NOLS Alumni Magazine - The Leader Fall 2022-Spring 2023

THE LEADER

INSIDE Alumna Delivers Books to Arusha’s Kids

DearNOLS Community,

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as the Interim President of the National Outdoor Leadership School. In my first eight weeks at the helm, I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you, and I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome that you have extended to me. Your passion for outdoor education, wilderness medicine and leadership development is truly inspiring.

One of the highlights of my time as Interim President was the chance to visit the US Naval Academy and meet some of our nation's future leaders. Many of them are headed out on NOLS courses this summer, and it is clear that they are eager to learn the skills and values that our school has to offer. I was also honored to learn that all the Artemis II astronauts who are headed to the moon are not only leading the way in space, but are also proud NOLS alumni. These experiences have reinforced my belief that NOLS plays a critical role in developing new leaders who can promote positive change in the world.

Moving forward, I'd like to underscore the significance of fostering community and promoting teamwork. I am reminded of a proverb:

If you want to walk fast, walk alone.

If you want to walk far, walk together.

I firmly believe that NOLS thrives when we unite in pursuit of a shared objective. Through my philanthropic experience, I've learned that remarkable synergy emerges when communities are united by a bold and energized common vision. By mobilizing all of our available resources, including human and financial assets, as well as time and expertise, we can drive our mission to extraordinary heights. Now is the time for NOLS to break through and achieve its dreams.

In my role as Interim President, my focus is on three key areas: leading a strategic planning process with Ian Symmonds, supporting the Board in their presidential search, and achieving a balanced budget for FY24. These are important tasks, and I am committed to seeing them through to completion. However, I also recognize that they are just one part of the larger picture. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that NOLS is a thriving community that empowers individuals to become effective leaders in their personal and professional lives.

I am excited about the future of NOLS, and I am honored to be working alongside such a talented and dedicated group of individuals. Thank you for your support and commitment to our mission. Together, I am confident that we can achieve great things.

THE LEADER

DESIGNER

Kacie DeKleine

NOLS PRESIDENT

Sandy Colhoun

The Leader is a magazine for alumni of NOLS, a nonprofit global school focusing on wilderness skills, leadership, and environmental ethics. It is distributed to NOLS alumni. NOLS graduates receive a free subscription to The Leader for life.

The Leader welcomes article submissions and comments. Please address all correspondence to leader@nols.edu or call 1-307-332-8800. Alumni can direct email changes to alumni@nols.edu or 1-800332-4280. For the most up-todate information on NOLS, visit www.nols.edu or email info@ nols.edu.

The Leader is available online at www.nols.edu/leader

Front cover photo: Sophie Goldstein

Back cover photo: Daniel Lay

Sandy Colhoun NOLS Interim President

ENGAGE

EXPEDITION COURSES

Year in Patagonia & Rocky Mountain Outdoor Educator

A NOLS course is an immersive expedition where you will spend time exploring remote, wild places with a tight-knit community of students and instructors. From Adventure Courses for students 14-15 to Gap Year experiences for college-age students to Adult-only courses, there is a NOLS Expedition for you! NOLS courses teach wilderness and leadership

skills on expeditions and in classrooms. You will apply these skills to challenges in a supportive learning culture with high expectations. You’ll have the opportunity for a positive, transformational experience and leave your course inspired and empowered to act. Find a course for you today!

Year in Patagonia

Date | October 18, 2023-March 15, 2024

Cost | $37,850

Grow in Patagonia on an extended expedition packed with leadership mastery, outdoor skills, impressive wilderness certifications, local service, and cultural immersion - all with the opportunity to earn 27 college credits. Climb high passes and learn to traverse glaciers while learning about the environment. Practice sea kayaking along Patagonia’s archipelagos while developing new leadership skills. Go rock climbing at the foot of the Andes while you grow your comfort zone. A highlight of this 135 day experience is spending one section with a Spanish-speaking Patagonian family in a remote campo (ranch) setting. The experience, life skills, global perspective, and outdoor skills learned in Patagonia will serve you for the rest of your life.

Rocky Mountain Outdoor Educator with Wilderness First Responder

Date | July 18-August 16, 2023

Cost | $7,230

Are you ready to share your experience and love of wild places with others as an outdoor educator? On this course, you’ll start with a week in the classroom with NOLS Wilderness Medicine instructors. Then head into the backcountry to hike along high mountain ridges and camp beside clear alpine lakes. As you complete your field work for your Wilderness First Responder certification, you’ll also practice outdoor skills with a focus on how to teach these effectively. Grow your risk management skills navigating river crossings and ascending peaks. You will emerge with the experience and confidence to advance your career as an outdoor educator.

Charles Zwick

Oscar Manguy

Meet Sandy Colhoun, NOLS’ Interim President

By Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Sandy

Colhoun, NOLS grad, former Trustee, and a firm believer in leadership lessons learned at NOLS, has been named the school’s Interim President in the wake of President Terri Watson’s departure. Sandy’s post will be a temporary one, lasting until a new president is chosen, projected to be about a year from now.

Sandy brings deep experience in fundraising and strategic planning for non-profit organizations, most recently as chief campaign officer at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. A NOLS Wind River Mountaineering graduate, Sandy’s resume includes work as a ski patroller in Park City, Utah; editor-in-chief of the Antarctic Sun in McMurdo Station; and a staff reporter for The Christian Science Monitor . His outdoor adventures include climbing in Alaska, Nepal, and Bolivia, and cycling over the Himalayas from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal.

Sandy called his NOLS course, as a 16-year-old, the hardest thing he ever did.

“I lost weight, walked with blisters, and had to learn what it meant to be part of a team and how to lead,” he said. “Like thousands of NOLS graduates worldwide, I took something very special away from those four weeks in the mountains. I gained a lifelong passion for the outdoors, a commitment to wild places, and a deep desire to explore. I also started my journey as a leader, which connects directly with this community today.”

In listing his priorities for his time as president, Sandy named these items:

• Start the search for a new president—an effort, he said, that is ongoing. Trustees have formed a Presidential Search Committee with support from Spencer Stuart, a global executive search firm.

• Continue to invest in the Transformation project, building the school’s Information Technology systems,

focusing on internal culture, and organizational structure to support the mission.

• Begin a comprehensive strategic planning process that will guide the school’s vision for the next decade. NOLS has partnered with Ian Symmonds and Associates to carry out this work. Sandy expects this effort to conclude in January 2024.

Sandy said he is humbled and grateful to be able to serve NOLS in this time of transition.

“I will work with the Board of Trustees, the Executive Team, and staff to develop our strategic direction to support planning and

to envision the decade ahead,” he said. Sandy said he will engage and learn from the insights and perspectives of the whole NOLS community as the school continues to move into its vibrant future.

In a tribute to Terri, Sandy thanked her for her leadership, especially through the challenges of the last three years. “Terri’s legacy as the leader who guided NOLS through the global pandemic is unassailable and serves as a testament to her dedication and character,” he said.

Sandy, his wife, Selina—a NOLS Southwest Graduate—and their two children live in Maine.

