Hike the High Sierras for Damon Runyon Cancer Research

Please join me for a spectacular outdoor experience.

It’s the next Timmerman Traverse for Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. This year it will be in the Evolution Range of California’s High Sierras. 

We will do an extraordinary pair of back-to-back day hikes. We will test our endurance on high-altitude trails, reaching peaks above 13,000 feet. We’ll marvel at breathtaking views and landscapes.

The funds we raise on this trip will propel the careers of outstanding young scientists in the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation network.

The physical challenge, the mission for cancer research, the fellowship of your peers, and the awe-inspiring natural beauty combine to make this an unforgettable life experience.

This is a trip you will tell your grandkids about when you are 80 years old.

WATCH this for what the Timmerman Traverse program is all about.

THE CHALLENGE: We will cover 25 miles, with 7,200 feet of elevation gain over back-to-back day hikes with some short and non-technical rock scrambles. We will savor some of the most beautiful scenery in North America. These routes are safe. We will not need ropes or technical rock-climbing equipment.

Bishop Pass, elevation 11,972 feet

Piute Pass, elevation 11,423 feet

When: Aug. 2-5, 2026. 

Who’s the Team Leader? Luke Timmerman is the founder and editor of Timmerman Report, a leading biotech industry newsletter. Since 2017, the Timmerman Traverse has mobilized the biotech community to give back more than $15 million for cancer research, anti-poverty initiatives, and screening for sickle cell disease.

Where are we staying? Not in a tent. We’ll sleep in comfortable beds each night at Wayfinder Bishop. It’s a boutique hotel in Bishop, CA. (LINK). We’ll take vans to the trailheads each day.

Fundraising: The fundraising minimum is $35,000. You will start your campaign by making a personal contribution of $1,000 to register.

Each hiker is *required* to raise the $35,000 for Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. Many will go above and beyond. 

Funds can come from a variety of sources: corporate sponsors, friends and family, business colleagues. You are a talented executive or investor. You know how to prioritize and get things done.

What Will I Do?

• Raise awareness for cancer research
• Raise funds to propel the careers of young scientists
• Form meaningful relationships with biotech leaders
• Have fun

Why Damon Runyon? It supports brilliant cancer researchers doing high-risk/high-reward research across the US. Damon Runyon grants allow young scientists to generate data they can leverage into larger sums from others.

Damon Runyon has a keen eye for talent. In its more than 75-year history, its recipients have gone on to win:

• 13 Nobel Prizes
• 7 National Medals of Science
• 104 elected memberships in the National Academy of Sciences

Damon Runyon grants have catalyzed many major advances in science, including

• The first chemotherapies to cure a solid tumor.
• The first targeted ALK inhibitor for lung cancer
• The first demonstration of CRISPR gene editing in mammalian cells.
• Cancer immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapy in the mid-2000s, long before these treatments became mainstream.

Where do the Funds Go? All of the funds we raise (100 percent) go to the young scientists in the Damon Runyon network. Since 2023, Timmerman Traverse campaigns have raised more than $3 million for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

We are betting on brilliant young people with big ideas.

Here’s who the Timmerman Traverse Fellows are, and what they are doing:

• Tata Kavlashvili PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, mitochondrial damage as a driver of cancer.
• Shaohua Zhang PhD, UCSF, improved CAR-T cell engineering to prevent tumor escape
• Lachelle Weeks MD, PhD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, computer models to predict risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia
• Antonio Laporte PhD, Harvard Medical School, role of glycosylation patterns in driving growth and spread of cancer.
• Natasha O’Brown PhD, Rutgers University, regulating the blood-brain barrier to pave the way for more effective brain cancer therapy.

The funds you raise will open doors for more outstanding young scientists. Your efforts will enable them to pursue their dreams and hopefully make breakthrough discoveries.

Schedule:

Sunday, Aug. 2. Arrive in Bishop, CA. United Airlines flights from SFO and Denver. 6 pm dinner & team briefing, Wayfinder Bishop.

Monday, Aug. 3. Hike to Piute Pass / Mt. Emerson (elev. 13,210 ft)

Tuesday, Aug. 4. Hike to Bishop Pass / Mt. Goode (elev. 13,085 ft)

Wednesday, Aug. 5. Depart.

What Alumni Are Saying: 

“Timmerman Traverse is special to me because it brings together adventure, physical challenge, philanthropy and camaraderie with some of the most outstanding people in the biopharma industry.” — Ted Love, immediate past chair of the board, Biotechnology Innovation Organization. 

“I made friends for a lifetime with colleagues who shared the goal of raising critical funds for truly innovative cancer research.” – Nagesh Mahanthappa, executive chair, Exo Therapeutics.

“What was completely unexpected was the level of camaraderie that immediately formed in the group – like-minded, interesting and interested, generous and unquitting.” – Nina Kjellson, general partner, Canaan Partners

“This is a vibrant community of life science leaders all over the country who love to recharge in the outdoors, meet one another as friends and colleagues, and most importantly, give back to the communities around us.” — Vineeta Agarwala, general partner, Andreesen Horowitz Bio & Health Fund

“Simply the best chance ever to get to know a high-quality group of biotech executives well. And so much more. Consider Luke’s future trips if you love the industry and hate cancer.” — Bob More, partner, Alta Partners

Expenses: You will be personally responsible for the following:

• $1,000 Registration fee. Paid upfront to Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. This will count toward your $35,000 fundraising requirement.
• Flights in and out of Bishop, CA.
• Gear — warm layers, hat, gloves, hiking boots, lightweight backpack, snacks, water, etc. Detailed gear list to come.

Key Dates:

1. 60 percent ($21,000) must be received by May 14, 2026.
2. 90 percent ($31,500) must be received at Damon Runyon by July 15, 2026.
3. The full amount ($35,000 minimum) must be received by Aug. 2, 2026.

Who’s on the TT Sierras Team?

• Luke Timmerman, founder & editor, Timmerman Report
• Colin Magowan, vice president, business development, Pliant Therapeutics
• Mark Murcko, co-founder, Dewpoint Therapeutics & Relay Therapeutics
• Nadav Rosenberg, investor, Saras Capital
• Lisa Purcell, entrepreneur in residence, Third Rock Ventures
• David Kaufman, partner, Third Rock Ventures
• Rob Crummet, VP, clinical trial management, Kura Oncology
• Michele LeSueur, VP, sales & marketing, hematology, Johnson & Johnson
• Carl Schoellhammer, partner, DeciBio
• Tony Martignetti, chief illumination officer, Inspired Purpose Partners
• Krysta Pellegrino, senior director, R&D communications, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
• Thomas (Gus) Gustafson, chief scientific officer, Renasant Bio
• Vivek Mittal, partner, managing director, head of biopharma, Health Advances
• Anne Kasmar, senior vice president, immunology and infectious disease, Parexel

I hope you can join us for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Ready to sign up? Email luke@timmermanreport.com