Caleb O’Connor-Genereaux is a National Center for Outdoor & Educational Education(NCOAE) field instructor. Caleb has a decade of experience working in the outdooreducation industry, connecting with students and facilitating their learning through hishis love of nature and the environment. This native of Ryegate, Vermont, was formerly a teaching coordinator for Tracker’sEarth, which offers summer camps…

Hailing from Bethesda, Maryland, Celia Parr is a field instructor at The National Center for Outdoor and Adventure Education (NCOAE) in Wilmington, North Carolina. Previously, she was an adventure instructor at Avid4Adventure in Boulder, Colorado., and head counselor at Camp Merrie-Woode — a nonprofit residential camp for girls ages 7 to 17 in the western…

…While wilderness medicine already presents a unique set of challenges, difficult terrain can add an extra layer of complications!…

Zac and Celine, co-founders of NCOAE, are featured in Episode 15 of the “It’s In the Experience” podcast, presented by the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) and hosted by Sherry Bagley, AEE’s executive director. This 45-minute episode, titled “Overcoming Challenges: Creating Positive Experiences in Experiential Education,” can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast App,…

Matthew McPherson joined the team at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) in 2024 as an EMT Instructor, bringing nearly eight years of experience in emergency medical services. Originally from Wilmington, North Carolina, Matthew has served as a paramedic with Novant Health New Hanover Emergency Medical Services in Wilmington and Mecklenburg EMS…

…The Eastern Divide Trail promises to accommodate bikepacking and hiking alike, offering a trail that will run from Canada to Key West Florida….

…The testing for EMT Certification’s has changed drastically over the years. Learn more about how standards have changed, and new innovations!…

…Most people think of wilderness medicine as providing medical care in a remote setting where access to conventional healthcare resources is limited or unavailable. They imagine someone treating a wound, applying a tourniquet, performing CPR, or fashioning a splint out of sticks and a bandana enabling a hiker with a broken leg to hobble to…

…In the movie Die Hard 2, hero John McLane, played by Bruce Willis, receives a fax at a car rental kiosk at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. informing him of the identity of a suspect. The agent behind the desk, who’s been flirting with McLane through the entire scene, says, “Hey, I close in…

…Chances are good that you’ve had to take at least one course in English composition that required you to write a 500-word essay entitled, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Most teens talk about their vacation or their summer job, but you can talk about leadership activities for teens. Perhaps you had the best summer ever…

Roni Deckard is a Field Instructor at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she brings a passion for environmental connection and years of hands-on experience in outdoor leadership. With a background that spans coast to coast, Roni has worked with a range of organizations focused on adventure…

Jessica Prescott is a Field Instructor at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she combines her love for experiential education and the natural world to create meaningful outdoor experiences for our students. With a background in youth engagement and environmental learning, Jessica believes deeply in the power…

…There it is, middle fingers up, people screaming at one another, animals running amok. It’s just another day on the trails lost to behaviors that are normally reserved for Los Angeles traffic. It doesn’t need to be this way. So long as everyone’s aware of the rules and then follows them, hikers, bicyclists, horses, and…

…Batteries die. Cell phones lose connectivity. Even satellite service can be unpredictable. But a map and compass? You can always count on these two “old schools” tools to discover where you are and how to get to where you’re going.  Truth is, navigating with a tried and true map and compass is an essential outdoor…

Callum Cunningham is a Field Instructor at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he brings both professional experience and personal passion to the backcountry courses he leads. With a background in outdoor education and adventure leadership, Callum has spent the past few years teaching nature skills, environmental…

…Recently I watched “Heritage,” a short documentary about one of the early professional skateboarders, Steve Caballero. At some point in the viewing, I realized more time was being spent on Steve’s mountain biking skills and passion for motorcross than on his skateboarding career, and I had to wonder why.  If you’ve been a whitewater paddler,…

…Bleary eyed from a scarcity of shuteye, you shimmy out of your sleeping bag, stick your head out your tent flap, and observe your campsite. It’s not a pretty picture. In fact, it looks like you woke up in the middle of a yard sale. Or the tail end of a party turned bad. There’s…

…When wilderness medicine practitioners gather ’round a campfire, one favorite topic of discussion involves which animals are the most dangerous. Barring the obvious winner, we humans, leading candidates typically include the gorilla, shark, lion, tiger, and bear.  The unassuming mosquito and deadly microscopic organisms are often overlooked, but most likely lay absolute claim to the…

…You’ve no doubt seen the symbol below painted on the side of an ambulance, embroidered on the uniforms of emergency medical technicians (EMTs), or stuck to emergency medical equipment. Maybe you even wondered whether it had any meaning. What’s with the snake coiled around the staff? What’s the significance of the six-pointed star? The Origin…

…“Look where you want to go!”  I have conveyed this message to wilderness course participants countless times, shouting, screaming, and using hand signals when necessary. Sometimes I’m yelling above the roar of a set of rapids or the sound of an adjacent waterfall.  “Look where you want to go!” I emphatically issue the same advice…