Kelly Ashe

Bio: I am a born and raised native Las Vegan who used to play organized sports a lot when I was growing up. I then became lazy and partied way too much for years. I gained a lot of weight and was beginning to let myself go when I decided to get back on track to being healthy. After losing 30 lbs. from walking 12 miles a day and diet, I began to play sports again until I ruptured my patellar tendon in my left knee. That was a major setback and was back up 20 lbs. again. After getting tired of it,  I began walking again. Then the boredom set in and decided to take up hiking. After doing some easier hikes solo, I began thirsting for more and joined a meet up group to learn new places to hike. That led me to the 52 Peak Club and this is what I have been needing my whole life! Can't believe I lived here for all my life and never knew about this awesome place for hiking in which I lived!

Age: 39

Why did you join the 52 Peak Club: To push myself harder than I already had and to meet some like-minded people.   


Date Completed all 52 Peaks: Sept 29th, 2013 (41st person to become a 53er)

Toughest Peak: Mummy's Chin in the pouring rain on the return route. Climbing that super steep scree hill and the ground kept giving out on me and I would slide down 10 ft. That happened 3 times on that section!

Favorite Hike: So many. But I will say it's a tie between Pine Creek Peak class 4 route and Rainbow Peak without the ledges.

How did you feel once you became a 53er: Accomplished. I set out to complete a goal. It was originally to do it by my 40th birthday. I ended up beating that by 9 months!

Advice for new hikers: Ask questions. Do like I did, try to stay close to the organizer during the hike as much as you can and listen to them. I learned a lot in a short time by doing that. Also, start with a few easier hikes at slower paces and figure out what your fitness level is. I have seen a lot of "work out junkies" who spend lots of time at the gym and even some marathon runners have a difficult time on these hikes. Know your limitations and don't be afraid to ask for help. Most of all, have fun with it. You don't want to look back on it as something you didn't enjoy to the fullest.