i’m katie.

writer, photographer
& accidental mountaineer.

lover of dogs, basketball, football, em dashes, pizza, oxford commas, and diet coke.

In 2017, when Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards broadcasted their Everest No Filter climb on Snapchat, my naive 24-year-old self sat in a cubicle following their every step. I was just an entry-level social media marketer, fascinated by their choice of platform, who also happened to hike a little. But their story made me fall in love with the mountain.

Still, I never believed I could be that person. I’m not disciplined enough, athletic enough, tough enough! My parents made me try all the sports in middle school…and I quit every single one.

I stuffed down my Everest fascination, but continued to hike and explore the outdoors, always searching for bigger and better. At the beginning of 2025, I stood on top of Kilimanjaro. At first, I came down saying, “Never again!” But a fellow hiker quipped, “It’s probably like childbirth. Eventually you forget the pain and only remember the beauty.” And she was right.

That climb (and a deeply spiritual Reiki experience—shoutout Rainbow Dawn!) changed me. My perspective of climbing shifted. And even more importantly, my perspective of myself shifted. This Everest urge isn’t going away. It’s time to lean in…

the path

The name TakingForEverest began as a joke, because getting to the tallest peak in the world will take a while to accomplish.

I want to be a competent member of a team, carrying my weight, contributing my skills, and knowing I’ve earned my place. That takes time and practice, on top of an office job, a mortgage, a family, etc. So it’s about taking the long way: one mountain at a time, one skill at a time, one paycheck at a time.

  1. Learn the Basics
    ✅ Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft)—altitude, expedition life, and grit.
    ▶ Ecuador (Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Chimborazo)—glacier travel and technical climbing.

  2. Build Skills & Confidence
    ▶ Bigger expeditions like Aconcagua.
    ▶ Technical climbs in the U.S.—rope work, crampons, ice axes,
    crevasse rescue.

  3. Test High-Altitude Expeditions
    ▶ Cho Oyu or Manaslu—8,000m peaks where the margin for error
    is thinner, oxygen’s involved and teamwork is essential.

  4. The Big One: Everest
    ▶ As a climber who belongs there. Slow, steady, deliberate—
    taking forever…est if I have to.

the heart

I realized later TakingForEverest also had more personal meaning: the time it’s taken to believe I’m capable, worthy, and allowed to chase this dream. To see it not just as a destination, but as a journey of becoming. Every step, every stumble is shaping me into the person I’m supposed to be.

My biggest journeys begin as small seeds planted deep in my heart. They grow quietly, unfold in their own timing, and eventually become inevitable. Everest has been like that for over a decade — a calling I cannot shake no matter how many other hikes or trips I take.

So Everest, for me, is spiritual. This is about honoring the calling, because to ignore it now would feel like a betrayal of who I truly am, of a plan that’s been written for me. It’s about finding the answer to a question I don’t even know is being asked yet.

I’m sharing this journey because I believe in vulnerability and connection. Speaking my dreams out loud keeps me accountable—and maybe it gives someone else permission to believe in their big dream, too.

“Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition; they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.”
— Anatoli Boukreev

faqs

  • I’ve only just begun! I’ve summited Kilimanjaro and am currently training for my next big step: Mountaineering school in Ecuador.

  • Follow me on social media @takingforeverest and subscribe to my newsletter for updates on training, travels, and summits.

  • Share my story, send encouragement, or just keep following along—it means more than you know!

    Or, if you know anyone looking to sponsor an aspiring mountaineer, send them my way. 😉