Sandy Colhoun is NOLS' Interim President. Courtesy of Sandy Colhoun

The History of Three Peaks Ranch

By Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Wewere really just looking for a place to keep horses for the summer, not necessarily a place to buy,” said Rob Hellyer, describing how, in 1972, NOLS came to purchase Three Peaks Ranch, the epicenter of the school’s horse courses.

Now seated comfortably in the booklined living room of their own ranch home outside of Lander, Wyoming, the Hellyers shared their memory of those days, five decades ago, when Martha, Rob’s wife and NOLS’ first female instructor, and Rob, the energetic right-hand man to founder Paul Petzoldt, made a decision that altered the way the school ran courses in the mountains.

Three Peaks is NOLS’ 71-acre irrigated ranch located near Boulder, Wyoming on the west side of the Wind River Mountains, an almost straight shot over the range from NOLS headquarters in Lander. Last summer, ranch staff and friends from years past celebrated Three Peaks’ 50th anniversary with a party, pig roast, horse show, and stories shared by NOLS stalwarts who were vital to the founding of the ranch—like the Hellyers. They also shared their story with The Leader, recalling when a horse ranch

was just a deep desire and an answer to a problem.

Horses were an integral part of NOLS since its founding in 1965, used—as they are now—for some re-rations, carrying heavier pieces of equipment, and, of course, teaching horse skills.

But horses came with unique stumbling blocks. Among them: where to pasture the animals, how to keep from monopolizing Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service corrals in warm weather, and how to feed them year-round.

In 1970, access to the Winds and to American Indian outfitters through the Wind River Reservation near Lander was halted, so roadheads on the west side became the primary route NOLS courses used to reach the mountains. NOLS had access to corrals there, acquired through a special-use permit, but they were temporary, and a 128-mile drive each way from Lander.

“So, we mostly rented pasture, but in the back of our minds, we were always looking for a place that we could buy to keep horses,” Rob explained. That was solved thanks to friends he had made near Boulder.

“A guy told me about a place for sale,” he remembered. “It was ideal. It was more than 50 acres, had a couple BLM leases, and was irrigated, so we had pasture. It had a barn and corrals, and one house.”

One summer Friday in 1972, on the return to Lander from a speaking engagement in Jackson, Rob and Martha took a detour through Boulder, toured what was then known as the Steele Ranch, and immediately wrote a check for $4,500, one-tenth of the purchase price.

“That was just to hold it. It seemed like a lot of money for us, but it was a very good deal,” Rob said, “and it solved our problems.”

As they returned to Lander to share the news with Paul (who, Rob said, was well aware of the school’s equine challenges and fully supported the purchase), Jim Allen was already moving horses and equipment to Three Peaks.

To call Jim NOLS' first ranch manager doesn’t begin to cover his duties. “He was in charge of everything,” Rob said.

Jim Allen, who also attended the 50th anniversary celebration and shared his ranch story, is a fifth-generation Lander, Wyoming native, who wanted to be a horse

WILDERNESS QUIZ

QUESTION | What year did Paul Petzoldt purchase the Noble Hotel in Lander, still used to house students and instructors?

packer from the time he was in grade school. In 1968, when he was 15 and judged too young to get hired on at local outfitters and dude ranches, Jim enrolled on a NOLS course—with Paul as his instructor—in the Wind River Mountains. After that, he approached Paul seeking work. Recognizing Jim’s horsemanship, Paul hired him on the spot to pack horses with Rob and Martha.

I n the winter of his junior year of high school, Jim worked in the NOLS office, developing the field rationing system still used today. Students for the first time, for example, were required to break down huge chunks of cheese and massive amounts of hot cocoa mix into smaller course-sized portions before their course hit the trail.

R e-rations required food to be delivered to courses every 10 days or so. For a time, food and supplies were brought to a central area in the Winds and courses were re-rationed from there. Eventually, though, as NOLS grew exponentially thanks to the 1969 documentary film Thirty Days to Survival, re-rationing—at Jim’s recommendation—returned to a more mobile system, delivering goods to courses on horses, often unbroken and purchased at auction. The creatures were wild and challenging, Jim remembered, but he and his fellow packers—men and women—had an advantage: working knowledge of trails in the Winds River Mountains and the energy, strength, and bravado of youth.

“ We broke a bunch of horses there,” Jim recalled of his 17-year-old self and his fellow NOLSies. “When you’re that age you

didn’t care. You get the job done. We got the food in.”

So, when Three Peaks was purchased, it was natural that Jim, with so much NOLS horse and organizational experience behind him, would be named the ranch manager. At age 19, he took over.

B ut not without help. A perk of the place was that previous owners Leonard and Velma Priebe retained life tenancy on the house.

“ They were a tremendous asset to our NOLS crew and students,” Rob Hellyer remembered. “They were a wealth of good information on the ranch and Leonard was an accomplished cattle and horse hand and had a wonderful disposition. The NOLS crew really looked up to him and Velma.”

Still, life on the ranch wasn’t particularly cushy, Jim recalled.

“ We scrounged up mattresses and lived in the loft of the barn,” he said. “The stairs to the loft were army surplus from airplanes. We built the round corral.”

But the goal was reached: NOLS now had a home for re-rations and horse programs.

For the next seven summers, Jim ran the ranch, working diligently to add outbuildings and corrals as needed, buying and breaking horses, and keeping NOLS students fed and supplied. In 1979, he turned the operation over to the younger folks who worked for him.

T he man who dreamed of being a horse packer since childhood said, looking back, his favorite part of the job was

the mental work.

“ The logistics of re-rations and all that— we invented that whole deal,” he remembered. “It was a whole lot of hard physical work, but it was fun too. I mean, it’s kind of a unique experience: where else but on a NOLS course do you see pack horses doing what they’ve done since ancient times?”

Jim and his wife, former NOLS instructor Mary Stone Allen, went on to own and run Allen’s Diamond 4, Wyoming’s highest elevation dude ranch. He is still a licensed and active Wyoming Outfitter and has held a license for 50 consecutive years, as long or longer than any other Wyoming outfitter.

Three Peaks Ranch clearly holds a special place in the hearts of all who’ve spent time there, as evidenced by the crowd who gathered for the anniversary party last summer, swapped memories, and gathered by the fire to hear Rob and Jim share stories of those early days. And, if the reaction to those tales on that cool summer evening was any indication, the Hellyers and Allens—and their dedication, hard work, and love for Three Peaks and the school— hold a very special place in the history of NOLS.

Anne McGowan grew up camping and hiking with her family in Pennsylvania. She followed her love of words and books to a career in writing.

Left: Paul Petzoldt and a teenaged Jim Allen. Right: Rob and Martha Hellyer. NOLS

REB GREGG AWARD WINNER Catherine Hansen-Stamp

By Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Atthe 29th annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference held October 19-21, 2022, Catherine Hansen-Stamp, Esq. received the Charles “Reb” Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award for significant contributions to the field of risk management in outdoor education and adventure professions.

