NOLS Alaska Trip

[JesusIsLove777]

okay so im sure some of you have heard of NOLS (national outdoor leadership school), and they have trips all over the united states and the world.

this year they are doing many in alaska for a few weeks or a few months, backpacking and kayaking.

sorry if this sounds selfish, but me personally, I am a nature/people loving free spirited "hippie" type person, in my early 20's.

I was wondering if those types of people might be on a trip like this, or if not, what kind do You think will be on the trip? it has about 12 people on it.

thank you so much

[wroth81]

I think you will find a lot of similar people to yourself as you described. I took a semester in the rockies in 2001 and (disclaimer) now work for the school in Lander, Wyoming. I think that most of the people are there because they love nature, and are free spirits. The reasons for being on the course will be different. I took a course to give me time to reflect on some poor college decisions and also to gain the skills to become an instructor/guide. You will find though that while you might be similar in spirit, there is much diversity in the group motivation-wise, and location-wise, making for an interesting mix.

I would argue that more of a diverse mix adds to the overall experience. Sure you can learn technical rope skills, backcountry food rationing, route-finding, etc.. But a true expedition also deals with communication, group tension, expedition behavior, and these skills need to be developed to have a successful expedition (like summiting a mountain). To work effectively in a team you and your group need to address issues of tension and be able to communicate effective feedback or else while you are summiting or traveling you can get into environments where you have to rely on that person and you wont be able to trust them.

Might have been on a tangent but even though you will find people with very similar ideals about the wilderness and in the same age range, the other folks will be in a different headspace and be from a different background making for a diverse group mix, which will feed the leadership skills that you would develop.

[JesusIsLove777]

that is very great man! thanks so much for in info!

[JesusIsLove777]

1.do you know if any of the kids stayed in touch after??


2. are their any campfires/fun camping stuff going on?

3. do you sleep in a tent by yourself??




THANKS SO MUCH!

[wroth81]

1.do you know if any of the kids stayed in touch after??

It really depends on the student mix but some people do stay in touch after the course, and some people connect with other NOLS alums with various alumni reunions and local meet-ups in the bigger cities. Some people also decide to travel together after the course is over.

I stayed in touch with a couple people from my course for a few years. Now that I work for the school in Lander I have found that a couple of the other students from my course are instructors so I get to see them whenever they pass through town.

2. are their any campfires/fun camping stuff going on?

NOLS practices Leave No Trace and in some/most cases fires pose hazards to LNT ethics in the backcountry. There are potentials for fires but I cannot say for sure if you would have one or a bunch. As far as other fun camp stuff I can say that there are some group building exercises but not really that many or that sappy. We played cards a lot, and had lots of opportunities while teaching small classes to have fun. We would sometimes do a potluck dinner where each tent group brings whatever they cooked and we would all eat together.

3. do you sleep in a tent by yourself??

There are tent groups about 3-4 people each. They share the carrying of the tent and cooking supplies. The tent group is also the cook group. Sometimes the group stays the same the whole course and sometimes they switch it up a couple times. If it was a nice night out though people might set up their sleeping bag away from other folks and sleep under the stars.