Parental Pride and Lament

Recently my relationship with NOLS made a dramatic change. Since 1990 I have been an employee of the school as well as a graduate. On June 20 I joined an elite group. I became a NOLS parent.

As a NOLS grad and employee I have long been convinced of the incredible educational value of a NOLS course. I have had the experience personally. In my role as the marketing director I have had the good fortune to meet many of our grads and hear stories of how NOLS changed their lives and how everyday they use the skills they developed in the Wind River Mountains or the Talkeetna Range or on Prince William Sound. Once you’ve heard the stories how could you not want that for your kids?

In February I broached the subject of a NOLS course with Clay, at age 17, our oldest child. Clay has grown up around NOLS and he has a good deal of outdoor experience for his age. He wasn’t that thrilled about the idea. I couldn’t get him to tell me why. So I had to send Peg, wife and mother, into the dark abyss that is a 17 year old’s heart and mind.

Peg reported back. “He’s afraid. Can he do it? He’s afraid he’ll disappoint you. He doesn’t want to fail. It costs too much.”

Clay is coming off a tough year. He got hammered in math and the rest of his grades are all over the board. My parental diagnosis? Clay is an under-achiever. A bright kid (according to the standardized test scores), but he doesn’t put in the work consistently. He lacks confidence and he gives up too easily. Sometimes he won’t try because he is afraid he will fail.

Clay gets hung up on what he is having trouble with and doesn’t recognize how much is going right. Unfortunately, as a parent I reinforce this. It is easy to point out the shortfalls and not recognize the accomplishments. And there are many.

First and foremost, Clay is a really nice guy. Friendly, compassionate and polite. He is great with kids. Clay is on the golf team at school. He likes it and even earned his letter this spring. Clay is a Life Scout and is pretty close to earning his Eagle badge. Clay is very active at our church. He is a lay reader, youth delegate to the vestry, takes communion to the elderly in the nursing home and helps with Sunday School. Clay is a talented potter (although like a true artist he got a C in the class, while turning out incredible art). Clay is a decent fly fisherman and is an outstanding wingshot. He’s great with our hunting dogs. He has a ton going for him, but he lacks stick-to-itiveness and confidence.

Hence, the Wind River Wilderness course. After a few conversations Clay took the initiative and filled out the application for his course. When his enrollment packet came back he wasn’t very demonstrative one way or the other. After a few gentle (okay, not so gentle) reminders he dove into the packet and asked Peg about making a appointment for his physical and with her help got the paperwork filled out.

As NOLS admission and marketing director I tried to stay out of the process as much as possible. I wanted the experience to be Clay’s and I knew if I took too much leadership in the process his response would be negative. I was the courier, shuttling paper and checks from the house to the office.

I wanted to see who the other students were, who the instructors were, what the route would be. I wanted to meet the instructors and tell them all about Clay. I wanted to tell them my goals for the course. But then it wouldn’t be Clay’s NOLS course. I resisted the temptation to get too involved.

As the course start got closer I tried to have a few conversations with Clay about it. He rarely reveals much of himself to me, so these conversations were pretty short.

Dad: Are you looking forward to your course?
Clay: Yeah.
Dad: What do you think it will be like?
Clay: I dunno. Probably like the 50 miler we did with scouts.
Dad: Are you apprehensive about anything?
Clay: Yeah, a bit.
Dad: What are you apprehensive about?
Clay: I dunno. Meeting new people, I guess.
Dad: Well, everyone will be meeting new people. You’ll all be in the same boat.

Blah. Blah. Blah. Clay really wasn’t going to let me in and I didn’t have much to add. Frustrating? For both of us.

Getting the gear together was fun. Peg and I got Clay boots for his birthday. We elected to primarily use NOLS rental gear and had a number of the items needed from previous outdoor excursions. We had some good conversations revolving around pieces of gear and how he might organize his stuff to keep things straight.

And then before we knew it June 19 was upon us. Unlike his coursemates Clay didn’t have to worry about traveling from some place across the country. Instead he had the embarrassing pleasure of having his dad walk into NOLS Noble Hotel dormitory with him.

What do you say to your son when you drop him off for a 30 day backcountry expedition? Is it okay to hug him even though several of his new coursemates that he hasn’t even met yet are milling around waiting to say, “Hi”?

I decided “yes” to the hug, a quick one. And went with, “ Listen to your instructors. Stay safe. Have fun. I love you.” Sniff. Clay headed off to meet folks he hoped would become his friends and I headed out to the car.

Peg met me at the car when I pulled in. “How did it go?” “Did he seem happy?” “Do you think he’ll have fun?”

A bit more than a week has passed since Clay’s NOLS course began. We really miss that kid. When we get up in the morning we look out the window and do a quick weather check, not that our weather in town is at all reflective of what might be happening high in the Wind River Range.

