Everyone should have a friend like Katie.

I still remember the day Katie Whipple asked me if I would like to go to Duluth and go backpacking with her. I was excited! No one ever asked me to go anywhere fun and I was an out-of-state sophomore with nowhere to go for Fall Break. Granted I had never been camping, hiking or backpacking before, but gee, how hard could it be?

I forgot Katie was the essential "Wilderness Woman", knew how to canoe, speak Ojibwa and wore mukluks. Our backpacking trip was hilarious. We hiked through one of the most difficult trails in Minnesota, I almost passed out with my 50 lb pack, and Katie, the bubbly superwoman she was, carried both of our packs the rest of the way. We cooked cornbread on a rock, used a single candle because we forgot a flashlight, got caught in a rainstorm on the hike out and pulled over by the police because of "speeding". We got off because it was a small town and we were soaked with a wet dog in the backseat. Katie's remark was, "Rachel, if the Queen of England went camping, I think she'd be a lot like you."

Well, anyway, I haven't seen Katie in a while, but we still keep in touch through Facebook. She went to Poland for a year to be a missionary and now she's working as a historical impersonator at a history center and going to seminary. Katie stretched me in so many ways and just makes me want to be more adventurous person in general. I think everyone should have a friend like Katie, one that inspires you to do more, be more, dance more, and dream more. Here's Katie at her best, having fun doing what she loves.