From Becoming Paralyzed to Hiking Across 6 Continents | Caitlin James

The Financial Independence Show

You never know how close you are to a great story.

I (Justin) learned that on my recent trip to Africa on my way to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Boarding my flight I met Caitlin James as she was on her way to climb the very same mountain.

The more I heard from her, the more I realized I had come across a truly amazing story.

Caitlin was paralyzed in a boating accident.

Through surgery and rehab, she eventually regained the ability to walk.

Walking was just the start though.

She jokingly said if she could walk again she’d climb a mountain in a banana suit…and that’s exactly what she did.

That first mountain hooked her, and she has racked up an insanely impressive list of summits in just a couple of years.

This story may not seem relevant to some for this show, but we thought it made perfect sense.

Many people want to do something adventurous, travel, and spend their days outside instead of behind a computer.

These reasons are what drive them to retire.

But Caitlin isn’t waiting for retirement to live out her dreams and pursue her passions.

Instead, she is making her passions her career.

Caitlin reinvented herself and her career. Check out her expeditions over the last couple of years:

NORTH AMERICA
DENALI Alaska 20,310
MT WHITNEY, California 14,505
MT RAINIER, Washington 14,411
MT HELEN, Washington 10,786

SOUTH AMERICA
ACONCAGUA 22,837 (Normal route)
Ojos del Salado 22,615
(Argentinian side)

PERU
Cordillera Blanca Range;
Huascaran 22,205
Chacraraju 20,039
Salkantay 20,574
Ausangate Nevado trek;
Machu Picchu 7,972
Huayna Picchu 8,835
Rainbow Mountain 17,060
Nevado Ausangate 20,945
Nevados Ojos del Salado 22,569

ECUADOR
Chimborazo 20,549

EUROPE
MONT BLANC 15,777
MATTERHORN 14,692
The EIGER 13,642
The ALPHUBEL 13,799
DOLOMITES 10,968
MONTE ROSA 15,203

BRITISH COLUMBIA
MT LOGAN 19,551
MT FAIRWEATHER 15,325
MT ROBSON 9,281 FT

AFRICA
Kilimanjaro, 19,341 (3x in two years)
Umbwe, Marangu, Machame Route
Mt Meru 14,980
Cape Town 3,563

CHILE
Torres Del Paine (Patagonia)

JAPAN
MT Fuji 12,388
MT Tsurugi 9,839
NEPAL
EBC TREK 17,598
LOBUCHE 20,062
ISLAND PEAK 20,252
MANASLU C3 23,622

INDONESIA
SUMATRA 12,484

AUSTRALIA
MT KOSCIUSZKO 7,310
MT TOWNSEND 7,247
GREAT OCEAN WALK 240 Kilo/149miles

We hope this inspires you to consider how you can chase your dreams now and not feel as though your life is chained up until retirement.

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Links from The Episode

• Caitlin on Instagram
• Caitlin’s Website
• Caitlin on TikTok
• Caitlin on Facebook

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