Down Time at NOLS Southwest

This past week, in-town staff here at NOLS Southwest benefited from a sudden change in the operations schedule by taking some time off for a little R&R and to work on various projects. A few folks put in an afternoon of climbing at nearby Mt. Lemmon while others stayed around the branch and caught up on their Harry Potter reading. This past week also saw the addition of a “new” vehicle to the branch—Janeen’s 1972 VW Baja Beetle.

Now that we’re all rested and healthy, it’s time to get back to work and prepare for re-ration trips, instructor briefings, and the Sonoran Year students who arrive on October 1st.

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WEMT Course Under Way

With the passing of the equinox our WEMT courses take a turn for better environmental challenges.  Case in point?  Snow!  That's right, even here in the high desert the weather can add extra challenges to the task of providing quality patient care. 

Today is day 6 of our fall WEMT course here in the Lander hometown.  Our 30 students learned their patient assessment system last week, and had the opportunity to hone their skills in the balmy late summer 70 degree weather.  Over the weekend, however, the front moved in and we were greeted with the first snowstorm of the season!  Not wanting to miss the opportunity to challenge themselves, the students asked if we could delay class in order to head outside into the storm.  Little did they know, that was the plan from the moment the white stuff started falling. 

As they geared up to head out on their rescue, sleeping bags and plastic tarps were added to the equipment arriving on scene.  After a few minutes of adjusting to the challenges of performing assessments on wet, cold patients, the lightbulbs went on and the tarps were put to use as mini-shelters.  Each rescue team found itself ensconsed in the steamy light of its newfound plastic cave, and the assessments proceeded apace.  The injured horsepackers were assessed, treated and sent on their way.

The class returned inside to learn about musculoskeletal injuries having had a nice teaser of tomorrow's topics-- environmental challenges!

                        

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Student Free Time Well Spent

While staying at the branch to work toward their wilderness first aid certification, FSW-2 students took full advantage of their free time by putting up new routes on the branch’s climbing wall and hanging out in the pool. We wish them the best of luck as they begin their semester hiking in the Gila Wilderness.

Fall Semester student Peter Webb logging some flight time during the branch BBQ.

Shiny, happy people. FSW-2 students and instructors all smiles before their backpacking trip.

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New Additions to NOLS River Base, Vernal, Utah

Two feral cats, ‘Slim” and “Red,” moved in on long time resident “Outside” down at the base in Vernal Utah.  Slim just had a litter of kittens.  Pictured here is “Slim Jr.,” “Slim the 3rd,” “Kiwi,” and “Merican.”  Red will be headed off to the vet to ensure that there are no more unplanned kittens in the future.

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FSR5 Climb Section Returns

All smiles as instructors Lauren Reich, Cliff Debride, Nick Storm, and Andy Spilecki return with students on 9/21 from the climb portion of the Fall Semester in the Rockies section 5.  The students are off to Vernal Utah for the river portion of their semester next.

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CollegiateTimes.com - Students participate in gap year more frequently

Link: CollegiateTimes.com - Students participate in gap year more frequently.

NOLS is mentioned in this article about Gap Year in the Virginia Tech campus newspaper.

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Leadership 2007: The business of�building leaders - October 1, 2007

In a sidebar to the Fortune Magazine story, "How Top Companies Breed Stars" NOLS shares space with the Military's Special Forces and England's Eton School. The header on the Sidebar?

"As more companies try to develop leaders, they could learn from non-business organizations that do it notably well."

Link: Leadership 2007: The business of�building leaders - October 1, 2007.

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NOLS Crosses the Pond

We've just completed a multi-pronged first for NOLS— the school's first foray into Europe, into Italy and into the Alps. Nine alumni trip participants (grads, friends and family members) and two instructors spent six hiking days exploring the steep trails and extremely beautiful peaks of the Italian Dolomites just south of the Austrian border.

The weather was outstanding while lodging in a series of mountain "rifugios" allowed us to lighten our packs and immerse ourselves in European culture. German and Italian were the primary languages, with a smattering of English often available. The trails were popular- we often ran into middle-aged (or older!) couples and small day-hiking groups. Part of our route traversed a portion of the WWI Italian/Austrian front lines- barbed wire, gun emplacements, and rustic shelters were still visible along the high alpine trails.

Most folks flew into Milan and spent a few extra days exploring the sites of northern Italy before the trip. See the NOLS Alumni Trips portion of the NOLS website for more information and our flickr group for more pictures.

NOLS Alumni Trips are designed for the busy schedules of grads, their friends and families. Instruction is informal and tailored to participant interest.

If you're a NOLS grad, you probably had pasta in the field. Maybe it's time you tried the real thing on a future alumni trip in Italy's Dolomite region.

/s/Rich Brame, NOLS Alumni Relations

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Outdoor Educators Head to the Mountains!

Outdoor Educator Semesters 1 and 2 (OES) headed for the Wind River Mountains today!  This is the first section of their 94 day semester.

Students from all over the map convened earlier this week to start their course- from Ohio to Massachusetts, Oregon to Vermont.  They spent a few days getting their gear ready, talking to NOLS administrators in-town about anything from biology credit to diversity, and enjoying lunch with the entire Lander NOLS staff.

The OES students are the last Rocky Mountain (RM) semesters to leave for the field.  We look forward to seeing them during their transitions. Onward. . .

OES 2 bids us adieu!

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NOLS Grads Preview "Into the Wild"

New York City NOLS grads took Times Square by storm tonight as Paramount Vantage films hosted us for a preview screening of the new film "Into the Wild". Written and directed by Sean Penn, the film is based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who gets rid of all of his possessions and sets out on a journey of self-discovery.

Emile Hirsch stars in the film and does an amazing job capturing the enthusiasm and passion of the adventurous McCandless as he travels the country and then sets out on his ultimate adventure into the Alaskan backcountry. The film tells a complex tale of both freedom and selfishness as McCandless keeps his family in the dark about his travels and just "disappears".

As a parent of teenage boys the troubling relationship between McCandless and his parents gave me a lot to digest. While much of their behavior was abhorrent their pain at their loss of their child was gut-wrenching. Very powerful stuff.

After the screening we were treated to a visit by Emile Hirsch. He spent time answering questions and even posed for a few pictures with the NOLS crew. Emile and his entourage were last seen heading out of the screening room with NOLS catalogs in hand.

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