…Little in the wilderness experience quite compares to sitting around a warm campfire after a day on the trail. Crackling embers, shimmering luminescence, and radiant warmth have an almost primal attraction.  When you take advantage of our teen leadership expeditions, adult leadership expeditions, or our high school summer semester, you’ll experience many campfires. Whether you’re…

…According to some emergency medical professionals, including one of my early mentors, every emergency medical service (EMS) call involves a search. Even in urban settings where we’re given a home address for a patient, we need to confirm the location, find it, and gain access to the patient. And even after arriving at the right…

As the Outdoor Program Coordinator at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) in Wilmington, North Carolina, J.T. Schexnayder brings a rare blend of classroom teaching and outdoor leadership experience to every trip he plans and participates in. With a foundation in science education and a passion for the outdoors, J.T. helps NCOAE…

Kirsten Cook is a Lead Instructor at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she brings a rare blend of outdoor leadership, scientific fieldwork, and multilingual education experience to her role. She has more than a decade of guiding, instructing, and environmental teaching experience to her credit. Born…

…Most healthcare professionals, including some pediatricians, would rather treat adults than children. That should come as no surprise. If you’ve ever had to draw blood from a young child, you know how heartbreaking it can be for everyone in the room. Maybe in the building. Those screams can be dramatic! The emotional pain we feel…

…According to research we’ve recently discovered, children ages 8–18 now spend seven-and-a-half hours a day, seven days a week, using screens outside of the classroom. Those ages 12–17 use their phones to text message on a daily basis more than any other form of communication, including face-to-face interactions with peers, parents and others in their…

…Well, it’s official. We’ve just wrapped up and put a bow around another successful season of adventure-based programming in the Pacific Northwest, with all of our expeditions originated from our base of operations in Maupin, Ore., alongside the wild and scenic Deschutes River. And, of course, we here at The National Center for Outdoor &…

…Education Without Walls is a not-for-profit organization established by NCOAE to provide scholarships for students in financial need….

…What is Leave No Trace? The idea behind Leave No Trace is to embrace specific wilderness stewardship values in order to protect our backcountry areas for generations to come. Back in the early 1940s, Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the world Scouting movement, said, “Try and leave the world a little better than you found it.”…

Life on Campus Building a Strong Academic Foundation During the NCOAE Summer Semester, life on campus offers students a structured environment where they engage in a rigorous Honors-level Natural Science and Principles of Leadership curriculum. Here, students have access to classroom resources, labs, and expert instructors, allowing them to dive deep into advanced scientific topics….

Stephen is our lead instructor, trainer and educator for both the staff and the clients of NCOAE….

Here at the National Center for Outdoor and Adventure Education (NCOAE), we’re especially proud of our Women’s Wilderness Initiative, which enables women of nearly all ages to ditch the spouse, the kids, the job and the college coursework for a full seven days and — instead of all that — focus on themselves. Notice we…

…They say man only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make things stop. To that short list, we’d like to add the Banks Fry-Bake Pan — a truly lightweight frying pan that’s perfect for cooking — and baking — in the backcounry. Fact is we take at least one…

…It’s a well-known fact that one outdoor education industry standard for trip leaders, wilderness guides and backcountry educators who work on multi-day expeditions, is that you have to have a current and up-to-date Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training. How you satisfy that requirement is up to you. Traditionally, the only way to earn the WFR…

…Months of planning and organizing have brought success! We recently completed our first program abroad — an expedition to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal with a group of South Korean high school teens. South Korea-based Apex Global Leadership Center (AGLC) joined with us for this adventure-based spring break program that emphasized leadership education. Traveling in the…

…“Did you ever consider thinking like farmers think,” asked my wife, Christine, over breakfast the other morning. And by “you,” she meant guides, outdoor/adventure educators and those folks who love to explore the outdoors. I answered her question with a shoulder shrug and a grunt, which meant I didn’t understand the query. So Christine patiently…

…Here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education, we go to great lengths to guide our students through a variety of wilderness settings for education and instruction in all things that are adventurous and fun in the outdoors. But occasionally it’s nice to kick off one’s hiking boots, pull your feet up on…

…More and more individuals, families and outdoor organizations are going to great lengths to enjoy wilderness experiences in our national forests, but with this exploding trend, how are we addressing the impact on natural resources? What does the future hold for outdoor recreation areas and natural setting outdoor classrooms? As professional members of the outdoor…

…Crack, pop, pop, hiss. The campfire audibly confirms its presence as a contented audience sits around the pit, absently staring into the infinite colors created by the dancing flames. When fire restrictions aren’t in place, campfires have always been a centerpiece for backcountry gatherings; a time and place where learning, cooking, impromptu singing, occasional horseplay…

…Spring has sprung and it’s the beginning of another fine season of outdoor adventure, which means it’s time to start unpacking, inspecting, cleaning up and then repacking your gear. As you start pulling out the dusty Tupperware containers crammed with camping gear you’ve had since your first journey beyond the pavement, take some time to…