The Wilderness Act was one year old. Rachel Carson's landmark book, Silent Spring, had recently been published. Americans were beginning to turn more attention to the outdoors and the environment, pressing for laws to protect clean air and water and sparking a decade or more of environmental enlightenment. Into this scene entered Paul Petzoldt, a legendary mountaineer who had made a name for himself as an educator and outdoorsman. Petzoldt had a dream. He wanted to train leaders. He wanted to help people learn to care about and protect the wilderness. And he wanted to give people the tools to travel safely through wild places. Petzoldt saw his dream come to life in the wilderness of Wyoming that year. He called it the National Outdoor Leadership School.
It's been more than three decades since the first NOLS courses stepped into the wilderness to learn to be leaders. In those years, NOLS has grown and expanded, reaching out to students--more than 45,000--around the world. Yet much about the school remains the same . . . and for good reason.
We still do real education with real results in a very real place--the wilderness. The base of international operations is the same place that Petzoldt hand-picked way back in 1965: Lander, Wyoming. NOLS courses are still taught by top-notch educators and we continue to lead the way in wilderness skills training and leadership.
Skilled educators, small course sizes, and excellent instructor-to-student ratios are trademarks of any NOLS course. You will get hands-on personal instruction that will help you develop your skills and leadership. You'll have time to practice and "learn by doing."
Team building, problem solving, judgment, communication, self-confidence, conflict resolution, responsibility, motivating others . . . these are things that last long after you leave our school. These qualities that are easily adaptable to your every-day lives back home. The leadership is practical; you'll use it.
Providing the instruction, the tools, and the freedom to practice and use what you learn are the roots of our education. Sea kayaking, mountaineering, whitewater boating, sailing, rock climbing, backpacking, Leave No Trace camping, horsepacking . . . the list of skills you gain on a NOLS course is as deep as your desire to learn.
NOLS operates nine branch schools around the world. NOLS courses explore some of the wildest reaches of five continents. The wilderness teaches lessons that you will learn well. Nothing is contrived. But we don't just use the wilderness to teach other lessons, we teach you about the wilderness. You'll gain a lasting appreciation of the environment around you.
Some of the closest friends you'll ever make you'll make on a NOLS course. The wilderness has a powerful way of bringing people together. When you come here, you will meet people with interests very similar to your own. We have students from all 50 states and 42 countries, drawn here for the same reasons you are. We teach people to thrive and have a good time outside. |
