SCOTT GEHRMAN

Executive Director/Founder

Scott is the Founder and Executive Director for Lasting Adventures, Inc and has been facilitating the Yosemite High Country Adventure since 1997 in which he has personally logged over 5,000 miles as a guide in the Yosemite backcountry. As both a credentialed school administrator and counselor, Scott has well over 25 years of experience working with youth. Scott attended Sonoma State University in California where he obtained both his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Counseling. Scott holds certification in Basic Backpacking Awareness, is certified as a Wilderness First Responder by the Wilderness Medicine Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School, and he is trained as an Outdoor Emergency Care professional. In addition to actively leading and guiding the Yosemite High Country Adventure and through community collaborations and support, Scott has also successfully developed many other youth development programs; and he is also a requested presenter on these topics. When not in Yosemite, you might be able to catch Scott on the slopes snowboarding in Tahoe.

SCOTT GEHRMAN

Executive Director/Founder

Scott is the Founder and Executive Director for Lasting Adventures, Inc and has been facilitating the Yosemite High Country Adventure since 1997 in which he has personally logged over 5,000 miles as a guide in the Yosemite backcountry. As both a credentialed school administrator and counselor, Scott has well over 25 years of experience working with youth. Scott attended Sonoma State University in California where he obtained both his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters in Counseling. Scott holds certification in Basic Backpacking Awareness, is certified as a Wilderness First Responder by the Wilderness Medicine Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School, and he is trained as an Outdoor Emergency Care professional. In addition to actively leading and guiding the Yosemite High Country Adventure and through community collaborations and support, Scott has also successfully developed many other youth development programs; and he is also a requested presenter on these topics. When not in Yosemite, you might be able to catch Scott on the slopes snowboarding in Tahoe.

WILLIAM HEAPS

Operations Director

Will started his outdoor education in Appalachia, found his passion for adventure in the Rockies, and found his home in the Sierra Nevada. Thanks to parents that booked campsites instead of hotel rooms to save on travel expenses, he is quite comfortable laying his head close to the ground to sleep. Along the path to becoming an Eagle Scout, Will learned the outdoor survival skills that have given him the confidence to leave behind civilization and live in the wilderness. Will began camping as a child, backpacking as a teenager, and climbing/canyoneering in college. He graduated with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and worked near Zion National Park as a therapist. Finding that he yearned to spend even more time in the wild, he left behind the life of a therapist and went full time into guiding with Lasting Adventures during the summer of 2015. Will loves being a guide because it affords him the opportunity to invite others to share in the experiences that have given him the hope to carry on through difficult times. When your life is simple enough to fit all necessary possessions in a backpack, you have plenty of room left to fill yourself with happiness and adventure. He now finds joy in teaching those same skills to his life partner and two daughters.

Heaps Headshot
Heaps Headshot

WILLIAM HEAPS

Operations Director

Will started his outdoor education in Appalachia, found his passion for adventure in the Rockies, and found his home in the Sierra Nevada. Thanks to parents that booked campsites instead of hotel rooms to save on travel expenses, he is quite comfortable laying his head close to the ground to sleep. Along the path to becoming an Eagle Scout, Will learned the outdoor survival skills that have given him the confidence to leave behind civilization and live in the wilderness. Will began camping as a child, backpacking as a teenager, and climbing/canyoneering in college. He graduated with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and worked near Zion National Park as a therapist. Finding that he yearned to spend even more time in the wild, he left behind the life of a therapist and went full time into guiding with Lasting Adventures during the summer of 2015. Will loves being a guide because it affords him the opportunity to invite others to share in the experiences that have given him the hope to carry on through difficult times. When your life is simple enough to fit all necessary possessions in a backpack, you have plenty of room left to fill yourself with happiness and adventure. He now finds joy in teaching those same skills to his life partner and two daughters.

MATTHEW SCHILOWITZ

Education & Curriculum Director

Matt is an outdoor educator and guide who loves working in the outdoors. He graduated with a degree in Outdoor/Adventure Education from Plymouth State University in 2019 and has since been traveling, teaching, climbing and exploring all over the country. Matt spends most of his time rock climbing and on remote adventures, especially around Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. He is also very passionate about education. In addition to showing people how much fun the mountains can be, Matt works hard to teach people about the amazing natural wonders of our planet, and the importance of protecting wild places. Working in the outdoors has always been a dream job, and is balanced with personal hobbies. After a day of climbing he enjoys relaxing by swimming in an alpine lake, drawing landscapes or practicing astronomy, one of his favorite subjects to teach. Matt is really looking forward to his fifth year working with Lasting Adventures, and his first year on the Admin Team.

I believe in the philosophy that you should never stop learning and I am very much looking forward to learning even more about Yosemite, where I got first bitten by the outdoors bug, and sharing that knowledge with all the participants on Lasting Adventures trips!

MATTHEW SCHILOWITZ

Education & Curriculum Director

Matt is an outdoor educator and guide who loves working in the outdoors. He graduated with a degree in Outdoor/Adventure Education from Plymouth State University in 2019 and has since been traveling, teaching, climbing and exploring all over the country. Matt spends most of his time rock climbing and on remote adventures, especially around Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. He is also very passionate about education. In addition to showing people how much fun the mountains can be, Matt works hard to teach people about the amazing natural wonders of our planet, and the importance of protecting wild places. Working in the outdoors has always been a dream job, and is balanced with personal hobbies. After a day of climbing he enjoys relaxing by swimming in an alpine lake, drawing landscapes or practicing astronomy, one of his favorite subjects to teach. Matt is really looking forward to his fifth year working with Lasting Adventures, and his first year on the Admin Team.