Getting Clay’s two brothers off to their appointed rounds is a bit more complex without his helping hand and driver’s license. Hmmm…maybe he is more helpful than I give him credit for.

A frequent call in the NOLS admission office this time of the year involves a parent calling to ask if we have heard anything from their son or daughter’s course. I can’t count the number of times I have answered, “We operate on the ‘No news is good news’ philosophy. We only hear from a course if there is a problem.” The parent generally sighs and laments that they really wish they knew how Suzy or Johnny was doing.

In the last week hearing admission officers, Lou, Katie and Mark saying, “No news is good news”, has been particularly poignant for me. Just like the other NOLS parents I want to know how it’s going. Is Clay happy? Is he having fun? Is he learning? I totally buy into the idea that a NOLS course is a wilderness experience and the students need to experience it without connection to the outside world, but…

Dinner at the Palmer house starts with grace and Clay’s brothers always add a prayer for Clay and his coursemates—be safe, have fun… After the initial feeding frenzy (I don’t know how Peg takes it being the only female in the house) conversation turns to the dinner options on NOLS courses. Do you think they made calzones tonight? Macs and Cheese? Darn Tootin’ Chili? Pizza? Did they finish the meal off with a Brown Cow? Clay’s 14-year-old brother, Cole, is a connoisseur of the Brown Cow—hot water, powdered milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and a dash of vanilla. Yummy!

What do you suppose Clay did today? A travel day? Maybe they climbed or fished? It was cool and cloudy today. Suppose it rained up in the mountains? Coulda snowed. Clay and his NOLS course have us guessing. The possibilities are endless.

At the end of the day what do I want for Clay? Like every parent I want it all for my child. But most of all I want Clay to be happy.

I can’t do that for him. Peg can’t do that for him. Neither can NOLS. All we can do is provide tools. It is up to Clay to use them. I hope that Clay comes home from his NOLS course with a full toolbox. Confident. Filled with adventure. Never bored. Always learning. Happy with himself.

I can’t wait to see him. I could meet him when the bus pulls in down at NOLS Rocky Mountain. Or I could wait until he comes up to NOLS Headquarters for his alumni talk. In the evening he and his coursemates will walk right by our house on their way to City Park for their end of course barbecue. Should we sit out on the front porch and wave? A little too Deliverance? Or I could just wait until he calls and wants a ride home. Or…

Oh, well. I guess I’ll figure it out. I still have 20 days to think about it!

Bruce Palmer NOLS marketing director

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NOLS on ABC World News Tonight

Wednesday evening NOLS instructor, Ian McCammon, was interviewed on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Ian talked about "staying found" and what to do should you get lost. The story was prompted by the miraculous rescue of the 11 year old Utah Boy Scout who had been missing for 4 days.

Ian did a great job with the interview and has been invited back in the winter to talk about avalanche awareness.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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New Interns are on the Job!

The marketing department is blessed with two new interns in our midst.

Amy Rathke joined us about two weeks ago. Amy is serving for the next six months as our publications intern. Amy just graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. More importantly though she is a NOLS spring Semester in Baja grad from 2003. Amy is doing some writing for the Leader, will be a correspondent here on the "What's the Buzz" blog and is helping with editing on the 2006 catalog.

Kathryn Bailey just joined us yesterday. Kathryn is our NOLS marketing intern. She will be getting out press releases, working with the alumni rep program and helping with the various NOLS Bus-related projects. Kathryn graduated a few weeks ago from the University of Richmond. Like Amy, Kathryn graduated in 2003 from a NOLS spring Semester in Baja. They weren't on the same course, but we did figure out yesterday that they had met one another while at the NOLS Mexico facility.

Sam Stevenson continues cruising along with his web internship. He is working primarliy on the NOLS intranet site, Rendezvous. There has been exciting progress made on this project in the last week.

Thanks to our interns for coming in and cranking out very valuable work.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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Japanese Outdoor Educator Course

Tomorrow, seven outdoor educators from Japan will journey into the Wind River Range on an eight day NOLS expedition. This custom course will focus on outdoor skills and outdoor education techniques. Like most students at NOLS this group first became aware of NOLS through a graduate.

The group spent today exploring Lander and touring NOLS facilities.

