National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - brochure - Index

A Different Breed of NOLS Course:
Alumni Trips Provide an Alternative Educational Experience
BY JOANNE KUNTZ
You remember choosing your first NOLS course—
flipping through the glossy NOLS catalog for the
perfect fit of skills and length, devouring the course description
for all the right components, and embarking
on an expedition that probably changed your life. Now
you may be a busy student without a month to spare,
a professional committed to working 9-5, a full-time
parent with children whose needs have become more
important than your own—or just someone itching for
their next adventure. If you want to stay connected
with NOLS, learn a new skill, or just get outdoors for
a vacation (with or without the kids), NOLS has options
other than a full-blown catalog course.
I recently took advantage of such an alternative
backcountry adventure. My first course with NOLS
was four years ago, and since I’ve been working in the
publications department, I wanted to refresh my field
experience with the school I write so much about. I
didn’t have time for another semester, I don’t need the
college credit, and a month was too long to be gone
with our hectic schedule here in the office. The obvious
choice for me was Gannett Peak Mountaineering,
an 11-day alumni trip with the primary objective of
summiting the highest peak in Wyoming.
What a perfect combination! More experience with
NOLS, time vacating away from my desk, and a chance
to practice a skill I’ve always enjoyed.
Created with certain goals in mind (sailing a new
region, climbing a new peak, exploring a new country,
resting and relaxing in a favorite locale, practicing a
new skill), alumni trips are created for NOLS grads,
and in most cases their family and friends, as a way to
get the NOLS experience in a unique way:
Mike R., a Southwest grad from ‘03, says of his
Alumni Backcountry Ski trip, “The whole trip start to
finish was really terrific. Day tripping provided flexibility
to accommodate the interests and goals of everyone in the
group, and staying at the branch gave the whole trip a
nice, relaxed feeling.”
Kathy K., from the Alumni Baja Sailing trip, said,
“This, my first NOLS trip, made me agree with my husband
that NOLS is an excellent organization and that
NOLS trips are ones that impact your life in a positive
manner. I feel very lucky to have been able to experience
this trip with your instructors in such a beautiful setting.”
Mark F. (WRW grad from ’81) said of this summer’s
Alumni Family Hike in Wyoming, “The llama experience
made this trip happen with my children. Learning saddling/animal
care and minimizing the weight load was the
best way to get us into the high country quickly...”
Those are some great accolades, but wait, llamas?
What were the llamas all about? Ah, one of the nice
things about alumni trips is the slightly more relaxed
nature of the logistics. We had horses pack in our
climbing gear for Gannett as far as they could before
we shouldered the extra weight. Llamas help carry gear
for family trips in the Winds. Hikers stay at huts (refugios)
along the trail in the Italian Dolomites instead of
pitching tents. Other differences you may find on an
alumni trip are the overall length, the nature of evaluations,
age ranges, and meals:
• Most alumni trips have their rations supplemented
with more fresh and canned food than on a catalog
course, and on some of our international trips we
add the flavor of the area. In India where meals are
taken at tea houses, the Italian Dolomites where
meals are had in group refugios, and while sailing in
the British Virgin Islands, participants will eat very
little, if any, traditional NOLS grub.
• We encourage couples, friends and family to tent
together, and we provide separate tents for couples
and do not require people to tent with strangers.
• We do not evaluate participants; rather, participants
evaluate us. After an alumni trip, we ask that participants
complete an online survey to evaluate the
trip, the location, the alumni department and the
staff. We also solicit their recommendations for future
trips, activities, locations and times of year.
• Ages on alumni trips range from children through
adults. The age range on my Gannett Peak trip was
17-56. Karl N., a participant on the Wind River Fly
Fishing trip, said, “[I] brought my 60-year-old father
along and was a little nervous that he might not be able
to tolerate some of the activities. The instructors made it
a “pressure-free” trip and allayed my initial concerns.”
We also ran an Alumni Horsepacking trip this year
and Isabel Z. (a multi-time grad, including an instructor
course) said, “[It] was a great positive experience
for my 14-year-old niece who had never done
wilderness camping before.”
Rich Brame
FALL 2007
9
Redefining the NOLS experience: a refugio (lodge) in Italy’s
Dolomites; llama packing in the Wind River Mountains; dining
in style on an Alumni Teton Ski and Snowboard course.
Like our regular catalog courses, NOLS alumni trips
offer the same quality learning environment, high level of
instructors, attention to risk management, and opportunities
for new skills. Also, the experiences participants
come away with are equally as powerful, personally impactful,
and rewarding, and are a way to reconnect after
weeks, years or even decades away from the school:
“This was my first NOLS trip in 20 years, and it was
everything I remembered from my Alaska trip in 1987
and then some. I truly appreciate the time and effort that
has gone into creating the alumni courses to meet the demands
of our busy lifestyle. Thank you NOLS for giving
back so much, I found the kid in my heart once again.”
–Rick R., Wyoming Fly Fishing
“This trip had all the makings of a great NOLS
course—technical, challenging and extremely rewarding. I
came out of the wilderness feeling like I had learned more
about myself and how to successfully backpack and mountaineer.”
–Heidi B., Gannett Peak Mountaineering.
“[I] love being outside, learning new skills, seeing
new places, enjoying wonderful company, laughing until
my whole body ached and getting to know people of similar
values. I felt like I was at home in this group of people...as
if we had known each other forever. Something
came alive in me that I’d been missing for a long time. I
can’t thank you enough for this experience!” –Eleanor F.,
Baja Sea Kayaking and Whale Watching
Alumni trips are evidence that we pursue diversity
in education and adventure for our grads. Although
there is a strong focus on trips in our operating locations
and on standard NOLS activities, we’re always
pushing our vision of what NOLS grads want to do—
international locations, family trips with kids and
other “exotic” offerings that are hard to set up yourself,
but perfect for folks with NOLS skills, interest and
history. Turn to our Alumni Happenings page and see
what adventures await you. Still not satisfied? Give us
a call and we can create a custom trip for you and your
friends with that NOLS flair.
Special thanks to Willy Cunningham, NOLS Alumni Trips
Coordinator, for his informational contribution to this article
and for the incredible trips he manages for our grads!
Brad Christensen Rich Brame