National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - brochure - Index

ALUMNI PROFILE
All in the Family
Michael, Jessica and Will Lehmann Embrace the
NOLS Lifestyle with Nine Courses Between Them
BY JESSICA FULLER
One family, three people, nine courses (and counting).
The Lehmann Family of London, England,
proves that a family that camps (and climbs… and
skis… and hikes…) together, stays together.
Jessica, 23, was the first to take the NOLS
plunge, completing a Wind River Wilderness course
the summer after her sophomore year of high school.
“I have always been a skier and a hiker and I had done
three Outward Bound courses in Wales and Scotland,
but NOLS was definitely a step up.” She enjoyed her
course so much that the next summer she returned for
a 3-week rock climbing course. “I liked pushing myself
to a limit in the wilderness, and then bringing that
limit back to the ‘real world.’”
In 2005, inspired by Jessica’s good experiences,
dad Michael, 66, and brother Will, 18, arrived in Lander
together for their first NOLS courses. Will, whose
photo hangs on the Honor Student Board at NOLS
Rocky Mountain, says, “NOLS was a great way for
me to spend part of my summer vacation as it really
entailed not just a holiday but an experience. Being
from a busy city, heading out to the wilderness was
something I embraced readily.” As Michael set off into
the Winds on a 40 & Over Wind River Wilderness
course, Will traveled to the Big Horns with his
Wyoming Adventure course.
“I feel like my brother matured a lot on his
course,” says Jessica. “The instructors don’t hold your
hand so you become more aware and take on that
much more responsibility. He came back so ecstatic.”
Michael echoes the sentiments for both his children.
“The most notable effects of their NOLS experiences
have been their increase in self-confidence,
having successfully learned new skills and being able to
meet the physical and mental challenges of the
courses.” As for dad, Will says, “The most prominent
change in him has most likely been an even greater appreciation
for the wilderness. He now plans hikes and
day trips while vacationing in Wyoming, often reads
literature on wilderness conservation, and has extended
his collection of wilderness photography.”
But it doesn’t end there. The year after her father
and brother’s courses, Jessica was enrolled at Dartmouth
College and faced an open summer vacation. “The first
thing that popped in my head was to do another NOLS
course,” she says. “I thought of planning my own trip,
SPRING 2008
“Though it is somewhat more difficult to maintain perfect
expedition behavior within a family context, our NOLS trips
provide another common experience that we can all relate to.”
Far left: Michael Lehmann on the Gannett Peak alumni
trip. Center: The family on Perito Moreno Glacier in
Patagonia. Above: Jessica, Will and Michael Lehmann.
9
but NOLS had a whole range of options. It’s hard to
organize all the details of a large trip, and NOLS has a
well-structured program that made the whole experience
more enjoyable. Plus, you meet people you would
never get the chance to otherwise.” Her NOLS Southwest
Outdoor Educator course, followed by a NOLS
Teton Valley Backcountry Skiing course, ended up
being “the best months of my life.” The same summer,
Will took a rock climbing course, and Michael completed
the Alumni Gannett Peak Climb.
“For me, NOLS is important because NOLS is a
school. The courses are for skills and are not outdoor
adventure trips, though there is certainly plenty of adventure!”
says Michael. “NOLS should do even more
than it does to promote lifelong participation in its
courses. It is not enough to have someone take a Wind
River Wilderness course at age 17 and then never return.
Appreciation of the wilderness grows with continuing
experiences in it.”
So are there hopes to boost the Lehmanns’ NOLS
involvement to 100 percent? Jessica has thoughts of
taking her older brother on a NOLS alumni trip, but
not so much for her mom. “She’s a phenomenal skier
and hiker, but she’s not a ‘tent-type,’” says Jessica.
“The idea of re-hydrated food and sleeping bags seems
to offer little comfort to her!” agrees Will.
Currently, Jessica is working in finance in New
York City and sharing an apartment with a fellow
NOLS grad. Will graduates from high school in England
this spring and will cross the Atlantic to attend
college in the States next fall. Michael retired from
banking in 2001 and is using his free time well; he is
a big proponent of NOLS’ “light and fast” courses,
completing a NOLS Southwest Lightweight Backpacking
course last year and returning to Wyoming
this summer for a Light and Fast Backpacking course
through NOLS Rocky Mountain.
All the Lehmanns agree that they appreciate their
individual adventures but value the special bond they
create both within their family and the NOLS family.
Will says, “Though it is somewhat more difficult to
maintain perfect expedition behavior within a family
context, our NOLS trips provide another common experience
that we can all relate to and have enjoyed.”