STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

A photograph of a skier making an S-turn through powder drove Pat Dougherty’s dreams.

But it seemed out of reach for the former Hewlett-Packard engineer who had broken his neck racing motorcycles in the Boise foothills 15 years ago.

Until Higher Ground Sun Valley took him cat skiing at Soldier Mountain, that is.

“I got to make the first tracks through the ultimate powder field, and I’ve been 10 feet tall ever since!” said Dougherty. “Just because you break your neck doesn’t mean your dreams go away. Higher Ground made my dream come true. I wanted to be in that picture of a skier making an S-turn through powder. And Higher Ground gave me an opportunity to do what I couldn’t do on my own.”

Dougherty told his story Thursday night at Higher Ground’s third annual Supper Club organized by Jackie Flanigan, Sandor Szombathy and Penny Weiss.

A hundred supporters took their seats under Rana Rochat’s colorful encaustics in Gail Severn Gallery as they savored Steve and Becky Ludwig’s melt-in-your-mouth tenderjerk rubbed bistro that covered crispy marble potatoes and wilted spinach topped with mango chimichurri sauce.

The entrée was preceded by a gorgeous salad of roasted farmers beets and cara cara oranges laced with lavender vinaigrette and capped by a delectable crunchy berry cobbler prepared by Anne Mason of Ketchum Grill.

Jackie Flannigan started the Higher Ground Supper Club to call attention to the therapeutic recreational programs Higher Ground offers for adults and children with challenges ranging from mobility issues to autism. A lot of community members know about Higher Ground’s work with Wounded Warriors, she said, but not so many know about the organization’s work with Special Olympians and others.

“When we started the recreational programs 16 years ago as part of Marc Mast’s Sun Valley Adaptive Skiing program, there were five of us—and those kids are now adults,” said Cara Barrett, director of recreation programs for Higher Ground. “We served 278 kids and adults last year—both locals and visitors. And about 70 are involved in Special Olympics.”

Reggie Swindle, the mother of longtime participant Grant Swindle, isn’t surprised that the program has grown so large.

“When Grant was born, I could name the kids with disabilities on one hand. Now there are so many,” she said, looking at her 31-year-old son. “I think they’re getting better at identifying kids with challenges—the autism spectrum, in particular, is so huge from high functioning to non-verbal.”

Dougherty sought out Bogus Basin’s adaptive ski program after he became a quadriplegic. The program’s volunteers did their best, but the former professional windsurfer often found himself lying on the snow waving at his children as they skied past.

Things clicked with Higher Ground’s professional instructors.

“Jeff Burley, who heads up Higher Ground’s adaptive ski program, is one of the highest trained adaptive instructors in the country,” noted Higher Ground board member Terri McKenna.

Today Dougherty spends nearly as much time in Sun Valley as in Boise taking part in Higher Ground’s ski and off-road cycling programs.

“A lot of times I feel like a sack of potatoes,” said Dougherty who invented a wheel that makes it easier for wheelchairs to go through snow and grass. “If I fall while skiing, people will come up and yank me around without asking me what I need. The Higher Ground instructors and volunteers treat disabled athletes like whole persons. And we are whole persons. We just roll around in a wheelchair.”

Adding an exclamation mark to his story, Dougherty recounted riding a quad with his wife and a couple of friends the day before.

“We took a selfie and there we were—four smiling people with no adaptive equipment in the picture. I felt like a million bucks but it took years to get to that point. Now, I’m one of the happiest quads there is—a happy participant in Higher Ground’s programs.”

David and Heather Doman, who moved to the Wood River Valley two years ago, recounted how Higher Ground helped their young son learn to play with other children and be able to transition from one activity to another.

“It’s been an amazing transformation,” said Heather Doman.

Three-time Paralympian Muffy Davis, who donated a 2018 Paralympian jacket for the silent auction, noted that there was nothing in Sun Valley for those with disabilities when a ski accident left her paralyzed in 1988.

Higher Ground supporter Mike Leach concurred.

“This doesn’t happen in every single community,” he said. “This program is absolutely magical. And anytime I can get involved with this group is better than any day I could be spending in the office because we’re changing hearts.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Higher Ground Sun Valley provides ski lessons, summer camps and more for minimal cost. And it provides scholarships for those who can’t pay.

It costs $400 to sponsor a child on Higher Ground’s new ski team and $350 to sponsor a camper from the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind for 16 days of programs. And it costs $1,500 to sponsor a Special Olympian through a year’s worth of training and participation in bocce, swimming, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and alpine racing competitions.

“I work with a lot of adaptive programs in places like Telluride and Park City, and they all follow what Higher Ground is doing” said board member Terri McKenna.

For information, contact Tyra MacGuffie, at tyra@highergroundusa.org or 208-726-9298, extension 115. Or, visit www.HigherGroundUSA.org.