In August 2018, Nathaniel was headed into the North Cascades to go climbing. After breaking out of the treeline and crossing several streams, he and his partner began to climb up towards the ridgeline of their objective. At this point, the climbing was easy enough that it did not warrant the use of a rope (which he was carrying in his backpack for later). Unfortunately, some of the rock broke away and he fell 150+ feet back down onto the glacier below. He was airlifted by a Navy Search and Rescue team to Harborview Medical Center. Upon impact with the glacier below, he broke his C1, C3-C7, and L1-L4. He is currently a C5 ASIA A quadriplegic.

This grant will help him with the purchase of a manual wheelchair so he can build more upper body and core strength. He hopes that by getting stronger he can participate in more adaptive sports such as quad rugby, adaptive kayaking, and sit-skiing.