Rowen Schooley

Wilderness / Backcountry Guide

Rowen grew up in Michigan, where from an early age she developed a strong relationship to the natural world around her. Surrounded by so much water, she naturally had a deep connection to its ever-shifting relationship with land and life. Her childhood was spent racing down sand dunes into rolling waves, turning rocks in creek beds in search of crawdads, fishing for dinner on inland lakes, kayaking beside towering cliff faces, and building forts in seas of winter snow.  She embraced the dramatic change of seasons- foraging for morels in the spring; and listening to the forest breathe as green faded to gold and crimson red in autumn. She will never forget her first backpacking trip in Wyoming's Wind River Range that her brother brought her on. She was 15, and what was first a challenging experience, turned into a pivotal moment that empowered and captivated her to seek out more wild country in her life.

Since then, Rowen has continually deepened her relationship with the wilderness. She has shared that connection with others—family, friends, students, and guests—through over thirteen years of backcountry experience, guiding, and education. To her, the natural world is medicine: a place of renewal, grounding, and growth. She feels immense gratitude in helping others access that same healing.

Three years ago, she joined the Yosemite National Park Service as a member of the Historic Preservation Crew, where she helps maintain human history through traditional carpentry and stone masonry using predominantly natural materials. Preserving the lessons of the past, historic structures, and protecting wild landscapes for the future are inseparable parts of her mission. Stewardship, to her, is both cultural and ecological—honoring what has been while sustaining what is yet to come.

At the heart of her work is a passion for human connection and leadership rooted in humility, collaboration, and shared growth. She believes leadership is not about control, but about trust, clarity, empowerment, and adaptability. Her goal is to foster shared ownership on expedition—where people feel capable, supported, and engaged rather than managed. A lifelong learner and natural interpreter, she delights in both knowledge and unanswered questions, in creative expression and quiet curiosity. Coming from generations of artists, she views creativity as another form of healing—one that connects people, preserves stories, and mirrors the restorative power of the wild itself.