OSPREY AMBASSADOR
KESHIA AICKIN
Hi, I’m Keshia (or Kesh for short), based in Melbourne, and I’m happiest when I’m off adventuring in the mountains - especially if there’s a lake for a post-hike swim. I’m constantly drawn back to the Victorian High Country for its huge landscapes and sense of escape, and will happily drive four hours just for a weekend there. When I’m not outside, I’m usually doing the complete opposite: playing cozy video games, reading romantasy books, hyper-fixating on a new creative project, or working as a paediatric Occupational Therapist, which suits me perfectly, because I’m definitely a child at heart!
What has been your most memorable adventure so far?
I’d have to say the 2 month USA road trip I did with my partner a couple years ago – we camped and hiked our way across 14 of their iconic national parks including Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone to name a few! I honestly still think about this trip once a week.
What adventure pushed you the most mentally or physically?
I would describe myself as a ‘soft hiker’ in the sense that I don’t love the idea of smashing out crazy kilometres each day and instead prefer doing multiple shorter days with lots of reading, eating and relaxing. However, I had some insane conditions hiking the Routeburn Track on Day 3 and was hiking in the dark at 6AM in torrential rain for 4 hours, absolutely powering down the mountain to try and make a morning shuttle bus to exit the hike early due to severe weather! Luckily I bought new rain pants especially for this trip…
If you could go back to when you first started exploring the outdoors, what advice would you give yourself?
There’s no one way that experiencing the outdoors should look. I used to catch myself comparing my adventures to people doing big thru-hikes, thinking that’s what I should be doing too… but the truth is, that’s just not what I’m into and that’s completely okay.
As long as you’re respecting the environment, leaving no trace, and being mindful of others, being outdoors is simply about being outdoors - whatever that looks like for you!
We are super excited to follow along all of Keshia's adventures over the year, make sure you follow her on Instagram/TikTok/Youtube to stay up to date with her epic trips! @earthtokesh ⛰️