Presented annually since 2006, recipients of the Charles “Reb” Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award are recognized for exceptional leadership, service, and innovation in wilderness risk management. The WRMC Steering Committee accepts nominations each spring for the profession’s highest honor.

Reb had high praise for Cathy. “I’m thrilled that this year’s award is going to my good friend, colleague, and presenting-partner of many years, Cathy Hansen-Stamp,” he said. “The success of the conference over the years is due in large measure to her legal expertise and wise counsel.”

Catherine Hansen-Stamp, an attorney in private practice in Golden, Colorado, recently transitioned to work as Counsel with Kristen Burke and the team at CrestPoint Law. For the last 27 years, her practice has focused solely on advising recreation, adventure and experiential program providers and related organizations on law, liability and risk management issues.

Cathy speaks and writes frequently on these issues, both regionally and nationally and has done so for many years. She has presented at the Annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference since its inception in 1994, and recently stepped down after serving six years on the Steering Committee. In 2003, she and Reb organized and co-chaired the first four Annual CLE International conferences on Recreation and Adventure Law & Liability. She has spoken at many other

conferences including for the American Camp Association, the Educational Travel Consortium, the Association for Experiential Education and the National Association of Independent Schools.

She is a 1999 NOLS Wilderness Medicine Wilderness First Aid graduate.

Cathy’s clients have included recreation, adventure and sport program providers, camps, schools, outfitters and guides, dude ranches, ropes and challenge course builders and facilitators, resort owners, science and environmental programs, equipment rental providers, competitive event sponsors and others. Cathy graduated from The Colorado College in 1981 and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming in 1985. She is a member of both the Wyoming and Colorado Bar Associations and currently serves on the University of Wyoming College of Law Advisory Board. Cathy’s collaborative and trailblazing work embodies and exemplifies the purpose and core tenets of the WRMC.

About the WRMC

The Wilderness Risk Management Conference unites hundreds of organizations annually to share ideas and educate wilderness practitioners on practical risk management skills. The WRMC is a collaboration between Outward Bound USA, the Student Conservation Association, and NOLS, in partnership with the WRMC Steering Committee. Its core objective is to offer an outstanding educational experience that helps attending programs mitigate the risks inherent in exploring, working, teaching, and recreating in wild places.

“I’m thrilled that this year’s award is going to my good friend, colleague, and presenting-partner of many years. The success of the conference over the years is due in large measure to her legal expertise and wise counsel.”

Top: Catherine Hansen-Stamp, winner of the Charles "Reb" Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award

Bottom: Reb Gregg Photos courtesy of Catherine Hansen-Stamp and NOLS

Anne McGowan grew up camping and hiking with her family in Pennsylvania. She followed her love of words and books to a career in writing.

HONORING STAFF

Wyss Campus Building Named for Schimelpfenig

By Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Dave, as his co-instructor.”

The building bearing Tod’s name sits partway up a hill on the Wyss campus, the only year-round residential campus in the world designed specifically to support students training in pre-hospital Wilderness Medicine skills. Located about 12 miles south of NOLS Headquarters in Lander, Wyoming, the Wyss Campus exists, as Melissa put it, because of “the trust NOLS donors, large and small, have in our work. It is a testament to how philanthropy, hard work, and a little bit of dreaming can combine in ways that impact the world positively a few students at time.”

The sun shone bright and clear and a light breeze rustled the sage at the NOLS Wyss Wilderness Medicine Campus near Lander on October 6. Midway up a hill, a group of NOLSies became a crowd, gathering to see the ribbon cutting of a new building honoring one of the stalwarts of wilderness medicine at NOLS and across the world.

Tod Schimelpfenig, who retired in 2022 from his position as the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Curriculum Director, had to be pulled away from a course he was teaching in another part of the Wyss Campus to cut the ribbon on the building that is now named the Schimelpfenig Student Center. He shared ribbon-cutting duties with George Phipps, half of the duo, along with his wife Kristina, that made the dream of the student center a reality.

Tod’s history at NOLS is long and storied. He began his administrative career at the Rocky Mountain campus in 1978. He managed the Issue Room for five years before spending time as a program supervisor, purchasing agent, field staffing director, and developing and filling the role of NOLS’ first Risk Management Director.

During this time, Tod developed the NOLS Risk Management incident

database and was a founding member of the Wilderness Risk Managers Committee and Conference. In 2010, Tod became the second recipient of the Reb Gregg Award honoring his life-long contributions to wilderness risk management. (See more about the award on page 8)

Between 1996 and 2002, Tod was the Rocky Mountain branch director before ultimately taking the position of curriculum director. He continues to serve students in NOLS classrooms, like he did that day at the Wyss Campus.

“It’s impossible to place a value on the depth of Tod’s contribution to the field of wilderness medicine,” said NOLS Wilderness Medicine director Melissa Gray in a speech before the gathered crowd.

“Tod’s work in the EMS system influenced his development of a backcountry-based wilderness medicine course for NOLS field instructors beginning in 1978. Tod is one of very few nationally recognized and honored wilderness medicine education experts. His efforts to translate the principles of EMS into relevant, practical, and evidence-influenced wilderness medicine practices helped transform the wilderness medicine education industry. Still, his favorite career moment was leading a course with his son,

George and Kristina Phipps, longtime donors to NOLS, not only donated funds to build the student center, but 20 years ago supported the purchase by NOLS of what was then called the Wilderness Medicine Institute.

According to Melissa, George and Kristina declined to have the building bear their name and instead chose to name it after someone who has played an integral role in the development and growth of wilderness medicine and risk management training at NOLS and beyond. Hence, the Schimelpfenig Student Center.

George—a member of the NOLS Board of Trustees, who along with Kristina had just completed an alumni trip in Bhutan— joined Tod at the podium, and with both men holding the scissors, cut the ribbon to applause and whistles.

In spite of the NOLSies-style pomp, Melissa noted that, “Here at NOLS he is just our Tod—with one ‘d’. Ever responsive, ever thoughtful, ever student centered. It’s fitting that after nearly 50 years of service to NOLS staff and students this building has the honor of bearing his name.”

Anne McGowan grew up camping and hiking with her family in Pennsylvania. She followed her love of words and books to a career in writing.

Tod Schimelpfenig and George Phipps shared ribbon cutting duties. Danny Armanino

ALUMNI TRIPS

Backpacking Wyoming's Wind River Traverse & Backpacking Ireland's Coast

Continue the adventure and learning by adding a NOLS Alumni trip to your calendar. Join a trip and trust NOLS to run the show. Our trips are often suitable for non-grad guests too. Alumni trips cater to the interests and calendars of our grads—last year our participants ranged from ages 10-78! We have a variety of offerings across a spectrum of physical challenge and are always adding more options. If you don’t see what you want, contact us for custom trip ideas. For more information or to sign up call 1-800-3324280 or visit www.nols.edu/alumni

Reunions are back—and we can’t wait to see you!

We are excited to bring NOLS to you in person in 2023! Alumni reunions are being held again this spring and fall in select cities throughout the country. Join us!

Up next: Reunions in Lake Placid, NY, Denver, CO, and Boulder, CO. Watch your inbox or the NOLS website for dates and details.

