Backpacking Summer Camp trips are how Lasting Adventures all got started. In 1997, Lasting Adventures’ founder and CEO, Scott Gehrman, went on every trip in Yosemite with the kids, leading each group up Half Dome (no permits required!) despite his intense fear of heights. They slept out under the stars (and occasionally under some bears walking around!), wore cotton like it was going out of style, and didn’t even bring bear cans with them. While a lot has changed since then, what hasn’t changed much is our mission to foster environmental stewardship, teach responsible recreation, and provide opportunity for personal growth through the facilitation of impactful wilderness experiences. Lasting Adventures has grown to provide these experiences all summer in Olympic National Park and its flagship location, Yosemite.
Olympic National Park Summer Camp
This summer was our third and busiest season leading youth all over the coast and mountains of Olympic National Park. We ran eight trips, including one 6-Day Young Women’s Adventure, two Young Adventurer’s Programs, four 6-Day Backpacking Adventure for Teens, and two 13-Day Backpacking Adventure for Teens. Oh sure, there was rain, but there were also epic sunsets, tide-pooling, glacier exploration, and giggles around the campfire. The kids learned about Native History, how to read tide charts, the ecological diversity of the area, and the teamwork required to get up and over those sea cliffs.
Yosemite National Park Summer Camp
Backpacking Summer Camps in Yosemite had a unique challenge this summer: the snow! Around the time that we normally start running backpacking trips in the park, Tioga Road was not even close to being open for the summer, limiting access to many trailheads. It didn’t open, in fact, until July 22nd, the latest summer opening on record! That didn’t hold us back from exploring more of Yosemite, and we pivoted our starting trailheads to the Hetch Hetchy area. Although groups still experienced snow, there were beautiful backcountry spots to explore like Lake Eleanor and Lake Vernon. This summer, we ran 27 Backpacking Summer Camp trips in Yosemite, including seven Young Adventurer’s Programs, one 6-Day Young Women’s Adventure, two 13-Day Young Women’s Adventures, twelve 6-Day High Country Adventures and six 13-Day High Country Adventures!
Thank you for continuing to join us on these epic adventures! We hope you look back on these memories and smile as we sure have. If each picture is worth a thousand words, we have just gone on one epic journey outdoors. Who’s ready for more in 2024??