It was the thrill of conquering those fears, coupled with a backpacking trip to the Himalayas - at age 50, her first time sleeping in a tent, and her first journey farther afield than California - that fueled her interest in travel and mountaineering. In 2001 she took a course with Alpine Ascents International, a Seattle-based guiding outfit known for helping clients reach the world's biggest peaks, and then set off in 2002 for Russia's 18,510-foot Mount Elbrus, the highest point in Europe.