Backpacking Wyoming’s Wind River

Traverse

Dates | August 6-14, 2023

Cost | $2,295

Wyoming’s Wind River Range is calling! Polish your backcountry travel and camping techniques on an amazing and challenging traverse of one of America’s best mountain ranges. The team hopscotches the Continental Divide, reviewing all parts of the NOLS backpacking curriculum, including fly fishing.

Moderate Difficult

This trip includes challenging hikes with heavy packs on an aggressive route.

Backpacking Ireland’s Coast

Date | July 1-7, 2023, July 9-15, 2023

Cost | $3,395

Explore the trails of Ireland’s western coast from Ennis north to the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands, and the Connemara region with a light backpack and a group of fellow NOLS grads, families, and friends. This trip stays in small inns where the music is traditional and the food is incredible.

Moderate Difficult

Enjoy variable hikes, light backpacks, and upscale inns along the Emerald Isle’s west coast.

Marina Egorova

Kristen Lovelace

FEATURED COURSE Wilderness Medicine Instructor Course

By Jim Wynn Staffing Coordinator

Iremember,more than six years ago now, walking into the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Wyss Campus classroom early one blustery March morning for Day One of what would prove the second most challenging course I would take through Wilderness Medicine.

I had designs to become a fully certified Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician. I had the option to become an EMT through another agency, but I had heard that the NOLS Wilderness Medicine course was the best. And I had heard it was the best because of the high level of instruction that you received. And as we moved through the course and experienced the stresses and the rewards involved, I learned how true those statements were.

I had never been taught by people so dedicated and knowledgeable.

And by the time the course wrapped up, and we received our certifications, I knew I no longer wanted to be just a Wilderness EMT; I wanted to be a NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor.

Flash forward to the Summer of 2021. After my second attempt, I got the call congratulating me and welcoming me to the Fall Wilderness First Aid Instructor Training Course.

Thus began the single most challenging course that I have taken through NOLS Wilderness Medicine.

The ITC is difficult. There is no secret there. But that difficulty doesn’t just lie in the endeavor itself. Truth is, one doesn’t casually get accepted to the ITC. When you get that acceptance call, you do so because you have put in the time to show that you have what it takes to be counted among the best cadre of instructors in wilderness medicine in the United States. And then you have to prove it.

And as difficult as the ITC is, I have never felt more supported or set up for success then I have by the instructors on the ITC. I stood on the shoulders of my advisor throughout the entire course. And then, after six days of stress, sleepless nights, emotional surges, and large amounts of coaching and assessment, I was told I had been found Eligible for Hire. I have never been prouder of myself then when I was hearing those words.

I had reached my foremost goal: I could call myself an Instructor for NOLS Wilderness Medicine. But I still had to teach a course.

The first course I ever taught was on the frozen shores of Narraganset Bay in Seekonk, Massachusetts. It was in an old New England barn at an Audubon preserve.

The temperature outside held at a frigid -6 degrees Fahrenheit, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t much warmer inside.

Standing up in front of that class of students, all 30 of them staring back at me with their expectant faces, waiting for me to explain to them the Patient Assessment System, I froze as solid as the Providence River. I could feel those expectant faces get a touch more expectant. And then I remembered what my advisor told me before I student-taught my first class as a candidate on the ITC, in front of the other students and six instructors: “Just breathe, and then teach what you know.”

So that’s what I did. Two days and 16 hours of teaching later, watching all those happy and fully certified WFA students walk out the door, I had taught my first class for Wilderness Medicine.

And it all started from that first course at the Wyss campus so long ago. I wanted to teach for NOLS Wilderness Medicine, so I set my sights on that goal and never let go. You should too.

Kyle Wilson

When not chasing monsters out from under beds, Jim Wynn can be found outside looking for an adventure. A NOLS Wilderness Medicine grad, it’s his life goal to only take things as seriously as he has to.

ALUMNI IN ACTION

After the Climb: A Conversation with Phil Henderson

By Isaiah Gordon Donor Relations & Stewardship Coordinator

Inthe winter of 2019, Philip Henderson

and the Full Circle Everest Expedition team began planning. The first all-Black summit of the world’s highest mountain would be three years in the making, but long overdue.

Having the right climbers and team leader were essential to making this expedition possible. That team: eleven climbers led by Phil.

Phil’s history with NOLS includes instructing, managing equipment, and directing programs at both domestic and international campuses. Throughout his career in various organizations and positions, Phil has always been among the earliest voices advocating for greater representation in the outdoor industry.

Having volunteered various times for the Khumbu Climbing Center, Phil has

experience trekking in Nepal and on Everest. In all 12 years of his experience in Nepal, Phil said, he encountered another Black person just once.

This expedition, Full Circle Everest, was an opportunity for more Black climbers to connect with the Nepali and Sherpa communities, and to increase their intercultural connection and exchange of knowledge.

Expedition leader Phil Henderson, back row right, with the Full Circle Everest team. Courtesy of Full Circle Everest

This group of climbers brought an array of backgrounds, interests, and expertise to the expedition:

• Abby Dione has been the proud owner of Coral Cliffs Climbing Gym in Fort Lauderdale, Florida since 2011.

• James “KG” Kagambi began his guiding career in Kenya as a NOLS field instructor. He is NOLS' most senior instructor, recently reaching 900 field weeks!

• Manoah Ainuu was born in Compton, California to first-generation immigrants from Samoa and Ethiopia. Manoah’s childhood was surrounded by concrete and congested freeways.

• Fred Campbell has loved challenges and adventure since he was a child.

• Demond Mullins received his PhD in Sociology from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2013.

• Rosemary Saal is an outdoor enthusiast, educator, and Seattle transplant currently living in Tucson, Arizona.

• Eddie Taylor, a Midwestern kid, dreamed of mountains. From an early love for snowboarding and trips out west, the seed was planted.

• Thomas Moore was born and raised in the small town of Cartersville, Georgia, and developed a passion for travel as a young man, touring through scores of countries, where he relished experiencing new cultures.

• Adina Scott is an adventurer, nerd (her term), and artist. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she could usually be found digging in the dirt under the porch, playing music, reading a book, or hanging out in

the plum tree, snacking.

• Evan Green—born in Queens, New York but raised in Texas—is an all-arounder when it comes to outdoors. He is an avid climber, cyclist, snowboarder, and backpacker based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On May 12, 2022, well over half of the team summited Everest. And now, thanks to the Full Circle Everest Expedition, more Black climbers can talk about Everest from firsthand experience.

On his return, Phil shared what it was like—not so much to climb, but to do so as the first group of Black climbers to summit.

In the field, Phil recalled that the group was appropriately treated with respect and as the experienced climbers they are. They felt supported by most people they interacted with, which is different from hiking or climbing in the U.S. In the States, Phil said, Black groups are often met with questions of their competence and made to feel as if they are out of place.

For Phil, getting back to the day-to-day was not so different from the aftermath of past expeditions, apart from engaging in more conversations about the historic expedition. While Phil and his team anticipated this expedition to be a big deal among the outdoor community, he’s still been surprised by the amount of attention it has received.

