Intro to NOLS

     In late spring of 2014 I graduated high school, beyond elated to cross that accomplishment off the life list. Long story short, I had been ready to get out of there since day one. So, I did. I’d decided to take a gap year by then and first on the list, NOLS expedition NCW-7/23. The National Outdoor Leadership School is the leading outdoor education school, offering courses of all skill levels, durations, and activities across the world. Rock climbing, mountaineering, canyoneering, caving, sea kayaking, whitewater canoeing and rafting, sailing, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, horsepacking, fly-fishing, you name it they teach it, (probably in a country you’ve always wanted to visit). At the time I applied for the Pacific Northwest backpacking expedition I had never flown anywhere, heck I’d never even been in an airport. So there I was at the JFK airport in New York City, about to fly to Seattle, WA. A flight, bus, cab, hotel room, and van ride later I arrived the the NOLS Pacific Northwest headquarters in Conway, WA with nine other strangers who I’d be spending the next 28 days with, deep in the backcountry of the Olympic National Park. The following day we introduced ourselves, rationed food portions, evaluated gear, reviewed maps, discussed group dynamics, packed our backpacks, and one more van and ferry ride later we were on our way into the Olympics. We traversed steep backcountry terrain, snow fields, scree, and rain forests, forded rivers, hiked and camped in the best and worst, got lost, and found ourselves. We laughed a lot, cried a little, saw marmots, bears, elk and enough mountain scenery to last a lifetime. We traveled in a ~100 mile loop around Mt. Olympus, food resupplies provided by horse packers every eight to ten days, we never left the backcountry. It was a true expedition experience.
     The school program impressed from the start, it was run extremely efficiently with utmost professionalism and it was obvious many of the instructors at the base had over a decade of experience. I got to know our two instructors very well and loved them and their support. I recommend NOLS to anyone that wants to challenge and improve themselves, and to those who cherish the wilderness and love to spend time in it.