Backcountry Prep
Now’s the Time to Explode Your Backpack
…Most successful outdoor retailers take monthly, quarterly, and/or an annual inventory of what they have in stock, what needs to be replaced, and what might need to be added to the store’s shelves. Items that sit ignored on the shelf or are no longer in fashion go in the “50% Off” bin or “sale” rack,…

Rachelle Toth
Rachelle Toth is an NCOAE field instructor who is sincerely interested in connecting first-time and returning students to the outdoors….

NCOAE Recommends
Here’s the Cold Facts about Canyon Coolers — in Our Opinion
Here at The National Center for Outdoor Adventure & Education (NCOAE), we just aren’t all that interested in touting the attributes of the materials and products we use while traversing the worldwide wilderness areas in which we work. But every once in a while, we’ll step back and look at a piece of outdoor gear…

Outdoor Lingo
Surfing Terminology and Slang: You Can’t Play BINGO Without the Lingo
…Seems most every human-powered outdoor recreation activity has a language of its own. And the more popular that activity becomes, the more expansive the list of slang words and new terminology become. It’s a way of communicating efficiently with your fellow enthusiasts, and let’s face it, speaking the language makes your part of the group….

Wilderness
Mother Nature Requests a Non-Disclosure Agreement on Secret Spots
…You’ve just finished packing up your gear and made sure that your favorite secret camping spot is in better shape than when you arrived. You’ve disposed of your waste properly and minimized your impact. Suddenly, someone stumbles out of the tree line with a couple of sidekicks, tosses down a backpack and pulls a smartphone…

NCOAE Recommends
Engaging Teens in the Outdoors
…Getting your child or teen to look up from their smartphone, put down their Xbox controllers, or step away from the TV can be a chore — and that’s just when you’re calling them to dinner. Mention taking a walk around the block or joining the family on a picnic a local park and witness…

EMT Training
Mental Health Issues for Emergency Medical Technicians
…Becoming a full- or part-time Emergency Medical Technician requires extreme and rigorous training, and it’s not a career choice to be taken lightly. That’s because emergency medical responders encounter patients in life-threatening situations, ranging from traumatic incidences of cardiac arrest and auto accidents, to drownings to drug overdoses. EMS techs like the ones we train…

Inspiration
Tales from The Trail: The ‘Cookie Lady’ of the Appalachian Trail
…There are always lessons to be learned on the trail, and they aren’t always related to building a campfire, setting up a tent, or leaving your campsite cleaner than when you arrived. Some of these are life lessons that fall in the category of treating others as you would like to be treated and adhering…

Uncategorized
Safety Considerations for Adventure Travel in Foreign Countries
…There are few activities that provide a greater explosion of sense and emotions than putting foot in a new land — a foreign place where you have to navigate language, landscape, and culture practically the instant you arrive. Memories of stepping off a plane and heading out of the airport in Kathmandu, Port Au Prince,…

Shoshana Green
Shoshana loves using the outdoors and wilderness to teach about the environment and opportunities for personal growth and development….

Lilly Ade
Lilly Ade brings a raft of experience in outdoor and wilderness education to her position as a field instructor for NCOAE….

Gabe Isaac
Gabe Issac’s experience and passion for the outdoors and the environment makes her an ideal NCOAE field instructor….

Teen Expeditions
Preview: Summer 2025 Teen Leadership Expeditions
…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…