The Sky Pilot Scholarship Program was started by former Vice President, Lauren DeLaunay-Miller, in 2021. The aim of this program was to give the opportunity to local high school students to have a chance at a guided trip up Mt. Whitney - the highest formation in the lower 48 - and to give them new skills and exposure to the great outdoors that exists right in their own backyard.
In 2022, the BACC received a grant from Patagonia and opted to support Sacred Rok, a nonprofit that already helps underrepresented youth get outside, carry out the Sky Pilot program for the year. Katie Lambert spearheaded this year’s Sky Pilot efforts, prepping two students over the course of the spring and the summer to gain the skills and fitness to ultimately attempt Mt. Whitney.
Below Katie shares her story of how this went, starting with their attempt at Whitney and reflecting on the rest of the summer:
