Sally Ryan.

> Ryan Outdoor Leadership Trust Biography

> 10/08/2018

> Coyhaique, Chile (Patagonia)

Throughout my time in Patagonia with NOLS I discovered a layer of grit, stamina, strength and mental toughness that I did not realize existed.

How I got there…

From a very young age I was interested in athletics, a passion my parents allowed me to explore to my greatest potential. Through athletics I learned about teamwork, responsibility, commitment, and leadership, all skills that I would unknowingly use on my NOLS trip. My dedication to athletics and academics through high school opened up the opportunity for me to attend Middlebury College and ultimately become the captain of the women’s field hockey and lacrosse teams.

As a dual sport athlete I came to the realization that I would not be able to take a semester abroad. I was determined to find a way to be able to explore the world and go outside of my comfort zone without missing a season or jeopardizing my physical fitness. Inspired by my father, Tom Ryan, and his stories of his outdoor explorations, I looked into the opportunities offered by NOLS. Ultimately, I was able to take on an independent study during my January Term at Middlebury and headed off to Chile to explore the Northern Patagonian Ice Field for a 36 day excursion.

I arrived in Coyhaique, Chile eager but nervous to take on the unknowns of Patagonia. The NOLS instructors welcomed us, prepped us, and set us up with our gear to take on the extreme weather and landscapes of the Patagonia mountains. Over the next few weeks, we climbed through streams, fields, and over rocky mountain sides and finally landed on the northern glaciers unknowingly in the face of uproarious storms that would keep us stranded in snow caves for 8 days.

Before the storms hit we had a few days to traverse the glacier on our rope teams, get used to walking in our snowshoes and crampons, take in the incredible views, and learn the challenges of glacier living (such as going on excursions to drop our group poop bag down a crevasse to abide by “leave no trace”). The next thing I knew we were building snow caves off of the side of a big rocky mountain for protection and shelter as we waited out the extreme weather. Every day a group of 4 people were selected to head out and assess the conditions while the rest of the group had class, read books, wrote in journals and cooked. I will never forget the day I was chosen as it was one of treacherous winds, snow, and hail. I was put on the back of a rope team of three large male climbers who, by size alone, I was struggling to keep up with. They were unable to hear my commands to stop and slow down due to the loud winds and were unable to see that I was barely able to stand up and walk due to the poor visibility. There was no other option but to keep pushing through the storms back to camp despite my numb and blistered hands, exhausted legs, and weary mind. It was the moment in the trip for me, that often comes for many NOLS alumni, in which I started to doubt myself and my capabilities in this unfamiliar chaos. Upon our return, after a night of rest, the sun came up, the weather cleared and we summited a nearby unclimbed peak with great pride, giving worth to the adversity that we just faced.

Struggling to place one foot in front of the other, running out of food and waiting for a new shipment to be helicoptered in, and saving a team member who had fallen into a crevasse, are just a few examples of the type of humbling challenges you entail on a NOLS trip. Throughout my time in Patagonia with NOLS I discovered a layer of grit, stamina, strength and mental toughness that I did not realize existed. Removing myself from all other cares in the world besides surviving the extraordinary outdoors was the best way to test my inner strength and tenacity. It was life changing to be in a position to only think about the foundations of life within our environment such as fire, water, food, and shelter and how to manage all of those aspects as a team to survive.

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to explore such a beautiful part of the world while developing my skills in leadership, teamwork, analysis, tactics, and cultural competence. I hope that my experience with NOLS will inspire others to reach outside of their comfort zones, step over the boundaries of your everyday life, and see what the world has to offer because there truly is nothing better. You will make stories of a lifetime.

The future is bright.

The awarding of grants from the Trust will, initially, be limited to $2,500 in any calendar year. The grant may be up to 50% of the cost of the wilderness program. Ideally, the cost of the applicant’s program would be paid one-third by the applicant, one-third by the applicant’s parents, and one-third by the Trust.

$2500

Starting Grant

active members

1 Grant

so far

Sally Ryan.

How I got there…

The future is bright.

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