By sharing their experience on various platforms, from podcasts to major news networks, this expedition has brought the topic of representation to the forefront of many discussions about the outdoors.

So, what is his advice to someone who wants to engage with representation in the outdoors?

“I would direct them to themselves first. Ask yourself, do you care about the outdoors or just about representation in the outdoor space?” Phil responded. “This expedition connected generations of underrepresented communities who care for the outdoors.”

The expedition also increased the bonds between Black climbers and the Nepali and Sherpa communities, increasing knowledge of Sherpa culture. Students from Central Wyoming College, located in Riverton, Wyoming, just 25 miles from NOLS headquarters in Lander, were even afforded the opportunity to hike to Everest Base Camp, gaining experience and knowledge in the outdoor space. Leaders from Vanity Fair magazine and The North Face also joined this leg of the trek, experiencing firsthand the impact of Phil’s leadership in the outdoor industry.

If you’re wondering what’s next for Phil, rest assured that he’ll continue to do what he’s always done: inspire, encourage, and support people to become environmentally conscious and establish their own connection to nature.

Congratulations to the Full Circle Everest Team who were recipients of the American Alpine Club's 2023 Climb of the Year Award

The team in Kathmandu, post summit. Courtesy of Full Circle Everest/Amrit Ale

Isaiah Gordon is a two-time alumnus out of NOLS Pacific Northwest and NOLS River Base, currently working on the Advancement team to share the impact of a NOLS experience.

EXPOSE

Alumna Delivers Books to Arusha’s Children

By Brooke Ortel Writer

In February 2020, NOLS grad and Advisory Council volunteer Wandi Steward went to Tanzania to climb a mountain. She came back determined to deliver culturally appropriate storybooks to the children of Tanzania.

While she didn’t know it at the time, this was the beginning of the Afrikan Baby Book Project, also known as the Black Baby Book Project or Arusha Literacy Project.

What started with bringing a few school supplies to the children she met during a trip to Arusha soon became an international adventure involving Afrikan authors and publishers, virtual book drives, a California-based Rotary Club, and lots of suitcases filled with children’s books.

On that initial expedition, Wandi began a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of fellow Outdoor Afro leaders. Unfortunately, a nasty bout of food poisoning sent her back down the mountain after the first day. After months of preparation, her dreams of reaching the summit were dashed.

When Wandi Steward presented books to the children of Arusha, she felt “like she’d given them gold.” Courtesy of Wandi Steward

But the trip wasn’t ruined–not a bit. “It was lemons to lemonade,” she explains. “I was in Arusha by myself and I wasn’t going to sit there and cry about it. I went out and got to know people in the community. It was awesome to connect with folks.” She also made some observations. First: the people she met were incredibly welcoming hosts. Second, the children needed school supplies.

Six months later, Wandi returned to Arusha. This time her mission had nothing to do with Kilimanjaro–she was back to visit friends. She brought along some crayons and other basic school supplies for a local children’s home. “The response of the kids was phenomenal,” she remembers, “It was like I’d given them gold.”

But as she sang songs and played games with the children, Wandi noticed something else. There was a troubling disconnect between the material in their storybooks and their daily lives. Here, in this Tanzanian village, children were learning to read using Dick and Jane books from the ’60s. “A lot of their reading material was simply culturally inappropriate.”

This is a symptom of well-intentioned but misguided attempts to combat the ongoing book famine in Afrika. Twenty-foot shipping containers stuffed with decommissioned library books from donors in affluent countries are transported to Afrikan with the intention of promoting literacy. But, for children in rural villages, these storybooks depict an alien lifestyle. The characters and storylines are completely unrelatable. Meanwhile, local authors and publishers struggle to compete with the flood of free books.

What is it doing to their minds? Wandi wondered. “If you’re in a tiny agrarian village reading about little Robbie riding the subway, how do you relate to that?” A classic alphabet book beginning with, “A is for apple, B is for bat or bear…” would be completely unrelatable. Where would the children find an apple? And why not “B for banana” instead? “Bananas are everywhere, baseball bats and bears are nowhere.”

She tried to think like a child, she recalls. “I would not be interested in reading if I could not relate something about it to real life. That becomes a barrier to literacy. Part of becoming literate is having the curiosity to read.”

Wandi also points out that “these books are about non-Afrikans, non-People-of-Color, all displaying some sort of material wealth.” What this ultimately translates to is “the genesis of braindrain. Starting when they are young, these children are being taught that material success and happiness and knowledge is outside Afrika. None of the reading material in their school affirms who they are or celebrates their amazing environment.”

Fueled by this new awareness, Wandi set out in search of culturally appropriate reading material for her young friends in Arusha. She contacted Kulthum Maabad, an Afrikan author who had recently written Afrikan Heroes, an illustrated children’s book featuring Nelson and Winnie Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Paul Kagame, Desmond Tutu, and other Afrikan leaders. It was just the kind of book Wandi was looking for.

She personally purchased Kulthum’s entire inventory, nine books at the time. The author hand-delivered all nine copies of Afrikan Heroes to the tiny schoolhouse in Arusha.

But the project was no longer a “one and done” operation. Soon the Whittier Sunrise Rotary Club was busily raising funds to support Wandi’s efforts, donating funds to purchase 200 copies of Afrikan Heroes, which were delivered to 14 children’s homes in time for Christmas 2020.

The next year, Wandi found herself delivering 1,400 books to children in Arusha and Kigali. “Children literally lined up to get the books. Experiencing that kind of response was amazing—watching children just hugging books is phenomenal to me.”

In 2022, the Afrikan Baby Book Project partnered with the World Space Foundation and attained nonprofit status as a 501(c)(3) organization. Wandi has also organized live and virtual book drives in which donors can fund the purchase of a variety of Afrikan-authored children’s books.

Going forward, Wandi plans to coordinate sending funds directly to publishing houses in Rwanda and Tanzania, enabling local publishers to distribute the books directly. The goal is to transition to a process in which Afrikan publishers deliver books written by Afrikan authors, to Afrikan schoolchildren. Plus, it’s more efficient than lugging books across the ocean and the entire Afrikan continent by hand!

The mission of the Afrikan Baby Book Project is to “spark curiosity, inspire confidence and creativity and to encourage critical thinking and compassion. A lot of that can come through reading. That’s the whole point of having culturally relevant books.”

Lately, Wandi has been reading a lot of Afrikan children’s folktales. These stories “make you think, and they’re beautifully written. None start with ‘once upon a time’ and none end with ‘happily ever after.’” But they resonate.

The ultimate goal of the Afrikan Baby Book project, Wandi says, is “to inspire the children to write their own stories. They all have their own fantastic stories that should be shared with the world.”

“It was lemons to lemonade,” she explains. “I was in Arusha by myself and I wasn’t going to sit there and cry about it. I went out and got to know people in the community. It was awesome to connect with folks.”

Brooke Ortel is a runner and writer who enjoys finding adventure in the everyday. True to her island roots, she loves sunshine and that salty ocean smell.

