Plano teen hikes over 1,000 miles across the world, highest peak in Europe
PLANO, Texas (CBSNewsTexs.com) - You hear the saying often that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we want to introduce you to a local teen who knows the true definition of that. She's hiked and seen more than most.
"I love nature, I love being outdoors," hiker, Saanvi Mylavarapu said.
The Plano teen has now hiked over 1,000 miles across the world. The 16-year-old's latest trip was across three different countries and took about two weeks to finish.
Last week, Mylavarapu hiked Tour Du Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe.
"It was really exciting and especially I got to do it with my mom," Mylavarapu said. "It was like mother-daughter backpacking around Europe."
The trip itself is 170 kilometers or roughly 106 miles and it takes about 11 days to complete.
"So you start in France in Chamonix and from there you hike into Switzerland and you hike into Italy and from there you hike into Switzerland and then you hike back to France," Mylavarapu said.
This is nothing new for Mylavarapu, she's done a two week hike before and said it's never easy but she focuses on taking it one step at a time.
"It's that mental strength that you keep building up on hikes like this that keeps you going," Mylavarapu said.
Mylavarapu started hiking when she was just 6-years-old. Her family stopped at a national park while on a road trip.
"It's really my mom that really got us into hiking because she fell in love with hiking at a national park and ever since then we visited over 25 national parks in the US," Mylavarapu said. "Now we've also done Mt. Everest Base Camp, Tour Du Mont Blanc, and I really started growing my passion to being outdoors and finding that time for myself."
Mylavarapu said aside from seeing other beautiful countries and different cultures, hiking helps her.
"From all the distractions of my normal life and really just focus on myself and my personal growth and my mental and physical growth," Mylavarapu said.
Her expeditions have lead her down a new path, collaborating with national parks for her non-profit, Nature Worthy. She said she wants to encourage everyone, regardless of age to get active and protect nature.
"With my non-profit, to create various collimator gardens all around Frisco and Plano," Mylavarapu said. "I'm also working with Ray Robert State Park with a garden there as well."
As Mylavarapu's trek across the world, she said there's only one goal at the top of her mind.
"All these hikes that I've done before have probably been over a thousand miles of hiking so far and so I hope to just do more in the future," Mylavarapu said.
And she will continue, one trail at a time.