National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
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National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
March 2010
I am looking for discussion about NOLES courses- which my son wants
to do during his GAP year. He wants to do rock climbing, back
packing and kayaking.
W
It is NOLS, National Outdoor Leadership School. It is top notch and
rigorous beyond Outward Bound. On the pack trips, people carry 70
pounds on some trips. I have heard their Kenya program is great. I
have taken their Wilderness First Responder class. It was a great
course and I shared the class with Yosemite guides, raft guides and a
guide for Nepal trips. Your teen would have a very active time and
would come out with some great skills.
kl
Hi,
I did a NOLS course when i was 17. I did the semester in Kenya which
included hiking Mt. Kenya, spending time with he Maasai while hiking
through eh Rift Valley, and then ending with time sailing off the
coast of Lamu.
It was an amazing experience, and if i could afford to send my own
teen i would! Without a doubt! We followed a curriculum, and i took
advantage of the opportunity to receive college credit for certain
''courses''.
So, i'm not sure what particular questions you had, but you are
welcome to contact me further if you would like. Your son will learn
skills and become more confident being a leader.
cris b
I believe you are asking about NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership
School, based in Wyoming, with outdoor leadership courses all over the
world. My daughter took a semester-long, Western USA class after
finishing college and financed the $12,000 on her own, with 1/3
scholarship, 1/3 loan and 1/3 cash she had saved. She loved most of
the course, but the last two weeks snow and camping at 20 degrees
below 0, Fahrenheit, in quigloos they built for themselves was a
little intense. Everyone had to be very disciplined about daily life
to stay safe. She felt that most of the students in the course were
economically privileged and not used to being on their own. Most were
financed by their families. A friend of one person in her group
air-dropped ice-cream to the whole group, after a long day's climb.
NOLS does a very professional and structured program. The kids are
safe and well cared for. They do amazing things in the outdoors and go
to amazing places, though not entirely remote ones. This could be a
good gap program, depending on your young person's interests, skills
and discipline. Graduates of the semester leadership program can get
jobs with camps and outdoor tour groups. Our daughter thought she
wanted to pursue this sort of career, but changed her mind after the
course.
- Glad she did it
Nov 2009
Re: Kayak, canoe or rafting summer programs
My daughter had a fantastic life-changing 4 weeks kayaking around southern Alaska with
NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) last summer. They learn so much more than just
kayaking. See www.nols.edu.
Anna
April 2007
Re: 14-y-o has no social life, mostly TV & video games
I really feel for you and your son, and I know there are not
any easy solutions. However, I just wanted to comment on
one thing you mentioned in your posting: ''One of his
therapists strongly recommended NOLS but the kid refuses
to go.'' I am a graduate of NOLS (National Outdoor
Leadership School). NOLS is specifically *not* a place
for a troubled teen. Instead, it is a place for (in their
words) ''highly motivated students''. It is an outdoor
wilderness skills and leadership development program.
Teens can attend, but it is very important that they want
to be there and participate willingly, or they could
jeopardize the safety of the rest of the group. NOLS is
intended for the type of person who reads their catalog
and *begs* their parents to send them to NOLS!
- NOLS Wind River Wilderness graduate
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