Touching the Summit: Changing How the Journey Is Experienced
Me at Everest Base Camp trek in May 2023
About me
My name is Dr. Karolina Pakėnaitė, also known as Caroline, and I am on a mission to become the first DeafBlind person to summit Mount Everest.
I have Usher syndrome — I was born deaf and my sight began deteriorating at 19. While I still have some usable vision and hearing, I am choosing to experience the world fully — this time by climbing to the highest point on Earth.
By sharing my mountaineering journey, I aim to challenge assumptions and contribute to a deeper societal understanding of blindness and deafblindness. The wider goal is to improve accessibility in the outdoors and to show what becomes possible when opportunity, support and thoughtful adaptation are in place.
What’s next?
Over the past few years, I have completed the key challenges required for an Everest summit attempt. This has included endurance events such as ultramarathons, alongside multiple expeditions designed to progressively build high-altitude experience.
The Everest summit in 2026 is now the final objective.
Click below to view my journey and see how I have progressed.
Get Involved
As my sight continues to fade, timing matters, but this journey is not something I take on alone.
Would you like to join me in training challenges, support the expedition through sponsorship or collaborate on research and innovation related to accessibility and the outdoors?
If any of these resonate, I’d love to hear from you.