EXPOSE

WRMC Returns to In-Person Format

By Sara Lauridsen Philanthropy Coordinator

The Wilderness Risk Management Conference, the gold standard in helping to mitigate risks inherent in exploring, working, teaching, and recreating in wild places, met in person last October, the first time since 2019.

The WRMC convened for the very first time in 1994 and continued to gather for the next 26 years. In 2020 and 2021, as travel and social gatherings came to a screeching halt during the Covid 19 pandemic, it transformed to an online format. Now after three long years, Darcy Owens, WRMC Manager, enthusiastically reflected on this year’s conference—held Oct. 19-23 in Burlington, Vermont—calling it a “highly successful return to an in-person event” with more than 450 attendees, 225 participating organizations, an exciting array of more than 50 workshops and events, and an exceptional keynote speaker.

According to Drew Leemon, NOLS Risk Management Director, “The WRMC is the best conference of its kind in our profession. No other conference focuses so well on this important aspect of adventure programming and working in remote environments.”

Hosted by NOLS in partnership with Outward Bound, the Student Conservation Association, and the WRMC Steering Committee, the conference provides a forum for

Photos from left to right Drew Leemon, Reb Gregg, Catherine Hansen-Stamp, and Mike Pigg. Conversations happened between sessions. Student Conservation Association’s Joshua Morris.

NOLS’ Shana Tarter and Katie Baum Mettenbrink flanked award-winner Catherine Hansen-Stamp. Clara Shanley

outdoor industry professionals to learn and share common practices in wilderness risk management. It helps build a culture of open dialogue as attendees congregate and collaborate. In last year’s survey of attendees, many especially raved about the joy of being able to be back in person, reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, and meeting new ones. People could also attend via Zoom.

The 2022 WRMC conference schedule included innovative workshops on emerging and classic risk management issues, networking sessions, and short talks. Topics addressed were wide ranging and highlights included trauma-sensitive care in the field, stress-injury mitigation, using brain science to improve performance, and emotional intelligence. Several workshops focused on methods for integrating DEI and identity-conscious awareness into risk management, resonating with the WRMC Steering Committee tenet on cultural humility supporting risk management and being essential in creating inclusive programs.

Further connecting the essential relationship between risk management and cultural awareness was keynote speaker Joshua Morris’s riveting address titled “How Risk Management Saved Lives during the Thai Caves Rescue.” Based in Thailand as a caver and climber since 1999, Joshua had developed both a risk management mindset and a keen cross-cultural consciousness. This prepared him well to be the Lead International Team Coordinator in the 2018 Thai Cave Rescue of 12 boys and their coach. Rescuers had never experienced such a daunting set of circumstances and Joshua maintains that it was key risk management decisions that led to the success of the formidable mission.

To assemble such an impressive annual collection of inspiring speakers and events, the WRMC relies on extensive efforts of a cadre of dedicated industry professionals. The Charles (Reb) Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award is presented annually at the WRMC precisely to recognize those outstanding contributions. (Learn more about this year’s winner, Catherine Hansen-Stamp, on page 8).

Katie Baum Mettenbrink, NOLS Associate Director of Operations, summarized her conference takeaway: “As always, it was an opportunity to recognize that many of the challenges we face in our programs are not unique; we have a whole community of people working on similar issues, grounded in similar values. I’m inspired by the dedication to running quality programs and caring for the people involved and the lands where we operate.”

This year’s conference will be the 30th celebration, so please consider attending what continues to be the benchmark in Wilderness Risk Management Conferences, October 18-20, 2023, in Portland, Oregon. See you there!

Sara Lauridsen, a 2010 NOLS Wilderness Medicine grad and NOLS Advancement department Philanthropy Coordinator, can be found exploring the majestic Pacific Northwest with her husband, cats, and art supplies.

“As always, it was an opportunity to recognize that many of the challenges we face in our programs are not unique; we have a whole community of people working on similar issues, grounded in similar values. I’m inspired by the dedication to running quality programs and caring for the people involved and the lands where we operate.”

Peter Simer 1947–2022

By Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

PeterSimer, the Executive Director of NOLS from 1975 until 1983, whose business acumen pulled the school from a precarious financial spot, died at his home in Lander, Wyoming, on September 25, 2022 after a short battle with cancer. He was surrounded by friends, family, and Cyndy, his wife of 44 years. Peter was 74.

Born in Minneapolis, Minn., Peter Allen Simer was the sixth of 10 children. His family moved throughout the Midwest and Rocky Mountain West in Peter’s childhood, but returned to Minneapolis where he graduated from high school in 1965. He attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.

Peter came to NOLS as a student in 1970, having read about the school in LIFE magazine while living in a commune in Southern California. He became a NOLS instructor the following year—recognizable by his long hair and booming voice—and concurrently earned a Master’s degree in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State College.

In 1975, as NOLS bumped along in the wake of profound fiscal troubles and conflicts between the Board of Directors, founder Paul Petzoldt, and instructors, Peter was approached by the board to consider the position of executive director.

Peter Simer, pictured as an instructor, NOLS Executive Director (bottom center), with Paul Petzoldt (top center), climbing, and with friends. Photos courtesy of NOLS archives, the Simer family, Anne McGowan

“They said they’d like me to be director, and I thought about it and figured if nobody does it, the school will be out of business, so I’ll do it,” Peter told the authors of A Worthy Expedition: The History of NOLS in 2016.

The one time “wild man” instructor cut his hair and stepped forward with a sound education, deep likability, even better brains, and leadership experience (he had been the president of the budding NOLS Instructor Association).

“To his everlasting credit,” said former instructor Samuel ‘Q’ Belk, “he stepped into a leadership vacuum and pulled it off, completely changed overnight, and literally saved the damn school. There probably wouldn’t be a NOLS if Simer hadn’t taken over.”

Peter is credited with righting the ship, bringing order to chaos, and pinching pennies to get the school through incredibly tight financial times. He saw the benefit of—and encouraged—word-of-mouth promotion, and recognized the importance of scholarships.

“He was absolutely critical,” then-board member Bill Scott is quoted in A Worthy Expedition. “He was the right one for the job.”

Just a few years into the job, Peter and NOLS instructor Cyndy Hicks Simer married and started a family. They raised two sons, Kurt and Fletcher, and one daughter, Laurel.

Peter resigned from NOLS in May 1983 and enrolled in the Stanford Graduate School of Business, graduating with an MBA in 1985. They moved to Columbus, Indiana, where Peter worked for Cummins Engine Company until 1993. After a year in Seattle, working as the CEO of Cascade Cabinets, the family moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where Peter served as the CEO of Engineered Products Company from 1994 until he retired in 2007. In 2013, upon Cyndy’s retirement, Peter and Cyndy returned to Lander, purchasing a home just a few blocks from the NOLS Rocky Mountain campus and a stone’s throw from the NOLS Headquarters building. NOLS friends

were thrilled Peter and Cyndy were again part of their local community.

