NOLS grads featured in Forbes

Charles Ribaudo and Jim Young, NOLS grads and founders of Jambo, were featured today on Forbes.com. Jambo was founded by two NOLS Alumni - Charles Ribaudo and Jim Young, who met on the NOLS East Africa Semester Program in 1993.

NOLS has partnered with Jambo Networks to help you to stay in touch with course mates and network other fellow alumni. Jambo discovers and connects alumni with other fellow alumni nearby you, wherever you happen to be.

  Click here to start catching up with NOLS alumni today!

Share |

'Tis the Season for NOLS Reunions

During October and November, we've been on the road bringing NOLS Alumni Reunions to such far-flung locations as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC.

NOLS Reunions bring grads, families, friends and prospective students together to swap tales, catch up on the school and meet like-minded folks from the area. Reunions usually have great snacks (a requirement for NOLS people...), wonderful raffle prizes, and some sort of inspiring visual presentation by an accomplished NOLS expeditioner.

This fall, we've been lucky to have two-time NOLS grad Britton Keeshan present images and thoughts from his Seven Summits odyssey. In 2004, Britton was the youngest person to climb the highest points on each of the seven continents.

NOLS instructor Dave Anderson has also been presenting to recent reunions. He has a fantastic show on Slavomir Rawicz' Long Walk in the early 1940's. Dave and some other NOLS companions retraced much of Rawicz' controversial 4,000 mile escape from the gulags.

Stay tuned to the NOLS Alumni website for more reunion details— we have events scheduled for Denver and Raleigh, NC with more on the way.

A NOLS Reunion might be coming to your community soon...

Rich Brame
NOLS Alumni Relations

Share |

Leave No Trace Rap

Fall Southwest Semester student Scott Groves leaves no doubt about his LNT skills with his rap fresh from the field...

November 23, 2005

When you go camping or are going on a hike,
Here are seven principles that I know you might like.
They have to do with ethics, they have to do with you,
By the end of this rap, you'll know what to do.

LEAVE NO TRACE, It's a popular saying,
LEAVE NO TRACE, Hell no we ain't playin.

If you're going to a place you don't know well, Beware,
Research to plan ahead and prepare.
When you travel to a place, remember, don't stay too long,
And when you camp, camp on a site that durable and strong.

Also, the wilderness is a beautiful place,
That's why it's important to properly dispose of your waste.
"Hey Ryan, Look what I got from the ground!,"
"Man Scott, don't you know you gotta leave what you found?"

Everything I've said is true, are you calling me a liar?
Now I got something to say, minimize the impact of campfires.
If you see a scary animal, don't freak out and grab your knife,
Remember you're in their house now, so respect wildlife.

Finally, know at a campsite, you're usually not the only one,
Be respectful to others, and then everyone can have fun.
Now everyone's heard it and they know what to do,
So go start living, cuz this rap is through.

Share |

Adventure Collection Meeting

I'm just back in Lander after attending the fall meeting of the Adventure Collection. The AC is 11 of the very best brands in the adventure travel business. NOLS is a bit of an odd duck in the group as a non-profit educational institution, but we definitely fit in with the group with our committment to excellence and there is great alignment on values.

The agenda included a presentation by RFC&P, the agency that handles the PR for the AC. They have been out working to raise awareness of the Collection, the members and our committment to Responsible Travel.

We also selected a company to help us develop the best website in the adventure business. Interestingly the CEO of the company handling the "backend" part of the project is a NOLS grad and great friend and supporter of NOLS.

Bill Bryan, from Off the Beaten Path, one of the Collection's members reported on responsible travel and led a discussion about where we wanted to go with that. A survey that had been commissioned by the AC indicated that responsible travel practices were particularly important to younger travelers. The research also indicated that these travelers would appreciate some type of rating system to help them discern different companies committment to responsoble practices.Bill presented much of this information recently at the Adventure Travel World Summit.

The day of meetings ended with a media party. About 30 editorial staff from NYC-based publications came by to visit and learn more about the Adventure Collection. As always NOLS was well represented. NOLS graduates, Mark Kirby and Mike Roberts were in attendence. Mark is and editor for National Geographic Adventure. Mike is an editor for Outside Magazine.

It was a great meeting with great people.

Bruce Palmer. NOLS marketing director

Share |

IECA Conference

Monday and Tuesday I spent time at the Independent Educational Consultants Conference in Philadelphia. The conference started off Monday evening with a dinner with an American Bandstand theme complete with 50s music and a meal of meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole and jello with fruit cocktail in it. I found myself at the "kid's" table populated with young admission counselors from Avon Old Farm's School, St. Margarent's School, Cushing Academy, Pine Manor College and Western Reserve Academy. Good conversationa and good fun.

Tuesday was the information swap. I "personed" the NOLS table and was busy for two and a half hours straight. Most of the counselors I spoke with have recommended NOLS to students and I was surprised to find that many of them are NOLS parents. I also met quite a few folks who ran outdoor therapy programs. We spent a bit of time talking about NOLS Professional Training consulting and WMI medical training for staff.

The lunchtime keynote speaker was wonderful, a fellow named Eric Chester. He has published a number of books about "Generation Why?". He offered many insights into today's young people and their approach to life. Really good stuff!

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

IECA

Share |

Join Jambo and Find NOLS Grads Anywhere

NOLS has partnered with Jambo Networks to help you to stay in touch with course mates and network other fellow alumni. Jambo was founded by two NOLS Alumni - Charles Ribaudo and Jim Young, who met on the NOLS East Africa Semester Program in 1993. Jambo discovers and connects alumni with other fellow alumni nearby you, wherever you happen to be. So, with Jambo, your next climbing or hiking partner could be right around the corner. 

