Travel has a way of leaving marks. Sometimes it’s the memory of a sunrise over a mountain ridge or the sound of a busy market in a distant city. Other times, the mark goes deeper into how you see the world and how you decide to live in it. For some, those marks fade after the trip ends. For others, they turn into something much bigger.
For Dean Cardinale, adventure guiding opened doors to places few people get to see. It also introduced him to people who would change his life forever. One of those people was his Sherpa friend, Ang Pasang, who worked alongside him on expeditions in Nepal.
In 2005, shortly after Dean summited Mount Everest, Pasang was killed in an avalanche. That loss shook Dean to his core. It also sparked a question that kept following him: What do we leave behind in the places that give us so much?
Out of that question came the Human Outreach Project (HOP). At first, it was just an idea, a way to honor Pasang’s memory by giving back to the communities that made these adventures possible. But over time, it grew into something much larger, a nonprofit that now stretches across continents, linking climbers and trekkers with projects that make real differences in people’s lives.
Born From Tragedy, Built on Relationships
When Dean started HOP, he wasn’t looking to build a large charity. He simply wanted to respond to needs he saw firsthand. Guiding in Nepal, Tanzania, and Peru meant not just climbing mountains but walking through villages, meeting families, and noticing what was missing.
A school without books. A clinic without medicine. Children without parents. These weren’t abstract issues, they were faces he passed every season.
HOP began with small steps.
In Nepal, the team helped orphanages in Kathmandu and provided basic supplies for schools. In Tanzania, they supported local children near Mount Kilimanjaro. In Peru, they brought hygiene kits and school materials to rural communities.
What tied all of these early projects together was the idea of working with locals, not around them. Dean believed solutions had to come from partnerships, not handouts.
From Small Acts to Global Programs
Today, nearly two decades later, HOP has become a global force for good. The projects are bigger, but the philosophy hasn’t changed. Every initiative still starts with listening to local voices and building relationships that last.
In Tanzania, HOP built the Kilimanjaro Kids’ Community (KKC), a self-sustaining orphanage and school that now houses about 35 children. It’s more than a shelter, it’s a place where kids grow up with stability, education, and the chance to create their own futures. HOP also funds daily lunch programs at nearby schools, feeding more than 2,000 students. For many of those children, it’s the only reliable meal of the day, and it directly improves attendance and learning.
In Nepal, HOP rebuilt two high-altitude medical clinics Pheriche and Manang after the devastating 2015 earthquake. These clinics serve thousands of locals, trekkers, and climbers each year, providing care in places where hospitals are days away. The work didn’t stop there; HOP also supports schools and helps equip villages with resources that make life a little easier in the thin air of the Himalayas.
In Peru, the focus has been on education and self-sufficiency. The team has helped schools with computer centers, sewing machines for income generation, and basic supplies that many families can’t afford. The projects might look modest on paper, but in remote Andean villages, they mean opportunity.
And in Utah, where Dean lives, HOP turns its attention to home. The HOP Outdoors program takes at-risk youth from Salt Lake City into the nearby mountains, giving them a chance to hike, learn, and experience nature in a way that many have never had before.
During the holidays, HOP supports veterans and their families with food and gifts. The idea is simple: giving back shouldn’t only happen abroad it should start in your own backyard.
Adventure, But With a Purpose
For Dean, HOP isn’t separate from his guiding company, World Wide Trekking (WWTrek). The two are deeply connected. Every trek has some tie to a project whether it’s visiting a clinic in Nepal, spending time at the Kilimanjaro Kids’ Community, or donating supplies in Peru.
Guests don’t just see mountains; they also see communities. And often, they find themselves drawn into the work, bringing donations, sponsoring children, or returning home with a deeper sense of responsibility.
This model adventure paired with giving makes HOP different from many nonprofits. It’s not about sweeping campaigns or large fundraising drives. It’s about weaving service into the fabric of travel. Dean often says that every adventure should leave the world better than you found it. That philosophy shows up in the smallest details, like trekkers carrying school supplies in their luggage, or in the largest, like rebuilding clinics in the Himalayas.
A Ripple Effect of Compassion
What makes HOP powerful isn’t just the projects themselves, it’s the ripple effect they create. A child in Tanzania gets a steady education. A student in Peru learns computer skills. A trekker from the U.S. sees poverty up close and decides to give more time or money to causes back home. One act feeds another.
And unlike some organizations that swoop in and leave, HOP stays. Many of the children at the Kilimanjaro Kids’ Community have grown up under the program’s care. The clinics in Nepal still operate years after they were built, staffed by locals who understand the culture and needs. The relationships last, which makes the change last too.
Balancing Mountains and Missions
Running a nonprofit alongside a global trekking company isn’t easy. Dean often splits his time between expeditions and site visits, checking in on schools, clinics, and orphanages whenever he can.
He still guides climbs. But before or after a trek, he makes time to sit with local partners, listen to updates, and see what’s needed next. It’s not glamorous work, it’s meetings, logistics, and a lot of small details but it’s what makes the projects real.
At the same time, he continues to push for broader awareness. He talks about HOP in his book Inspired: Lessons Learned from a Life of Adventure and at speaking events where he shares stories of risk, resilience, and responsibility. The message is always the same: adventure isn’t just about the climber. It’s about the community and the environment that make the climb possible.
A Simple but Lasting Philosophy
HOP’s story shows how one tragedy can grow into something meaningful. Losing Ang Pasang was devastating, but out of that loss came a mission that has touched lives across the globe. Dean often says the key is to “cast a good shadow”. It’s an idea to move through the world in a way that leaves things a little better. HOP is that idea in action.
That said, lasting change doesn’t come from one grand gesture. It comes from small, steady commitments, repeated year after year. That’s what HOP has been doing for nearly twenty years, and that’s why its impact feels so real.
Looking Ahead
The challenges aren’t going away. Poverty, limited resources, and fragile environments will continue to test mountain communities. But Dean Cardinale shows what’s possible when adventure and compassion go hand in hand. It proves that climbing a mountain isn’t the end of the journey, it can be the beginning of something bigger.
And maybe that’s the lesson for all of us. Travel can be more than a stamp in a passport or a check on a bucket list. It can be a way to connect, to care, and to leave something good behind. For Dean and the Human Outreach Project, that’s not just an idea, it’s the standard.
Gerilyn grew up in Snoqualmie; a small town in Washington DC where she completed her education and obtained a degree in Global and International Journalism. She works as a columnist for many top tier publications including The Daily Mail, The Washington Post etc. When Gerilyn Thrasher isn’t busy writing, she spends most of her time volunteering in animal shelters and orphanages.