Katie McKinstry

Welcome to the all inclusive learn a bit about Katie part of the blog. You've probably clicked on this tab in hopes for more insight on who the heck I am but luckily for you and myself we have an entire interweb between your thoughts and my own, so with that cheers to thinking freely and being able to read this classic, About Yours Truly.

Idaho. Born and raised. Needless to say its my favorite place. I grew up in a classic suburban home with wonderful supportive parents with one brother and a childhood filled with wonderful memories of camping, skiing, long days at the lake tubing and knee boarding, hiking, and all sorts of Idaho kid stuff.

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No seriously though. My childhood rocked. At the ripe age of 7 I begged and begged my parents to ride horses. and for my 7th birthday the "hobby" began. From weekly lessons turned into full blown every day mucking stalls to hop on anything that could run and jump. What my parents thought to be a phase quickly turned into a lifestyle. 

At the age of 14 I quit going to public school and started online school to become a full time working student for a barn in Idaho to pay off all the riding bills. Meaning 6 days a week 9-5 hard work, with being a full time high school student on top of that. Plus traveling to competitions up and down the western US. After about 3 years of working I was finally able to purchase my first horse, Finnishing Touch, whom quickly consumed every thought and part of my every being. Needless to say I was not one to go to Homecoming or Prom or be a part of any extra curricular activities. 

Once I had finished Finals and graduated a year early and at 17, I packed up myself and my horse and moved to Washington for a new Working Student position at Aspen Farms, where I now come and go like my second home. Little did I know the impact that Aspen would have on me after the time being spent here.

I was so involved in my horse, goals and being a competent worker. And after a short 2 years of not a lot of luck and a whole lot of bummers Finn was diagnosed with an incurable condition and was laid to rest here on the property. 

I would say that was probably the turning point for myself. Where I tried to look into buying a new horse and kept on trying to make it work but nothing seemed to fall into place. After deciding to stay longer than planned I started to try new things and break out of my classic comfort zone. Hiking and climbing became a new and extremely wonderful adventure. Horses had consumed so much of my time I had never got to completely indulge in something different. 

With that new horizons started to form and I was still working at the farm but now dipping into the sport of climbing and long days doing cool things. Not to mention being surrounded by cool people. 

The fall of 2015 was my biggest adventure to date when I decided to leave Washington and head south to Central America for 2 1/2 months with my boyfriend. 

Needless to say it was an adventure that opened the door to a incredibly diverse life I hope to live, seeing the world and new cultures.

After coming home back to Idaho I then enjoyed the cooler weather by enjoying my first ever outdoor climbing experience with some solid Ice Climbing Adventures all throughout southern, central Idaho and parts of Oregon. Then ventured to the East Coast for the first time as well for a visit in New England, before heading back to Washington for another season at AF.

And here I am now.  Living my life from place to place, enjoying new adventures with my boyfriend and bouncing back and fourth from Washington, Idaho, Massachusetts and every other place in between.

Last year we finished a 6 month US road trip dirtbagging it around the country climbing from crag to crag and then switching over to ice climbing. We climbed over 55 pitches of ice in New England, the UP, and in Montana in early 2017. This summer we summited Mt Rainer via the Kautz Glacier, Mt Baker via the North Ridge and Mt Hood via the Sunshine Route.

After months of work, we are headed to Australia and New Zealand for a couple months of Mountain climbing in the southern hemisphere. Since it will be both of our first time climbing internationally, it'll be new and exciting for the each of us! I plan to blog along the way, so stay tuned! Cheers!



Follow my adventures on here and my instagram @skirtratt