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Chris Bachman

Veradale, Washington
Inner City Outings Chair
Upper Columbia River Group

Chris Bachman has been a Sierra Club member on and off for 20 years, but it was the Inner City Outings (ICO) program that really seized his imagination and got him deeply involved. At a Sierra Club meeting in 2005, he met another stay-at-home dad, Curt Chambers, and the two decided to start an ICO group in Spokane. "I got the ball rolling," Chambers says, "and Chris picked it up and ran with it."

Over the next year, the two raised money, connected with a community center, a local community mission, and a local school district, and marketed themselves by attending outdoor and community events. "When you believe in something it's amazing how easy it is to stand out there in the world and shout about it," Bachman says. "ICO is a program that's easy to believe in. I've yet to find anyone who isn't moved by the mission and purpose of this program."

The Spokane ICO program completed 13 trips in its first year, serving some 145 youth, many of them repeat participants. "It's incredibly rewarding exposing these kids to the wild places that surround the city of Spokane," Bachman says. "Many of them had experienced Mt. Spokane only from a distance. Now they've had the opportunity to stand on top of the mountain and watch moose browse on the slopes nearby."

Bachman's favorite thing about ICO is watching kids wake up to the world around them. "We challenge the kids on each outing and they've met the challenge. I had one young man hug me and thank me for believing in him after he overcame his personal fears. That's what the program is about—helping young people explore the world and discover themselves." He says being an ICO volunteer has helped make him a better father and husband by teaching patience and understanding.

When he's not working with ICO or the Club's Upper Columbia River Group, Bachman spends as much time as he can with his wife Wendy and their two kids. "I feel fortunate to be a stay-at-home parent with our daughter Alex, who will be five in August, and our son Seth, who just turned three," he says. "We get out often as a family hiking the local mountain and river trails."

An avid reader, guitarist, and lay student of the local geology, Bachman plans to earn a teaching degree so he can teach earth/environmental science instructor at the middle- or high school level. He enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, mountaineering, cycling, fishing, and scuba diving. "If I can be outside, I'll do just about anything," he says.

Published: July 11, 2007