min read
Lending a Hand in Our Southwest Community
Articles

Lending a Hand in Our Southwest Community

Lending a Hand in Our Southwest Community
NOLS March 2020 1 min read
Stepping Out of the Classroom: Diversity & Inclusion at NOLS Rocky Mountain
Articles

Stepping Out of the Classroom: Diversity & Inclusion at NOLS Rocky Mountain

Stepping Out of the Classroom: Diversity & Inclusion at NOLS Rocky Mountain
NOLS March 2020 1 min read
60 Pounds of Cheese and 104 Degrees: After a Long Summer, Super Hero In-Town Staff Re-open NOLS Southwest for Fall Season
Articles

60 Pounds of Cheese and 104 Degrees: After a Long Summer, Super Hero In-Town Staff Re-open NOLS Southwest for Fall Season

60 Pounds of Cheese and 104 Degrees: After a Long Summer, Super Hero In-Town Staff Re-open NOLS Southwest for Fall…
NOLS March 2020 1 min read
What It Means to Leave No Trace
Articles

What It Means to Leave No Trace

Journalist Shikha Tripathi reflects on the Leave No Trace principles she learned on her 2016 NOLS India Trip Leader course.
Brooke Ortel March 2020 1 min read
Keeping America Beautiful
Articles

Keeping America Beautiful

NOLS Instructor Molly Absolon reflects on the evolution of environmentalism in the U.S., calling for a renewal of the energy…
Brooke Ortel March 2020 1 min read

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