Outdoor Skills and Advice: Ten Tips to Decoding Backcountry Weather Patterns

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, faculty member and Diversity + Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS); Photograph by Ashley Wise

A lightning storm had just struck, with bolts hitting the peaks less than a quarter mile away. After waiting it out in lightning position, my NOLS coursemates and I thought the worst of it was over, and headed to our tents, which were perched on a buttress below Mount Victor. As we started a class on leadership styles, we observed a dark cloud build-up over the peak. Halfway through class, the mass started to swirl ... fast. (Remember the sky in Ghostbusters, right before Gozer is summoned?) Minutes later, as we hunkered down in our tents gripping the walls as they flapped fiercely in 100-mile-per-hour winds, the funnel cloud touched down. A tornado? At 11,000 feet?

On a monthlong expedition in the backcountry, you are at the whims of the weather gods. Out there, the weather report isn’t a mouse-click away. And while adequate layering and gear can prepare you for the worst, there are also some ways you can predict what the weather gods might have in store for you today.

Outdoor Tips + Advice: How to Cook the Most Delicious, Cheesy Campsite Trout of Your Life

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, Faculty member and Diversity + Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS); photographs, from top, by Andy Clifford, Rich Brame (3)

Oh, the things you learn about yourself when you spend 35 days on a NOLS course in the wilderness with a backpack and a fly rod—and without your family.

Such as, for example, how you were so looking forward to 35 nights of uninterrupted sleep and lazy mornings, only to realize that having a kid has made you a light sleeper and a morning person. 

Or, for example, how excited you are to be “living off the land,” catching and eating 14-inch golden trout every day, only to realize that you’re about as good with a fly rod as you are with knitting needles, or any other activity requiring dexterity and patience. That is, you suck at fishing.

And by “you,” I’m not talking about you, dear reader. I’m most definitely talking about me.

So let’s talk about that trout. Although I couldn’t catch one for the life of me, I’d like to think I could cook one up to delectable perfection with this easy backcountry recipe for Fresh Trout WIZNUT, courtesy of NOLS Instructor John Whisnant). “The WIZNUT appeared in 1966 as a miracle response to our desperate pleas for cheesy crunch,” reflects John. Over the years, the WIZNUT has taken many forms, but the common denominator in any recipe is a layer of fried cheese at the bottom of the pan.

Outdoor Skills + Advice: What’s in Your First Aid Kit?

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, Faculty member and Diversity + Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS); photograph by Brad Bonner/WMI of NOLS

You know that first aid kit stowed away in your bathroom cupboard? You know, that kit you bring with you when you’re out on an adventure, just in case? Do you know what’s in it?

Most of us give first aid mere lip service. We buy a kit and keep it around, mostly for peace of mind, keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t have the “opportunity” to use it. But in the backcountry, where help is neither a phone call nor a short drive away, you need to know not only what’s in your kit, but how to use it, when to use it, and . . . (drum roll please) what to put in it in the first place.

So if you want to be prepared to take care of that loved one in the backcountry should a medical emergency arise, here are some things you should consider packing in that first aid kit.

Disclaimer: Contents will vary depending on your trip, group size, anticipated risks, what you want to prepare to treat, your skills and knowledge, your opinions, biases, personal myths, and experiences.

1. Items to treat blisters: moleskin, second skin, blister bandages, tape, tincture of benzoin

2. Items to prevent infection: antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, ointment for rashes (cortisone cream)

3. Items to bandage small wounds: Band-Aids, 2X2s, gauze wrap

4. Items to keep wounds clean and treatment hygienic: nitrile glove, face shield

5. Training, common sense, and good judgment: None of these items will do you any good if you don’t know when to use them or how. Take a basic Wilderness First Aid class, a more rigorous Wilderness First Responder class, or read up before you pack that kit in your backpack.

Want to know what we take on extended expeditions? Check out what’s in a NOLS Field First Aid Kit.

Outdoor Skills + Advice: Renaming "The Gap Year"

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, faculty member and Diversity & Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) ; photograph courtesy Deborah Sussex/NOLS

So far my blog posts have kept to more practical advice for outdoor enthusiasts, but I figured every once in a while I would be entitled to a soapbox. See, I have a bone or few to pick with “The Gap Year.” By this, I mean what we’ve chosen to call the time students spend traveling, volunteering, adventuring, and playing between their primary schooling and higher education.

