Support Cascade Leadership Challenge!

Sunrise over Sunrise

Do you keep hearing about all the cool stuff that CLC does and wonder what you can do to help? As a volunteer organization, we work hard to keep our trips and activities affordable for our members. But like any organization, we have expenses like rent, gas, and insurance. Here's a few ways you can get involved and help us out.

Donate
This is the simplest way of all! We're a 501(c)3 organization, so your contributions are tax-deductible. Many employers, like Microsoft and Boeing, will match your contribution in whole or in part. You'll receive a confirmation letter from us for your records.

Skagit River Eagle Floats
Interested in seeing what CLC does? Come with us for a day of eagle-watching on the scenic Skagit River! We're looking at weekends in December and January. You can look forward to boats captained by youth volunteer guides, lunch on the river, and much more. Donations are welcome!

Benefit Auction
CLC will be holding a benefit auction at the Woodland Park Zoo's Rainforest Pavilion on March 1. Save the date! More information will be coming out soon. This will benefit CLC, our Denali expedition, and our Nepal expedition.

Other Ways
Maybe you can think of other ways to support us. Do you have time to volunteer? Special skills? Extra gear? The possibilities are endless. We need you creativity!

If you have any questions about supporting CLC in these or other ways, contact our Secretary, Ian.

- I.B.

CLC to be sponsored by Lake Sammamish Half Marathon!

We're happy to announce that we will be partnering with the Lake Sammamish Half-Marathon! We will be helping to staff the event and in return some of the proceeds will come our way. THANKS RUNNERS AND RACE DIRECTORS!! Check out our logo/link on the Lake Sammamish Half's web page:

http://www.lakesammamishhalf.com/

This event is especially cool because one of our rock stars, Daniel, ran his first half last year at the Lake Sammamish event and placed second in his age group! We hope to "field" some more runner this year! 

CLC is Moving!

Hi all, 

This blog will share some CLC news and updates. Stay tuned for our "tuned-up" website! In the meantime, feel free to share our address with anyone who is interested in CLC. 

In recent news, we are moving out of the "Cave" where we've held meetings and stored our gear since 2011! In case you were wondering, the rent in Ballard was getting a little steep! It was becoming difficult to deliver our program to all youth with a big rent bill! 

We are moving into the "Hedge House" currently in North Seattle.

Step Up! 

Cave location all clean and painted!

Hedge House Move-In

2013 Rafting Highlights

2013 was a great year for rafting! We did trips on many great rivers. What a great activity for confidence and thrills with a group of friends!

2013 Glacier Mountaineering

This summer, CLC Climbed Mt. Rainier and Mt Baker. We also attempted Glacier Peak!

Glacier Mountaineering is a challenge requiring attention to safety, preparation, endurance, team accountability, and high spirits! CLC participants receive training in rope-team leadership and guiding skills.

Alpenglow and a beautiful view are great rewards for a strong climb!

Trip Report: Outdoor Retailer Summer Market

The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is one of the largest gear expos in the world. From July 31-August 3, nearly 1500 vendors representing every possible outdoor activity gathered in Salt Lake City to show off the latest and greatest in gear, tech, and more. There were several reasons why this was worth a CLC trip. We knew that getting the right gear would be critical for our Denali trip, not to mention all of our other outdoor activities. As a part of the outdoor adventure community, it was important for us to network with the people who made our stuff. It was also a chance to get out there and show the world what CLC was about.

On the trip were Mark, Frances, Adam, Daniel, and myself. Getting there was an epic 15-hour road trip. In SLC, we met Ryan, Leah, and Ray, who had already been down there for the first two days of the show. Thanks to Ryan, we were able to get credentials that let us into the show. We stayed at the local KOA, which presumably had once been on the outskirts of town but was now in the middle of the city.

Needless to say, the place was insane. There were tons of things we didn't know we needed - "Climbing pants with integrated harnesses?!" prizes and drawings - "They're giving away GoPros at 3:00!" - and astonishment at the sheer size of the place "There's an entire pavilion for SUP yoga?!". Daniel and Adam got free OR gear for completing the "Plaid is Rad" challenge. Mark, Frances and I were able to meet with world-renowned mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, the first women to climb all the 8,000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. She described her two nights below the summit of K2 as "cold" and Annapurna as "hard". (Mark told me later, "Everyone here is rushing around looking for something. She's already found it.") There was plenty of other cool stuff we didn't get to see, like the climbing competition on a 5.14 wall.

In addition to hitting up all of the big, established brands, we spent a lot of time talking to entrepreneurs and startups, who were looking for new partners. We also talked to some awesome local companies, including Exped, Luna Sandals and Sherpa. Who knew that we had to travel to Salt Lake City to meet people from Seattle? In the end, we came away with stacks of business cards and loads of free stuff. We're already making plans to go again next summer, and might even head down for the Winter Market in January.

-I.B.