Carly Dykes: Flipping the Narrative from Rainier to Baker
Carly, a 2024 Summit Scholarship recipient, hails from Seattle, Washington, where she studies at the University of Washington. Last summer, Carly honored her late father by signing up for a team climb on the ionic Mount Rainier. After scraping together enough money to join a guided expedition, Carly (much to her surprise) was placed on a team comprised of only male guides and climbers.
After successfully summiting Rainier, Carly walked away with an unshakable and deepened love for mountaineering and independently pushing her limits, which Carly has been doing since she first loaded up a heavy backpacking pack at the age of 12. But she yearned for more; she yearned for strong female representation and companionship in the mountains.
Now, as a freshman in college, Carly has continued to spread her love for mountaineering to the women in her life and has continued challenging herself to find a women-centric community in the climbing and mountaineering world.
We had the opportunity to get to know Carly a little better, so with no further ado, meet Carly!
Hi Carly! Can you describe how you felt when you found out you had won? It felt unreal, I couldn’t believe I was chosen to be such a part of a powerful community of women.
What do you do to fill up your days? I am a student at the University of Washington, so a lot of my time is spent in class, but otherwise, you can find me at the bouldering gym, doing freelance journalism, or hiking!
How did you get started in adventuring? I was introduced to adventuring through my family who has been mountaineering for as long as I can remember.
What barriers have you faced in mountaineering? I have faced being underestimated in my physical abilities in the mountains and in rock climbing.
Tell us about a time in the outdoors that solidified your love and desire for mountaineering. Unquestionably, having the opportunity to complete my expedition of Mt. Rainier and pushing my physical solidified my love for mountaineering. On my way home from the expedition, I immediately began researching for my next opportunity to summit a mountain.
Tell us about a person that inspires you. My mother undoubtedly is a woman in my life that inspires me. Watching my mother continue to persevere in every aspect of her life while being a stable parental figure to my sister and me has continuously inspired me.
Tell us about your biggest mountaineering ambition or dream! My biggest mountaineering dream is to summit Mt. Denali!
What do you hope to learn during your experience as a Summit Scholarship recipient? I hope to learn thoroughly about other women’s shared experiences in the mountains and the trials and tribulations they have faced.
Carly - we are absolutely thrilled to welcome you into our welcoming and inclusive mountaineering community. We can’t wait to meet you on Mount Baker and watch you rise to the summit of Denali. To follow along with Carly’s journey, head to our expedition partner AWExpedition’s Instagram or Facebook.
