Alongside her father, Walt Elrod, she hiked Mount Elbrus in Russia – an 18,510-foot climb that takes about six hours on the way up and four hours back down. Mount Elbrus located in the Caucasus mountains in Russia near the Georgia border.

“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Elrod said. “Now, I’m just going up the stairs, and I’m like, ‘How did I climb a mountain?’”

Elrod decided to conquer a mountain after her father Walt Elrod climbed Mount Rainier in Washington and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa (also one of the Seven Summits), and became eager to tackle another snow-covered peak.

“I did not sell her on the idea at all,” Walt Elrod said. “She heard me talk about it, and surprised me very much one day by saying she might want to go do that.”

To prepare for the feat, Jessica Elrod ran stairs and up to 8-mile stretches during the month leading up to the trip. Being on the MSU cheerleading team also helped, she added.

“I’m into it and I like to work out,” Jessica Elrod said. “I’m pretty competitive so I think that helped.”

But she had no idea how hard the ascent would actually be. While they trekked up the mountain with 13 other climbers, several quit along the way due to various discomforts, including altitude sickness.

Out of 15 people who started the trip, 10 climbers actually completed it.

When the day of the climb came, everything was set except for the weather. As they drew closer to the summit, the clouds and wind increased, forcing them to turn around. This made the second attempt more tiring.

“The hardest part is probably just pushing yourself to keep going, taking each step, she said. “No one was really talking. I was just telling myself, ‘If the rest of them can do it, I can keep going.’ There was no way in my head -