To me, “gap” evokes images of nothingness, emptiness, space in between substance. But a Gap Year is anything but empty! My Gap Years have been the most fulfilling experiences in my life. It’s a plain misnomer. Folks in the U.K. have got it right: They call this experience “The Sandwich Year.” And for good reason, too. Think of all the meaty goodness that can fill this time in between conventional academic pursuits! Your wallet may not be bottomless, but finances aside, you can do anything: Work for a nonprofit aid organization in Africa; teach English in Southeast Asia; go to Antarctica to research glaciers; pick fruit through Europe; be a nanny . . . in the Riviera; or go on a semester or yearlong backcountry expedition with NOLS almost anywhere in the world. Maybe by the time my four-year-old is in college, he can go to Mars! No “gappiness.” More like an all-you-can-eat sandwich buffet.

Outdoor Skills + Advice: Leave No Trace Meets the Outdoor Outhouse

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, faculty member and Diversity + Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS); photograph by Kevin Bergstrom/NOLS

There's nothing like enjoying the breathtaking beauty of a scenic landscape only to be interrupted by a pile of poo and crumpled up toilet paper at your feet.

How many times have you thought about not following the rules? How many times has the little devil on your shoulder said, "go ahead, once won't hurt." Well, imagine everyone doing it just once, and you'll quickly realize that's a lot of little devils. It's not a pretty subject, but it's one to get right: Here’s our little primer on how to poop in the woods for those of you who are a little hesitant (or absolutely petrified) about the prospect.

Outdoor Skills + Advice: Backcountry Baking - Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, faculty member and Diversity & Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

I can make a mean tikka masala in my own kitchen, but I’m a hack at backcountry cooking. Thankfully, I have my colleague, backcountry baking genius Kelly Sherwin to turn to for some tips. But despite differences in baking prowess, Kelly and I do have something in common. “Picture this scene,” Kelly says. “You emerge from your sleeping bag on a chilly morning and can think of no better breakfast than a concoction of butter, flour, and sugar—something piping hot and capable of fueling me for a long day.” There’s just one problem: We don’t like gluten and it doesn’t like us back.

Gluten intolerance can be tricky in the backcountry, where your expedition mates might cringe at the very mention of garbanzo bean flour or xanthan gum. The solution? “A delicious decoy for your run-of-the mill cinnamon roll,” says Kelly, “in which I avoid the gluten gauntlet yet treat my backcountry buddies to a meal that’s genuinely delicious.”

Outdoor Skills and Advice: The Sunscreen Checklist - Six Tips to Protect Your Skin

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, faculty member and Diversity & Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

To me, the sun in the Wind River Range means bluebird skies and long, balmy days. But to the intense Rocky Mountain sun, I’m just a strip of bacon on a frying pan. My local pharmacy has an entire aisle of sunscreens on its summer display, a motley crew of bottles of all shapes and sizes from SPF 10 to 100 replete with descriptors like “ultra defense,” “waterproof,” “sweat proof,” and “broad band” on the labels. These words are sometimes cryptic (what does an “ultra” sunscreen do?), but strangely, I’m drawn to the bottles with the most descriptors on them.

Just when I’m about to buy the biggest, most colorful bottle with the most words on it in preparation for my five-week expedition, the FDA swoops in to my rescue. This month, after over 30 years without sunscreen regulation, the FDA finally stepped in, regulating against bonus claims like “waterproof” and requiring protection against a broader range of ultraviolet radiation. After a little research and a conversation with Tod Schimelpfenig, Curriculum Director for the Wilderness Medicine of NOLS, I’ve got a handy checklist to take to the pharmacy.

1. Use SPF 30 to 50.
In its new regulations, the FDA recommends a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 to 50. It recommends not using sunscreens with a SPF value greater than 50, which do not provide significantly greater protection (again, debunking my “more is better” philosophy).

2. Does it have broad spectrum protection?
Sunscreens traditionally have protected against ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, which causes sunburns, but have not protected against ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation, which can cause wrinkles and skin cancer. Starting next year, if a bottle is labeled “SPF 50,” it must provide a sun protection factor of 50 against both UVA and UVB radiation. But until then, make sure the bottle says “broad spectrum” protection.