“Peter’s love of NOLS never waned,” said former NOLS President Terri Watson. “When we moved back to Lander in January of 2020, Peter quickly reached out to offer friendship, unique counsel, and incredible support over these past few unusual years. Even in his final days, Peter’s warmth, wit, and care for both NOLS and me personally was on display, and I know I am among many who miss him terribly.”

Peter was a life-long outdoorsman and an accomplished mountaineer, having traveled the world to climb. He was known for his quick wit, his vast knowledge of a wide breadth of subjects, and his passion for friends and family.

Peter leaves his loving wife and children, four grandchildren, scores of friends—and the gratitude of many who recognize that NOLS would not be here today without his efforts. A celebration of life is planned for July 19 at the Lander Community Center. His family recommends that those wishing to honor Peter make a gift to NOLS’ Peter Simer Memorial Fund in support of faculty development. In addition to NOLS, the family asks that people consider donating to Anam Cara Giving, Venmo: @anamcaracaregiving or at 909 Fremont St., Lander, WY 82520.

Anne McGowan grew up camping and hiking with her family in Pennsylvania. She followed her love of words and books to a career in writing.

Watercolors: Worth the Weight

Adapted from the NOLS Blog

Myinterest in the outdoors, as well as in art, developed at a young age. I cultivated my outdoor leadership skills through serving as an outing-club guide in both high school and college. I chose to double major in Studio Art and Environmental Studies. I completed the NOLS Pacific Northwest Outdoor Educator Mountaineering course.

Completing a NOLS course was a longtime goal of mine. I wanted to challenge myself, learn new skills, and it felt like the proper time in my life as I transitioned out of college and into law school.

For years I have regularly packed a watercolor field kit on adventures of all sorts: day hikes, backpacking trips, travels abroad, and more. This has resulted in dozens of sketchbooks that serve as a visual record of my life, filled with colorful images painted en plein air on summits, city streets, and nearly everywhere in between.

In preparation for my course, I paired down my watercolor kit to its most essential items: two small palettes, two brushes, one mechanical pencil, one waterproof ink pen, and a small notebook that I bound. The night before departing for the mountaineering section of our course, with the burdensome weight of my pack on my back, I asked myself: is my watercolor kit worth the weight?

I painted at the end of our first day hiking, while gathered with my cook group making dinner. The act of drawing and painting was always welcome at the end of a long day hiking or climbing. It allowed me to slow down and take a moment to truly appreciate the beauty and scale of the places we were in. I now have a small sketchbook that serves as a visual record of my NOLS course and experience. One of my trip leaders and another student also

brought watercolor materials on the course. It was even more enjoyable to paint together at camp, talking about technique and seeing how we each captured the scenery around us.

Some days I had time to paint for an hour and others only five minutes to sketch. Any amount of time I spent drawing or painting was always enjoyable. Was my watercolor kit worth the weight? I can now confidently say it was. And I am so happy I brought it.

It has taken me years to figure out what combination of materials works best for me. Here is a list of suggested materials that you can use to build a field kit that works for you. I recommend starting out with basic materials you already own; nothing special is required.

Supplies Suggestions:

• Watercolor palette (palette with prefilled pans or even DIY an Altoids tin palette using some magnetic tape)

• A watercolor sketchbook or piece of watercolor paper (you can even experiment with binding your own sketchbook)

• A water brush or brushes and small container for water (remember to follow Leave No Trace principles!)

• A waterproof pen (my favorite is a Micron)

• A pencil with eraser

Optional:

• A small reusable bag to keep your materials in to ensure they don’t get wet

• Watercolor postcard pad, they make great gifts to send home to family and friends

A page from one of the author’s dozens of sketchbooks. Artwork by Isabella Pardales

Maine native Isabella Pardales is working towards her dream of becoming an environmental lawyer. When not reading she is skiing, climbing, sewing, painting, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

HOW

TO Take a NOLS Alumni Trip

By Rich Brame NOLS Instructor

G’night,

Molly. I love you.”

“I love you too, dad.”

That’s what we heard in a quiet, darkened bunkroom, somewhere above timberline in the Italian Dolomites. We’d just snuggled into our sleeping sacks, under heavy comforters, after a great, multi-course dinner and a long day hiking on steep trails.

What could be better than sharing in that daughter/father exchange on a NOLS mountain adventure?

NOLS offers trips and global backcountry adventures for all kinds of grads, their guests, and their families. Our excursions vary in length (usually 7-16 days), physical difficulty, and format, and all are designed for adult learners and calendars.

Some trips climb high peaks: from Gannett at the top of Wyoming, to Washington’s Mt. Rainier, to Argentina’s Aconcagua, or Kilimanjaro in Africa, our challenging mountain adventures review basic backcountry living and travel skills and then add pertinent technical curriculum that helps participants and the team succeed. In the tradition of NOLS expeditions, these trips are tough and committing.

Not everyone wants to carry a large backpack, so we also offer water-based trips that let watercraft carry the gear. From sailing, to canoeing, to whitewater rafting and sea kayaking, water adventures explore remote wildlands and challenge our groups to learn and work together while honing skills. Many of our water trips travel to hardto-reach locations like Croatia, the Greek coast, or the Bahamas.

We also offer rock-climbing in basecamp settings, so days are spent learning climbing and rope systems rather than travel techniques. Rock climbing trips are suitable for novices, or experts as our experienced instructors share and build progressive vertical skills. Often, our rock climbing trips head to the sunny Southwest’s warm granite that gives participants a break from gray winter days in the north.

We know that grads like to share a NOLS experience with friends and family members—including parents, or younger children. Some of our trips cater specifically to families by tapping llamas, horses, or rafts to carry the heavy stuff. These trips let the team explore iconic wilderness areas like Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains, or Utah’s river canyons while participating in a true expedition experience.

NOLS alumni trips include a growing international menu of hut-to-hut, innto-inn, or small hotel-to-hotel options. These hiking trips can provide challenging walking segments and end the day at comfortable indoor lodging where meals are provided. This format keeps packs light and often immerses in local culture in places like Ireland, Slovenia, Portugal, Scotland, Bhutan, Thailand, Nepal, Chile, Iceland, and Italy.

The benefits of a NOLS alumni trip are many—reconnecting with NOLS in a small group, exploring new or iconic landscapes, learning new skills or taking on real

challenges, traveling with senior NOLS instructors, leaving complicated travel logistics to the pros, and knowing that your fellow adventurers share a common NOLS connection—and that’s why lots of alumni trip participants return again and again.

Consider a NOLS alumni trip as an affordable way to reconnect with NOLS in the outdoors. Bring a friend, or loved one, as a way to build memories while landing a trout in Wyoming, or over a wee dram of obscure Scottish whisky, or when seeking the top of a peak, or like a father/daughter team in Italy’s far north.

See our evolving menu of alumni trip options here. If you’re keen to design your own adventure, we also offer custom trips for groups and families. Contact our alumni trips team with questions or trip ideas.

Alumni trips can be long, short, challenging, and filled with camaraderie and fun—and they’re a great way to share NOLS with friends and family. Rich Brame

Alumni Trips Instructor Rich Brame came to NOLS as a Fall Semester in the Rockies student and worked his first course at Wind Cave National Park in 1984.

