Although Mary Kate was born in South Side, Chicago, she and her family moved to northwest Montana when she was two years old. She spent the next 12 years living off the grid with her parents and three sisters on Government Mountain in Montana. As a kid, she spent countless hours gathering firewood, picking wild huckleberries, cleaning chicken coops, riding horses, building forts, and simply getting lost in the mountains. Years later, she used these skills to become a firefighter for the Tahoe National Forest. It was there that she learned that no matter how physically demanding a challenge might be, her mental toughness can always help her complete a job. Mary Kate currently resides in Homer, Alaska, where she is fitness trainer at the Alaska Training Room and a mother to two beautiful girls: Boden Kate and Greta Tuff. She is eager to challenge herself to survive whatever Vancouver Island has in store, and sees this as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Here are the ten items Mary Kate selected to bring on her survival journey to Vancouver Island:

1. Bushcraft knife

2. Ferro rod

3. 2 quart cast iron pot

4. 300 yards of fishing line and 25 hooks

5. Bow saw

6. 26-inch ax

7. 0° Rated sleeping bag

8. Gill net

9. 12 foot x 12 foot tarp

10. Emergency rations