This was supposed to be the one. This mountain was supposed to be my first. My summit cherry was to be popped by Cotopaxi, all 19,347 feet of it. Sometimes life doesn't go as planned even when preparing until your face turns blue, or red and sweaty in my case. I tried and I "failed". [...]
My quiet little area in the northern neighborhood of Usaquén was fairly safe. My hostel was up a steep hill and the view from the rood was a stunning spot to watch nighttime storms pass through. Anything could be delivered and there were endless choices of food and drink. I loved La Candelaria. It was [...]
I've had a whirlwind of a year and I learned that I not only love being around mountains, but I also LOVE to be on them and go up. It is a feeling like no other. I love taking on the challenges that are presented, and I especially love conquering them. My love is simplistic, [...]
Originally, the plan was to move out to Denver after completing my travels around the world. I visited Denver in the last leg of my trip to look at apartments, but things just weren't feeling right. I spent the next few months on the go, in Canada and then in Washington (the state). It hit [...]
After spending a few days at Base Camp (13,943 ft.), we were finally ready to go back up. We loaded our packs and did the darn thing. It felt a little better this time and I kept the negativity at bay. It was crazy to think this was our second time doing this, but that's [...]
I couldn't possibly. There's no way. I can't do this. All of these thoughts went through my head multiple times a day from the moment I decided I wanted to attempt to trek up the tallest peak outside of the Himalayas. I would stare in the mirror as if my face, my eyes, had the [...]
After being home for a few weeks and getting a bit of adulting done, I headed out to Olympia, WA to visit my EBC bestie, Jo. We didn't have much planned, besides going on a road trip down the coast into California for a week or so. We were just gonna wing it and have [...]
This was the biggest, scariest, craziest thing I have ever done. It was also the most amazing and most inspiring adventure I have ever been on. Traveling around the world to places I had only dreamed of going and doing it alone seemed like an impossibility a year ago. It's now almost 7 months since [...]
I know I haven't said much about my adventures as a storm chaser, but I went on three great tours last year, which led me to taking the plunge and going international with my travels. I met a lot of wonderful, down-to-earth, kind, and big-hearted people on my chases with Silver Lining Tours, one of which [...]
I had this whirlwind romance with Nepal, and I was very sad to leave my trekking family. Part of me thought I should just end my travels there because it couldn't get any better than what I just experienced. Nothing could top Nepal. I was right. NOTHING could top that experience, but that didn't mean [...]
Marcella Jo Photography 