3. What is the active ingredient?
Zinc and titanium dioxide are still the best. Worried about that clown/lifeguard look and smell? Tod says newer “micronized” zinc preparations are transparent and comfortable to wear. Z-COTE® transparent zinc oxide covers virtually the entire ultraviolet spectrum and also has the advantage of being non-allergenic.

4. Is it water resistant?
While labels can no longer claim the sunscreen is “waterproof" or “sweat proof," a water resistant sunscreen will ensure you are not just pouring it down the drain.

5. Apply early, often, and completely.
Stay on top of sun protection, applying before you are exposed, often enough in environments where you are exposed to water or sweating, and on all of your exposed bits. That includes the top of your ears, your temples, and even bald spots on your head.

6. Cover up!
Our culture pressures us to expose ourselves to the sun so we can sport bronze bods. But we could take a lesson from other cultures who live in hot and sunny climates. A thin long-sleeved shirt and wide-brimmed hat are the ultimate protection against the sun.

This shopping excursion is going to be easier than I thought. Pharmacist, I’ll order a cute Western-style polypro long-sleeve hiking top and a wide-brimmed hat with a grande SPF 50 broad band water-resistant transparent zinc oxide sunscreen on the side, please!

To hear more about the FDA’s regulations, listen to NPR’s On Point segment on the subject.

Kiteboarding Hawaii: How to Deal With Shark (and Grizzly) Encounters

By Mark Cosslett; photograph courtesy Nate Volk

I’ve spent a fair bit of time exploring the great outdoors within close proximity of wildlife, and probably far more time in the proximity of sharks then I realize or care to consider. If you will “bear with me” here, I’d like to talk about the precautions I’ve taken in the Canadian Rockies against grizzly bears before I get into what I think can be done about sharks in the Hawaiian ocean channels.

When in Canada, I carry my “bear kit” on longer back country hikes and mountain bike rides, just as much to save a bear as my own ass. While nothing I carry is capable of killing a grizzly bear, it might just save ones life one day (they “destroy” bears that have dangerous encounters with humans). It contains, in order of use:

Bear Bangers - These can be used at a nice, safe distance and when fired off sound like a kick-ass gun shot, which should send just about anything running for the hills.

Bear Spray - Once close enough to use, the bear is already checking you out and your chances aren't as good. It also, doesn't work so well if the bear is upwind of you.

Last Resort - A USMC KA-BAR combat knife. I've had to play dead before, face down and curled up with this unsheathed and clutched in my hands while a grizzly still approached and “investigated” and it's amazing just how small it looks under those circumstances. While I have no illusions of fighting off a grizzly with any kind of knife, a good jab in a sensitive area might just send one running, hopefully allowing us both to survive.

So what does all this have to do about sharks? Let me explain. I've been in the water self-rescuing on Maui for an hour or two many times, but there are far more sharks and far fewer things that might interest them in the open sea.  The open ocean channels are the territory of the notorious oceanic, white-tip shark, an opportunistic predator that has killed more humans than all other species of shark combined.

While there is no equivalent to “Bear Bangers” or “Bear Spray” for sharks, I will carry my “Last Resort” deterrent in the form of an ice pick. Sharks, and oceanic white tips in particular, usually do investigative nudges before attacking and a well aimed jab to a shark’s nose or eye might buy me an hour or two until more come, attracted by the blood in the water. If I injure the first shark sufficiently it will not only leave me alone but the other sharks will likely attack it rather than me since their opportunistic nature attracts them to the weakest and therefore easiest target. Sharks aren’t much fun to contemplate but its nearly impossible not to when you’re stranded and exposed in the middle of an open ocean channel... part of the deal.  If my kite is still intact, I would crawl into it (it also provides flotation) and hope for the best - 10 to 14 square meters of colorful fabric is a very large and unusual object for a shark to think it will make a meal of an probably the safest place to await rescue.

Outdoor Skills + Advice: Six Steps to Steer Clear of Lightning Strikes

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, faculty member and Diversity & Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and NOLS Research Intern Kate Herden

Aaah, summer! The sweet smell of wildflowers, rain-soaked earth, and . . . ozone? Yes, the stormy months have arrived and in this year of apocalyptic flooding, best prepare yourself for an epic light show in the backcountry, complete with the smell of burnt air (that’s the ozone) that accompanies it. You can never eliminate the risk of a lightning strike, but you can reduce it by following these simple guidelines:

1. Time your travel.
Find out when summer storms typically strike where you are travelling (here in the Wind River Range, they’re usually in the early afternoon), and make sure you’ve completed your travel for the day—including peak ascents—and are back on safe terrain by the time you hear that first crack of thunder.

