Benefit mountain climb the summit of her dreams

By Victoria Groves

Roslindale - West Roxbury native Laura Vinci, 24, never thought she’d end up being a hiking guide, taking tourists up volcanic mountains in Guatemala. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in dance, she took a two-month camping trip on a whim with a friend. Traveling through South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, she realized that she loved nature as much as dancing.

“I fell in love with our national parks and with nature,” said Vinci. “I’ve spent the majority of my life in pink tights, and now my parents can’t believe I’m a volcano guide.”

While hiking in Colorado, Vinci met a fellow climber who told her about an organization called Summit for Someone.

A charity fundraiser run by Backpacker Magazine, participants raise money to benefit Colorado-based Big City Mountaineers. BCM is a nonprofit organization created to provide urban teenage youths with challenging, safe outdoor experiences designed to build self-esteem and positively affect their beliefs about themselves and their relationship with others.

Vinci thought it was a program she could get involved in, especially when she found out where the fundraiser would take her.

“This is a chance for me to climb Mt. Rainier, but for a cause,” she said of the climb she’s always wanted to make. “I’m interested in experiencing a new landscape, and I’ve never used an ice ax before, so it should be interesting.”

Working in Guatemala, Vinci sees the vast contrast between the way that the United States cares for their open spaces — something that makes her want to continue working outdoors, for the environment in the future.

“There are a lot of parts of the world where you see trash and damages to the trails because there aren’t the resources to make those improvements,” said Vinci. “I want to continue working for the outdoors.”

Before Vinci’s three-day summit trip begins in September, she must raise $3,800. That’s enough to send a group of Big City Mountaineer teens on a wilderness trip of its own. “I know the trip I went on four two months changed the course of my life,” she said. “Experiences like this are really important, and it’s great to be able to give back.”

One of the volcanic hikes Vinci takes tourists on now is 13,000 feet high, only slightly shorter than the 14,000-foot high Mt. Rainier. But add snow, ice and rain, and she knows she’s up for a challenge. The daily hiking she does will help with her training, and she hasn’t forgotten about her dancing.

“In Guatemala, there’s a lot of salsa dancing, so I’ve moved my love for dancing to that,” Vinci said. “I’d love to find a way to eventually combine the two passions.”