OSPREY AMBASSADOR
KATELYN MORSE
Hey, I'm Katelyn, my background is in photography, which I combined with my passion for travel. I started in content creation by documenting my trek to Everest Base Camp and uploading the vlogs to YouTube. After they took off, I started documenting my travels around Victoria (it was COVID times) to Instagram and TikTok as well. Then Matt and I really got into hiking, purchased a whole heap of gear and did the Overland Track, Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing, Wilsons Prom Southern Circuit and a lot of big day hikes. Now, I live in regional Victoria with my husband, Matt, toddler, Harlow and newborn, Hazel. We like taking the kids out on adventures and have taken Harlow to the top of Roy's Peak in New Zealand and on an overnight hike to Mount Stirling. Now we'll be navigating hikes with two kids but I'm sure we'll be fine.
What has been your most memorable adventure so far?
One of my favourite hikes so far was when Matt and I set out through the Kosciuszko main range with the intention of summiting Australia's 11 tallest peaks over 5 days. We set up camp the first night all alone with stunning views of Mount Kosciuszko and headed to the summit for sunset which was incredible. The next day, the weather turned and we had to change plans. We headed to Cootapatamba Hut and set up the tent but when a big thunderstorm rolled in, we quickly packed up and slept in the hut for the night. The thunder absolutely roared all night and it was pretty crazy to be at such high altitude and experience a storm like that. The next day we summited a few more mountains before calling it quits due to the weather and heading back to the car. While we didn't get to summit all 11 mountains, it was such a fun trip and a good lesson to be open to changing plans.
What adventure pushed you the most mentally or physically?
Trekking to Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lakes in 2019 is the hardest hike I've done. It was my first time hiking at really high altitude and found it physically challenging to keep my heart rate down when hiking up an incline. We spent 17 days trekking through the Himalayas and the cold temperatures also meant a lot of us also ended up suffering from colds and illnesses.However the views were insane, it was one of the best trips of my life and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
If you could go back to when you first started exploring the outdoors, what advice would you give yourself?
I would definitely advise my younger self to get a PLB as soon as possible as it's a critical piece of gear that could save your life. We didn't get one straight away as they're expensive but have witnessed first hand another hiker who had an accident and needed one. So yes, even though it's expensive, please get one!
We are super excited to follow along all of Katelyn's adventures over the year, make sure you follow her on Instagram to stay up to date with her epic trips! @adventuresofkatelyn ⛰️