  Click here to start catching up with NOLS alumni today!

Share |

NOLS Grad Featured

A story about two time NOLS grad Andrew Morse is featured in today's issue of The New Hampshire, the UNH student newspaper. The story recounts the story of Andrew's ascent of Denali this past summer. He credits his NOLS Alaska Backpacking course and NOLS North Cascades Mountaineering course with providing him the tools for his adventure on Denali. Way to go, Andrew!

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

Share |

Gila Wilderness Summary - FSS 1

October 16th, 2005 - Erin.

We made it!!

Here I am, savouring my last couple hours in the Gila Wilderness. The chill creeping up my fingertips, the smell of dirt and garlic, dampness, smelly feet, the colour of sunlight as it dances with golden autumn leaves - all of it, amazingly, feels like home.

It was three weeks ago that we were in a van winding up a dirt road to our drop-off spot. At that point, we still thought the desert meant heat and cacti, we were still a little confused about how to make a trucker's hitch, and we didn't know how to put on gaitors. We were largely silent - we didn't know what to say to each other, and we didn't know what to expect from the next 20 days.

We started out slow - re-learning how to walk, how to pack a pack, how to take a dump. We were astounded by the brilliance of the stars, white aspen groves, and spiny lizards. Our first big challenge was climbing Reed's peek. We gained over 3000 feet to a total of over 10,000 feet. The view was both awe-inspiring and daunting. Across mils of jagged canyons slicing the earth, past rolling hills and craggy mountains were two pointed peeks - our finish point. It seemed ludicrous that we would cross that vast expanse in only 20 days.

That night we built one of our first campfires and slept in a circle, slumber party style. We told ghost stories and discussed the importance of nickelodean game shows in our early childhood development. We were slowly, tenatively starting to learn each other.

We headed through our first canyon and honed our map skills. Is that a drainage or a ridge? oh, wait - it's just a greasy sweat smear. We celebrated Maris' birthday with a game of iron chef and some cake cooked under a twiggy fire. We began the epic tale that is 'roots and shoots'. That's where we all gather around the fire and share our life stories and aspirations. It has since become one of our most sacred rituals.

Over the next 2-days we made the final push up the east fork of the gila river to make our re-ration. A marathon trek across some mesa led us to our first taste of civilization - the visitor's center! Flushing toilets! Water that flows instantly without purification!

The next day, we hiked up a road to the cliff dwellings. The thousand year old structures were pretty rad, but the highlight was clearly our interpretive guide/religious philosopher/poet/musician : George Page. 'The first time my grandmother was crushed by a giant boulder, I might say to the medicine man: maybe...we shouldn't live here anymore (insert a bizarre toothy grin).' We blazed another 11 miles total to our re-ration the next day and we're all excited to get some new food.

We got new tent groups and spent a slothful layover day emerging from our sleeping bags only for first aid and topography class (or, in my case not at all).

From there, we headed off into chicken coup canyon - which turned out to be an amazing challenging odessey of a day. We scrambelled up slick waterfalls, dove through underbrush, and danced in a hailstorm to avoid hypothermia. The next morning, we all appreciated the simple glow of sunshine on our skin as if it were the first time.

We cruised for the next few days and switched back past some spectacular views to our next layover day. We did some 'lamping' some more first aid and made Andy Goldsworthy style art projects from sticks and leaves. Jeez - college is such hard work!

We hiked up and bushwacked down some mesas, where some of us dozed off in some deep tawny meadow grass. Being out here makes you appreciate simple pleasures like that. I love it.

We were nearing the final phase of our trip. Mogollon Baldy and Whitewater Baldy loomed overhead and we marvelled at how they had been only points on the horizon so recently. Outbreaks of the mung and desperate fantasies about Walmat took their toll on the group. However, we rallied and cruised our way up Mogollon Baldy like the true NOLS gangsters that we are.

I think we all felt a sense of accomplishment and fufillment looking back over some of those same hills and valleys. We crossed them - we did it. Looking back to where we came I could feel that I was changing as a person - but I couldn't quite put my finger on how.

So, here we are, another snow storm and a short hike down the trail. We've come to know each other and this place in real and honest ways. And the best part is...there's so much left to come. Starting with showers and more fantastic adventures...to sum it up, all I can say is this:

Great group. Solid group.

much love - Erin.

Share |

Why is it so Icy?

October 9 - Nathan Field

No fire do I see,
What with Hell's Hole beside me
Why is it so icy?

Share |

Chicken Coup to Alaska...

October 8th - Mackenzie.

Today we got lost.

I don't mean wrong trail, wrong canyon lost. I mean really lost. Somewhere between the beginning and end of chicken coup canoyon we wandered out of the desert and ended up in Alaska.

We were welcomed by hail the size of peanut M&M's (I could really go for some of those right now). Instead I'm getting ready for macaroni and cheese, thank god something warm! If frozen feet were an acceptable excuse for not writing in the journal, this would be a blank page. But writing warms my hands, so I'll say just a little more.

We did some canyoneering today for the first time, which was pretty sweet. For a while the sun was even out - it was beautiful reflecting off the canyon walls. And now we're here at camp sitting under wet tarps, trying to stay warm, avoiding getting up to pee. At the rate were going, we'll probably be up at 2 this morning, sitting on our packs in the middle of a lightening storm.

Hey, though, it's not been a bad day! I still hear people laughing, and who was it that said, 'life is either a grand adventure or nothing at all?' Today was a grand adventure for sure. And on the up-side, hail makes great natural toilet paper.

I'll close with that thought, let's try and find the desert again tomorrow.
- Mackenzie

Share |