Some people find themselves in therapy. I find myself at 5,364 meters above sea level, lungs drafting their resignation, wind being personally rude, wondering if my dogs have taken over the bed yet.

Spoiler: they have.

I’m Niskie — sometimes Maria, depending on how deep into an adventure we are. I collect experiences the way other people collect excuses not to. Summits. Concert floors. Side streets with no signal. Meals that need no translation. Conversations that accidentally become the whole night.

This is Finding Maria — the unfiltered version of a life lived slightly louder than planned. The climbs that broke me open. The meals that made everything make sense. The concerts that wrecked me in the best way. The ordinary Tuesdays that turned out to matter.

It started as a place for my adventures to live. Turns out, it’s also where I found Maria.