2. “Flash, 30-Seconds, Boom” means head for safety.
Count how many seconds pass between lightning and the thunder. Every second is equivalent to approximately a five-mile distance. If your count gets down to 30 seconds (that’s six miles), go to step 3.

3. Find safe terrain.
Lightning is more likely to strike at high points (peaks, ridges, and lone trees), caves (yes, a cave will not provide shelter), and on water. Lightning can also travel through metal fencing, wet ropes, and other long conductors. Wet ground isn’t any more dangerous and actually dissipates current. So seek a uniform stand of trees on rolling terrain, at least 50 yards from high-risk spot.

4. Get in lightning position.
One of the most common misconceptions is that lying down flat will minimize the likelihood of a lightning strike. Not so! Once you find safe terrain, minimize the contact between yourself and the ground (50 percent of lightning strikes happen from ground current, not from direct hits). Place some padding (clothing, sleeping pad, or backpack) under you, place your feet together (not apart, which can cause a change in voltage between your feet and . . . zap!), and squat or sit hugging your knees until the storm is a safe distance away. If you are in a group, position yourselves about 50 feet apart so you can still communicate with each other.

5. Avoid contact with metal objects.
If you can safely do it, remove metal backpack stays and crampons while you are in lightning position, and place metal umbrellas and hiking poles far away from you. Understand the consequences of doing so. Will getting rid of your umbrella expose you to the risk of hypothermia? Will getting rid of your crampons jeopardize your descent? Balance the risks before you act.

6. Plan your campsite.
Itching for that panoramic view of the sky and peaks below you when you unzip your tent in the morning? You’re asking for trouble. Pick campsites that are in safe terrain. If a storm hits at night, don’t run helter-skelter in the pitch dark and further risk your safety. Stay in your tent, and get in lightning position.

For more on lightning, read NOLS Curriculum Director John Gookin’s 2010 Wilderness Risk Management Conference article Backcountry Lightning Risk Management.

Outdoor Skills + Advice: What’s in Your Hiking Day Pack?

By Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, Faculty member and Diversity + Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and NOLS Research Intern Kate Herden

“Preparedness” is relative. As I head out on a day hike to Popo Agie Falls with my toddler, his backpack is sure to contain “necessities,” such as Matchbox cars, toy dump trucks, and a couple of stuffed animals. But mine will look different. Here are ten things that will prepare you for that short day hike that could turn into an overnighter.

1. Water
Forget the soda. Bring at least a liter of water. To replenish your reservoir, stick close to potable water sources or carry a water purification system.

2. Rain Shell
Wherever you are, you'll be happier if you stay dry. Even on a clear day, pack a rain shell for protection from wind and water.

3. Map
How many times have you rounded a corner hoping to see your car, only to see more hills? You may think you know where you're going, but in case you find yourself in untrodden territory, bring a topographical map.

4. Headlamp
It might only be a day hike, but you could get be-nighted. Lighter than a lantern and more convenient than a flaming torch, a headlamp will lend a helping hand if you find yourself out later than expected.

5. Warm Layers
Whether a synthetic or down jacket, fleece, or a woolly pullover, a warm layer will keep you snug if the temperatures drop.

6. Lighter
Don’t be stuck trying to rub two sticks together or trying to use your Jedi mind powers to create fire. Grab a lighter and give your forearms (and telekinetic brain) some rest.

7. First Aid Kit
A must-have, pack a first aid kit. ‘Nuff said.

8. Sunscreen
Pack some broad band SPF 30 to 50 water resistant sunscreen.

9. Snacks
Hiking makes you hungry! Bring some nosh—bananas, granola, chocolate, peanut butter crackers. And remember to pack-out wrappers.

10. Peace of Mind
This means leaving something behind—a message to a loved one letting him or her know where you are going and what time you plan on returning.

Packing for more than a day hike? Check out the equipment list for a 30-day NOLS Wind River Wilderness Course.

Photograph courtesy of NOLS