Portrait of Patagonia-Futaleufu, Chile

Reviewed by Anne McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Portrait of Patagonia-Futaleufu, Chile is a stunning photographic exploration of the Futaleufu River Valley, one of the premier whitewater rivers in the world.

While the book, a collaboration between Liz McGregor and Alex Nicks, certainly captures the adventure and challenge of rafting and kayaking the Futaleufu River, it does an even better job of capturing the people and the landscapes of the area. Farmers, shopkeepers, rodeo cowboys and princesses as well as foamy waters, foggy and lush mountain valleys—all are photographed with an unmistakable understanding and love for the region and its people. That’s because they are loved.

Liz McGregor, a producer and director of short films that focus on the environment, culture and adventure, first visited Chile in 1991 on a NOLS Semester in Patagonia.

GEAR REVIEW

RDCL Superfoods

Reviewed

by Anne

“It changed the course of my life and set me up for an enduring love of and life in Chilean Patagonia,” Liz wrote of her three-month NOLS course. She and her family now live half time in the area.

Alex Nicks is a kayaker and award-winning adventure travel photographer whose heart, like Liz’s, is in the middle of Patagonia. Nick, also like Liz, spends a portion of every year in the Futaleufu area.

Their passion and photographic talent, coupled with passages by a social anthropologist, residents, and a river conservationist—translated into both English and Spanish—pull the reader into the pages of the book and the history and culture of this gorgeous and remote locale.

Through hundreds of photos, we see how the traditions continue to thrive alongside the relatively new adventure culture,

sharing the waterway that means so much to all who spend time there.

For more information about Portrait of Patagonia-Futaleufu, Chile, its collaborators and how to purchase a copy of the book, visit the website

McGowan Advancement Communications Coordinator

Ifever there’s a time to enjoy cocoa, it’s winter. So, with several feet of snow piled up outside my NOLS office window last winter, a friend and I, feeling the call of hot chocolate, cracked open the box of RDCL Superfoods Super Cocoa that’s been sitting on my desk.

Made with six grams of plant-powered pea protein, ancient grains and seeds, greens, veggies and fruits—and no refined sugar—Super Cocoa is a vegan and nonGMO product.

The company, owned by NOLS parent Donny Makower (his daughter is a twotime alumna), recommends the powdered cocoa be mixed with water or your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk and enjoyed hot or cold. We opted to mix it with hot

water from the staff break room.

The upshot: it’s yummy! The beverage is creamy and chocolaty, as promised, and there’s not even a hint of pea-protein taste or the kale, broccoli, and spinach also listed on the box. It mixed smoothly into the hot water—no cocoa lumps here! I detected a pleasant hint of raspberry, though my fellow-taster did not. I’d consider adding a little bit of milk—dairy or non—the next time I settle in with a mug. And we’d also follow the instructions that suggest we “vary the amount of liquid to your liking” and add a tiny bit less than the scoopful (scoop included!) of powder suggested on the box.

Whatever way you drink it, drink it! If RDCL Super Cocoa is a delicious treat in the office on a snowy day, I can only imagine

how it might taste after a winter hike, some time spent at the ice rink, or while winter camping.

AWARDS

NOLS recognized its own at the annual Fall Meeting and Awards Dinner held in Lander in October

STAFF AWARDS

Rob Anderson NOLS Rocky Mountain Transportation CDL/Mechanic

Ashley Wise NOLS Alaska Program Director

Lena Conlan NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Pete Walka NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Jim Wynn NOLS Wilderness Medicine Logistics Coordinator

Ana Carolina Didyk Souza Field Instructor (and newly named River Base Campus Director)

Caio Poletti Expedition Curriculum Special Projects Manager/Alaska Program Supervisor

Mary Ellen Avery Field Staffing Coordinator

Bharat Bhushan Instructor

Brian Barrett NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Mark Crawford NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Atila Rego-Monteiro NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor

Jared Spaulding Instructor

Roger Yim Instructor

Margo van den Berg Instructor

ALUMNI AWARDS

Rich Brame Field Instructor (and former Alumni Relations Director)

Rob Anderson flanked by Terri Watson and Rachael Price.

NOLS Alaska Program Director Ashley Wise accepts his award.

Jim Wynn, Wilderness Medicine Logistics Coordinator, poses with Terri Watson and Melissa Gray.

Mary Ellen Avery, Field Staffing Coordinator, was snapped as she thanked the audience.

Rich Brame, former Alumni Director, received thanks from Terri Watson.

NUTRITION

Sopes, Baja Style

From the NOLS Cookery

NOLS Mexico is the source of this of this versatile recipe!

Sopes are similar to raised tortilla patties and can be filled with just about anything, making them the perfect base for both vegetarian and meaty meals.

4 cups corn masa flour

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:

1 1/2 cups refried beans

1 1/2 cups cheese

3/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cups cabbage, chopped

2 cups red or green sauce

Combine corn masa flour, water, and salt. Knead for 5 minutes or until masa is no longer sticky. Divide dough into 20 small balls. Flatten into thick tortillas approximately 3 inches in diameter. Heat a pan until hot (without oil), then cook three masa patties, rotating until patties are brown, approximately one minute on each side until they just start to blister. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining masa balls.

Working on the side that was heated first, pinch the edges of the patty up (be careful, as the masa is likely still hot). Then pinch another small circle inside the patty. This will help prevent the sope from collapsing when you stuff it. Fill the sopes with the filling of your choice, or spread with one tablespoon of hot refried beans. Top with cheese, onion, cabbage, and your choice of sauce. Serve immediately.

1 serving = 1 sope

Calories - 209

Carb (g) - 26

Protein (g) - 8

Fat (g) - 9

Fiber (g) - 5

A hot meal, like sopes, is the perfect end to a cold day.

Pascal Beauvais

Who Is This?

Do you recognize this person? The first ten people to contact us with the correct answer will receive a prize in the mail.

The answer to last issue’s “Who Is This?” is no other than Melissa Gray, NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s Director since 1990. Prior to that, she co-founded the Wilderness Medicine Institute because she only wanted to work half the year so she could save the other half for playing in wild places.

Stay Connected to NOLS!

We’re coming for you!

NOLS Alumni Reunions are back in person, and this spring and fall we’re headed to Lake Placid, NY, Denver, CO, and Boulder, CO. Find out more and sign up! We’ll see you there!

Check out the 2023 Alumni Trips Catalog

We are offering more trips than ever and are excited to invite you back to NOLS on an incredible adventure!

A gift to the NOLS Fund can change lives.

“I didn’t expect that three months could have such an impact on my life. I’ve changed for the better because of my time at NOLS. I am a better listener, better at communicating my needs and ideas, and I don’t allow my emotions to overrule a situation. I can see the bigger picture better than I could before. I thought that I was pretty set in my ways when I signed up for this course, I thought I had a lot of things figured out. I didn’t realize how much room for growth I still had left in me.”

–C.P., Spring Semester in the Rockies