When Kate Dumanian’s younger brother gave her a subscription to Backpacker Magazine for Christmas, she was thrilled but not surprised. The Dumanians, from Los Altos, California, are an outdoor family, and their vacations typically involve outdoor adventure – often in the mountains. From grade 4-12, Kate spent her summers at Cheley Camps in Estes Park, CO, tackling progressively harder peaks and expeditions in the Rocky Mountains.
“Camp affected me in many positive ways,” Kate says, adding that she’s learned more in the outdoors than in any classroom. Among those things are an appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors, leadership, self-reliance, perseverance, the art of conversation and the opportunity to completely unplug from technology. “I call hiking my favorite sport because there are no clocks or coaches yelling at you or playing time issues. You can be a part of a team, but be responsible for yourself,” Kate explains, and adds simply, “Camp, and the outdoors, changed who I am.”
Understandably then, she dove into her first issue of Backpacker, and the “The 2015 Hiker’s Life List: 101 Places to Go, Skills to Learn, and Things to Do Right Now.” She had already notched off some of the list including #35, Hiking the Swiss Alps, which she and her father did last summer by hiking the famed Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt on their own. It was #56—Climb For Charity—that caught her eye.
Intrigued, Kate read on, and learned about Summit for Someone (SFS) climbs that benefit Positive Tracks’ Charity Partner, Big City Mountaineers. The climbs, up 19 of the world’s premiere mountains, raise money towards the week-long wilderness mentoring expeditions that Big City Mountaineers provides for under-resourced urban youth. The featured climb, a 14-mile round trip trek up the 13,770-ft Grant Teton, lined up perfectly with a hiking trip in Grand Teton National Park that Kate had already planned with a friend in July.
This is not the Dartmouth College freshman’s first climb for charity. As a high school freshman she did a similar adventure, hiking Mt. Shasta, and raising $4000 for the California-based charity “Climbing for Kids.” “It was a life-changing experience,” Kate explains. “These climbs allow you to find your passion, and provide the same opportunity to someone else. It means the world to me to be able to do what I love and help others get that experience.” That very aspect is also what gets Kate excited about Positive Tracks. “It’s so cool that Positive Tracks supports people to do what they love for a good cause.“
Kate’s goal is to raise $5000 (which will be doubled by Positive Tracks) for the upcoming climb, and to raise community awareness for both Big City Mountaineers and Positive Tracks. Outdoor recreation opportunities were a leading factor in Kate choosing Dartmouth College. (Her older brother graduated from Dartmouth in 2014.) After spring break, she hopes to work with the Dartmouth Outing Club to put together local climbs with students benefitting her cause, and to organize a rock climbing competition through the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club. “My goal is to incorporate the community. I’m so fired up to spread the message about Big City Mountaineers and Positive Tracks, and excited to have something to feel so passionate about.”
Look for an upcoming video about her mission, as well as all info about her upcoming events on her fundraising site.
Like father like daughter. Kate and her Dad hiking the Haute Route.
Kate’s Climbing Tips
I always travel with:
A bandana: it can be a pasta strainer, a wipe, a wash cloth, sun protection…anything you need.
Bread bag ties or plastic clips: I always save them and attach them to my bootlaces. By the end of the day, there’s always a use for them.
Snacks: If expecting weather, bring fuel you can quickly pull out and eat efficiently as you go, even with no hands.
Chocolate: Any food tastes good on the trail, but chocolate tastes especially good. (Kate and her Dad are mildly obsessed and chased down some legendary hot cocoa at an obscure café in Zurich.) Our trail mix is always heavy on the chocolate, and M&M’s are great to have in your pocket.
Remember to have a good breakfast! My favorite is oatmeal because it’s warm in your belly.