KARA MACEROSS

Yosemite Site Director

I grew up in a small town of Beaver, PA and loved spending every waking moment in the outdoors as a child. Once I was taken on my first backpacking trip in Yosemite National Park I was hooked and eventually decided to change my career from the Fashion Industry to the Outdoors and that was the best decision I ever made. I then took an Outdoor Educator course with NOLS in the great Wind River Range for backpacking and rock climbing, got my Wilderness First Responder certification, and have since taken kids out into the outdoors from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to the desert in Joshua Tree National Park and challenged them in activities that include backpacking, rock climbing, white water kayaking and canoeing.

In my free time I love going canyoneering, backpacking, trail running, researching new cheesy jokes, cooking and eating lots of yummy food, climbing multi-pitch routes in Red Rocks, road tripping, playing lots ‘o’ board games, writing for my blog, star-gazing, chasing rainbows and ultimately lounging in my hammock.

I believe in the philosophy that you should never stop learning and I am very much looking forward to learning even more about Yosemite, where I got first bitten by the outdoors bug, and sharing that knowledge with all the participants on Lasting Adventures trips!

KARA MACEROSS

Yosemite Site Director

I grew up in a small town of Beaver, PA and loved spending every waking moment in the outdoors as a child. Once I was taken on my first backpacking trip in Yosemite National Park I was hooked and eventually decided to change my career from the Fashion Industry to the Outdoors and that was the best decision I ever made. I then took an Outdoor Educator course with NOLS in the great Wind River Range for backpacking and rock climbing, got my Wilderness First Responder certification, and have since taken kids out into the outdoors from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to the desert in Joshua Tree National Park and challenged them in activities that include backpacking, rock climbing, white water kayaking and canoeing.

In my free time I love going canyoneering, backpacking, trail running, researching new cheesy jokes, cooking and eating lots of yummy food, climbing multi-pitch routes in Red Rocks, road tripping, playing lots ‘o’ board games, writing for my blog, star-gazing, chasing rainbows and ultimately lounging in my hammock.

I believe in the philosophy that you should never stop learning and I am very much looking forward to learning even more about Yosemite, where I got first bitten by the outdoors bug, and sharing that knowledge with all the participants on Lasting Adventures trips!

HANNAH JERUC

Olympic Site Lead

Hannah grew up in Milwaukee, WI with a deep appreciation of the forested wetlands around her. While earning her bachelor’s degree, she joined her school’s outdoor recreation club and fell in love with leading backpacking trips. After some wandering around the mountain west and the Big Island of Hawaii, Hannah realized she wanted to pursue outdoor education as a career. She completed a semester course with NOLS, earned her WFR, Wilderness EMT, LNT Master Educator, and has spent the last three years working in a variety of outdoor industry positions. Now a resident of Port Angeles, WA, she loves to ski, paddle, climb, hike and bike around the beautiful Olympics. Her passion for outdoor recreation permeates every corner of her life, and she loves to share it with others!

HANNAH JERUC

Olympic Site Lead

Hannah grew up in Milwaukee, WI with a deep appreciation of the forested wetlands around her. While earning her bachelor’s degree, she joined her school’s outdoor recreation club and fell in love with leading backpacking trips. After some wandering around the mountain west and the Big Island of Hawaii, Hannah realized she wanted to pursue outdoor education as a career. She completed a semester course with NOLS, earned her WFR, Wilderness EMT, LNT Master Educator, and has spent the last three years working in a variety of outdoor industry positions. Now a resident of Port Angeles, WA, she loves to ski, paddle, climb, hike and bike around the beautiful Olympics. Her passion for outdoor recreation permeates every corner of her life, and she loves to share it with others!

ERIC MEYER

Program Manager

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Eric spent ample time tromping around the Pacific Coast and redwood forests with the Boy Scouts, learning foundational outdoor skills with friends. Yet the wonders just beyond his backyard – such as the Sierra – went unexplored. It wasn’t until a road trip just after graduating high school that Eric “discovered” Yosemite, and the place grabbed him and didn’t let go. Since then, Yosemite has become what can only be described as a (hopefully healthy) obsession for Eric, a place of endless wonder whether alone or with others. Simultaneously, Eric grew into a passion for history and education, graduating with a degree in the two fields from The Evergreen State College, set on becoming a high school teacher. Thus, Lasting Adventures represents a unique joining of Eric’s passions: an opportunity to cultivate curiosity and encourage others to ‘fall in love with the world’ in a place which engenders those inspired feelings like nowhere else. The stoke is real!

ERIC MEYER

Program Manager

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Eric spent ample time tromping around the Pacific Coast and redwood forests with the Boy Scouts, learning foundational outdoor skills with friends. Yet the wonders just beyond his backyard – such as the Sierra – went unexplored. It wasn’t until a road trip just after graduating high school that Eric “discovered” Yosemite, and the place grabbed him and didn’t let go. Since then, Yosemite has become what can only be described as a (hopefully healthy) obsession for Eric, a place of endless wonder whether alone or with others. Simultaneously, Eric grew into a passion for history and education, graduating with a degree in the two fields from The Evergreen State College, set on becoming a high school teacher. Thus, Lasting Adventures represents a unique joining of Eric’s passions: an opportunity to cultivate curiosity and encourage others to ‘fall in love with the world’ in a place which engenders those inspired feelings like nowhere else. The stoke is real!

Meet the Lasting Adventures Guide Team