Scott’s first backpacking experience in Yosemite was on a two-day/one-night excursion to Sunrise Lakes and the summit of Clouds Rest (9,926 feet), led by a high school leadership teacher during Scott’s senior year. This, at the time, was the highest summit Scott had ever reached, and he had to conquer his fear of heights to make it to the top. Scott and his classmates celebrated at the summit as he was overcome with the beauty and expanse of the greater Yosemite and possibilities within. It was upon that peak, nearly 10,000 feet in the sky, where Scott’s passion for the outdoors transformed into a calling. As his mother and mentors had done for him, Scott set his sights on inspiring and cultivating this most cherished passion for the wild with youth and teens.
In 1996 Scott founded the “Yosemite High Country Adventure,” after graduating with his Masters in Counseling and writing his Master’s thesis on a youth development program in the outdoors. The program ran from 1996-2007 under the umbrella of other nonprofits.