Over the 2023-24 climbing seasons, I am embarking on a personal journey to climb and document Washington's 100 highest peaks. These summits are all in the Cascades, the mountain range that transformed my life.

My aim behind this project is to celebrate the ways in which we connect with our local landscapes while also giving back by uplifting and supporting the outdoor community and organizations that strive for inclusivity and accessibility in outdoor spaces.

The WA100 project (based on the classic Bulger List) is a mountain challenge like none other that I’ve personally encountered. Shortly after moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2013, I had the privilege of learning the basics of mountaineering and alpine climbing (completely new activities to me at the time), and it quickly became clear that this type of movement in the mountains was the truest expression of my self and my love for this local landscape. My work as a photographer allowed me to experience mountains on all Seven Continents, but my heart was firmly planted in my home mountains. During the 2018 climbing season, I celebrated my favorite national park, North Cascades National Park, and its 50th anniversary by climbing 50 peaks inside the park (a project I called 50 PEAKS). But a bigger project has always been on the horizon. The Bulger List — Washington State’s 100 highest peaks — is a project I’ve said I would tackle “one day” for many years. All of these 100 peaks sit in my beloved Cascades, the mountain range that literally changed my life. After this past year reminded me, once again, to not take life for granted and to not delay dreams, I decided to make my “one day” now.
I’m thrilled to take on this once-in-a-lifetime challenge while also bringing about real, measurable change along the way. Being able to venture out into these mountains, the traditional lands of past and present Indigenous peoples, is a great privilege. And it is that privilege I plan to leverage to elevate others. I will do this by partnering with and amplifying the voices of some amazing nonprofit groups that fight for outdoor advocacy, inclusivity, and representation and make outdoor gear, education, and experiences more accessible to everyone. I will also amplify individual members of the outdoor community that have inspired me and so many others. The giveback will take many forms including spreading awareness, peer fundraising, and more, and will aim to inspire others to look at how they connect with their own local landscapes and, in turn, how the land connects us all. All in all, I hope and expect this journey to further deepen my personal connection with this local landscape while hopefully opening my mind and heart, and the minds and hearts of others, to how we all belong in the mountains.
— Scott (May 2023)

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

PEAKS TALLY: Completed: 100 | Peaks to Go: 0

nonprofit spotlight

During this project, I will collaborate with local and national nonprofit groups to spread awareness, to fundraise, to highlight their mission and programs, and sometimes to join representatives of these groups in climbing. My nonprofits will include groups that serve women in the outdoors; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color climbers; LGBTQ+ adventurers, and other underserved and underrepresented group members.

**Climbers of Color (CoC)** is a Washington State nonprofit organization with the mission to increase access to climbing for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color by providing educational courses and supportive mentorship to leaders of color in the climbing community. To accomplish its mission, Climbers of Color provides supportive mentorship, technical training and access to key resources including gear and scholarships.

SUPPORT

SUPPORT

Soul Trak Outdoors is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization that connects communities of color to outdoor spaces while also building a coalition of diverse outdoor leaders. The organization runs a variety of programs that reach youth, college students, and adults within the community who are seeking opportunities for new adventures and knowledge.

SUPPORT

**Venture Out Project (TVOP)** helps the LGBTQ+ community develop confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging through outdoor adventure. TVOP is committed to facilitating backpacking and wilderness trips for the queer and trans community in a safe and inclusive environment. They also provide comprehensive (trans)gender inclusion workshops for organizations, educators, adventure professionals, summer camps and more.

SUPPORT

**Washington’s National Park Fund (WNPF)** is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. WNPF raises private support to preserve and protect these parks. Through its Embracing Inclusion priority pillar, it is enabling the support of programs that promote park access by underrepresented and historically marginalized communities.

SUPPORT

**Washington Trails Association (WTA)** mobilizes hikers and everyone who loves the outdoors to explore, steward, and champion trails and public lands. Through its “Trails for Everyone” initiative, it’s fighting to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive experiences on trail. Because trails and access to the outdoors are a must-have.

SUPPORT

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

As part of my project’s aim to amplify the voices of community members who are making the outdoors more inclusive and accessible, the Community Spotlight will highlight a rotating cast of individuals who are doing important work and amazing things. Check back shortly down the road to discovery even more rad humans!

TYRHEE MOORE (he/him)

Tyrhee Moore is a highly regarded mountaineer and outdoor education advocate who has climbed Grand Teton, Mount Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and was part of the first all African-American climb of Denali. He is a champion for increasing interest and advocacy amongst black youth in outdoor spaces and has garnered national attention for his unnerving bravery and bold leadership. Tyrhee founded Soul Trak Outdoors in 2018, a non-profit organization connecting urban communities of color to our planet's green spaces. Tyrhee is a sought-after speaker and has given talks at prestigious universities such as Harvard Kennedy School and guest lectured at Cornell University. He is passionate about increasing outdoor access and opportunities for underrepresented communities.

KRYSTIN NORMAN (she/her)

Krystin is a brewed beverage scientist, freeride skiing athlete and coach, and the founder of the SheJumps Snowpack Scholarship Program. Her community goals in the skiing world have been to encourage women to achieve high level competency and formal certifications in their sports, and to create opportunities for underrepresented groups to access resort skiing/snowboarding and avalanche/snow safety education. When she isn't working her day job in a coffee quality lab, Krystin spends her free time exploring aesthetic ski lines and granite rock in the Cascade Mountains and other ranges. Her favorite outdoor activities include skiing, rock climbing, and mountain biking.

MIKAH MEYER (he/him)

World Record setting adventurer Mikah Meyer has been featured by NPR, The Today Show, and National Geographic Traveler for his three-year road trip to all 400+ U.S. National Park Service sites. Called everything from a “Sexy Travel Guru” to a “Best Instagram to Follow,” Mikah is the founder of the Outside Safe Space program that makes outdoor and rural spaces more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people. Shattering barriers in adventure marketing, in 2018, Mikah became the First Openly Gay Man Featured in an Outdoors Recreation Ad (with REI). Named a “Stonewall #Pride50 innovator and changemaker” by NBC for World Pride 2019, Mikah has performed over 200 live shows about diversity & inclusion for audiences from Amazon.com's headquarters to National Park Foundation galas. With a carpe diem ethos inspired by the loss of his road-trip-loving father to cancer, Mikah uses travel not only for “adventure advocacy" projects, but to inspire audiences to live beyond convention. [Photo Source: Mikah Meyer]

THERESA SILVEYRA (she/her)

Theresa Silveyra is a Pacific Northwest based climber who enjoys spending time on Mount Hood and in the North Cascades. She is an AMGA Apprentice Alpine Guide, the Assistant Mountaineering Director at Climbers of Color, and a member of Portland Mountain Rescue. As a longtime educator, Theresa is passionate about sharing the joys of being in the mountains through her role as a lead instructor for Climbers of Color mountaineering and alpine rock leadership courses. Theresa is also the founder of Color the Cascades, an annual mountaineering gear scholarship for women and genderqueer people of color in the Pacific Northwest. Through her work at Climbers of Color, as well as through her scholarship program, she hopes to provide more opportunities for BIPOC to experience the mountains and help create a more diverse and inclusive community of climbers.

Perry Cohen

Perry Cohen realized a lifelong dream of combining his love of the outdoors, his commitment to social justice, his own identity, and his professional life when he founded The Venture Out Project, Basecamp at Beaver Falls, and Transhealth Northampton. Perry has extensive wilderness experience, having led multi-day hiking, skiing, and mountain biking trips in the US and Canada. He is an avid backcountry skier, biker, runner and aspiring surfer and river rafter. In addition to leading trips, Perry works with our brand partners to help educate and work towards a more inclusive outdoors for all. Prior to founding The Venture Out Project Perry was the head of talent and Development at C&S Wholesale Grocers where he still serves on the Board. Perry and his partner, Amy, have four children and love to travel and adventure but make their home in the hills and trails of Western Massachusetts. [Photo Source: Perry Cohen]

Kimber Cross (she/her)

Kimber is an adaptive climber who uses a custom prosthetic ice tool to climb waterfall ice around the country as well as ice routes in her home state of Washington. She was the first disabled climber to use a prosthetic ice tool on the Kautz Route on Mount Rainier/Tahoma. She is also a climb leader for The Mountaineers, a volunteer-based organization in Washington state that offers basic and intermediate courses and climbing trips. She instructs/leads field trips for the Mountaineers as well as private climbs year-round on glaciers, rock, and ice. When she isn’t in the backcountry climbing or skiing, she is a National Board-Certified educator, teaching Kindergarten. Kimber was born with one hand—she has adapted and modified to excel in sports as a kid and now climbing as an adult. Her passion is to teach children about the outdoors with her story of resilience and inclusion.

James Gregory Jr (he/him)

James Gregory Jr (@the_ethnic_explorer) is an outdoor adventure advocate that aims to inspire more diversity in the outdoors and shine light on the history behind why it is so important to do so. James started adventuring as a young kid around the age of 5 in a rural Virginia town population 500. As an avid adventure with experience mountain biking, paddle boarding, hiking, backpacking, bush crafting, mountaineering, ATV and dirt biking he noticed not many folks encounter in the wild looked like him. That sparked an interest in using social media as a positive platform to help inspire and create more representation in the outdoor industry. [Photo Source: James Gregory Jr]

Sol Snyder (she/her)

Shanice Snyder (She/Her), nickname Sol, is a solo hiker residing on Puyallup lands in Washington. Her first solo hike was Rattlesnake Ledge where she caught the hiking bug. After that she continued to do various hikes all over Washington and some in Oregon. In 2021 she completed the 52 hike challenge in October and by the time the year was officially over she did over 60 hikes. In that same year she took her first solo road trip from Washington to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon and went on her first backpacking trip to Baker Lake with a group of friends. She is vocal about the importance of representation within outdoor spaces for folks within the Black, Indigenous and POC communities as well as those who experience Alopecia like herself. Now she is currently gaining experience within the outdoor industry doing seasonal jobs such as working with Earth Corps(2022) doing restoration projects along the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) and with the Washington Trails Association(2023) learning trail work as part of their Emerging Leaders Program. [Photo Source: Sol Snyder]