On Belay

It was as an educator that Petzoldt reached his true zenith. His mission: to teach leadership in the outdoors. After first serving as chief instructor at Colorado Outward Bound, he went on to found both the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and the Wilderness Education Association. He was the granddaddy of the voice signaling system, the code climbers use to communicate; he also originated many of the outdoor recreation practices that are now standard Leave No Trace principles.

In On Belay author Raye Ringholz traces the evolution of this charismatic and multifaceted man, from his days as a young teen traveling a rocky path of odd jobs and hobo rails to his final years, still inspiring all listeners. Ringholz, who knew him for over thirty years, deftly shows how the facts of Petzoldt's life were even more astonishing than the myth.