Alex Roberts, 18, of Chattanooga, completed a wilderness expedition traveling in the Rocky Mountains with the National Outdoor Leadership School.
NOLS believes people thrive when challenged. During the Wind River Wilderness course, students did not have access to modern conveniences and were challenged to step outside their comfort zones. This is the course that launched NOLS nearly 50 years ago and still runs in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming, a wilderness area hand-picked by NOLS founder Paul Petzoldt. A NOLS education stresses leadership can be learned and is based on the belief that the outdoors is a challenging environment where students will learn technical skills and about themselves.
Mr. Roberts, his 10 coursemates and three instructors spent 30 days backpacking in the Wind River Range. The course began with an introduction to Leave No Trace camping, learning to pack backpacks and how to practice good expedition behavior. During the day, students traveled in small groups and then met up at a new camp each night for dinner and classes. All students learned map reading, route finding and hazard evaluation. As the course progressed, the group bonded and practiced tolerance for adversity and uncertainty as they hiked to snowy peaks and trudged through muddy swamps. Instructors taught curriculum focused on wilderness first aid and how to cook nutritious meals. Overall, this course hiked 76 miles and gained 15,500 feet of elevation. Roberts and his coursemates saw some of the most beautiful sights in the world, made new friends and returned to the frontcountry with a new appreciation of the outdoors.
Roberts’ Wind River Wilderness course was full of exploration and learning. Mr. Roberts and his coursemates graduated as competent and responsible wilderness travelers and leaders. They join the NOLS alumni network of over 221,000 graduates.