It is exciting to see NOLS international influence continue to expand through the initiatives of NOLS Professional Training and the Widerness Medicine Institute.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS Founder Selected for Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame

NOLS founder, Paul Petzoldt has been selected for induction into the the Wyoming Wildlife Foundation's Outdoor Hall of Fame. The hall celebrates Wyoming's heroes of the outdoors and honors lifetime contributions to the preservation of Wyoming's wildlife and open spaces. Other 2005 inductees will be Tom Thorne and Beth Williams, renowned wildlife disease specialists; George Bird Grinnell, a founder of Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and organizer of the first Audubon Society chapter; and fisheries scientist and Academy Award winning cinematographer, James Simon. The 2005 inductees will join the 2004 inaugural hall of fame class of Curt Gowdy, Cal King, Olaus and Mardie Murie, D.C Nowlin and President Theodore Roosevelt. The Outdoor Hall of Fame dinner and induction will be on September 9 at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds in Casper, Wyo. Tickets can be purchased by calling 307.777.4529. Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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2006 Catalog is Coming Together

NOLS Publications is cranking away on the 2006 NOLS catalog. There are a number of improvements that are being made, primarly to the front section of the catalog. Readibilty will be vastly iimproved with more white space and less elements. The NOLS "story" will be told in a series of first person articles written by grads. Very compelling.

The NOLS course finder will be much improved with different graphic elements that we hope will make it easier to use.

The cover will also have a different look with only one logo as we retire the "secondary" NOLS logo that we have used for the last 5 or 6 years.

Of course, like every NOLS catalog this one will feature incredible, new photos taken by students and staff on NOLS courses.

The new catalog should be available around the beginning of September. Look for yours in the mail!

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS Grad Featured in Business 2.0

NOLS grad, Bayard Winthrop, and his skateboard company, Freebord are featured in the June issue of Business 2.0 magazine. Bayard completed a Wind River Wilderness course in 1989 and a Semester in the Pacific Northwest in 1990.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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40 Years Ago Today

With a "whoop and a holler, " on June 8, 1965 the first NOLS course ventured into Wyoming's Wind River Mountains. Food and equipment for the 43-person, all-male first expedition were issued from the school's Sinks Canyon headquarters. The students were split into separately functioning "patrols" of about a dozen— several patrols were under the overall leadership of "Course Leader” Paul Petzoldt (seen here greeting students Gary Randolph, Chuck Erickson and John Keith).

A lot has changed at NOLS and in the world in the four decades since that first course hiked up the Dry Creek drainage, but our mission and goals remain the same— creating real leaders, careful outdoor travelers, and skilled adventurers.

So think back to those days of double-long wool sweaters, black Limmer boots, goldline, billypots, pack frames, and knickers. Consider the prodigious feats of those first expedition’s instructors Paul Petzoldt, Tap Tapley, Burt Redmayne, Jack Hyland, Bruce Barrus, and Jerry Taylor.

Go ahead. Doff your hat to NOLS— today's our birthday.

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More Board Meeting

The June board meeting is history (except for dinner tonight). The primary business was approval of the FY 2006 budget. The board was very diligent about learning all the nuances of the proposed budget and testing the premises behind it. After this thorough review the budget was approved.

The afternoon has been spent hearing committee reports with a lot of good questions and ideas. This meeting was the last one for two of our trustees as their terms are complete.

Peter Roy, the chair of the NOLS board for the past two years will be remembered for his strong leadership of the board. His legacy will include the NOLS International Base Camp in Lander and the NOLS Bus.

Pete Colhoun has served as the school's treasurer and has paved the way for the NOLS partnership with Orvis. Pete also has been a champion of NOLS branding efforts. Both Pete and Peter will be missed.

Kate Williams' has also completed her term. Kate wasn't able to attend today's meeting, as she has just assumed the board chair at her children's school in Vermont. Kate will be remembered for her work on the NOLS education and leadership committee. Kate was the champion for improved relations and partnerships with secondary schools across the country.

Thanks to Peter, Pete and Kate.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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NOLS Board Meeting

I'm writing from Denver where I am attending the June meeting of the NOLS Board of Trustees. We kicked off yesterday with committee meetings. I met with the marketing committee, chaired by Fred Kleisner. NOLS staff Molly Hampton, Deborah Nunnick, Toby Harper, Linda Lindsey and Dave Glenn joined board members Dan Garvey, Pete Colhoun and John Dawson.

On the agenda: an enrollment update; marketing project update; sharing of data from the recent BzzAgent word of mouth campaign; discussion of marketing priorities for the 05-06 year; resource allocation to support the priorities; and Blue Sky/Black Holes.

The BzzAgent data stimulated a good deal of conversation on topics of brand recognition, pricing, and potential new course offerings. This discussion led to exploration of priorities for the next 12 to 18 months. There was agreement that the focus going forward should include particular attention to our word of mouth efforts, public relations and partnerships, integrating NOLS Professional Training and WMI marketing with the overall school effort and commitment to improving our customer relations management.

It was great conversation. There is a great deal of wisdom and experience represented on the NOLS board. Dan Garvey asked me today how I felt about having all of the ideas heaped on me at the meeting. My response? It was great. I’ve never seen an idea that I didn’t want to try to steal and apply!

Today the full board is meeting. The main agenda centers on the budget for fiscal year 2006. There will also be reports for the various committees.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

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