Local teen is youngest American girl to summit Europe's highest mountain

SALINE, Mich. – This summer, 15-year-old Saline resident Anna Tukin became the youngest American girl to summit Mount Elbrus — Europe's highest peak. Despite intense conditions on the eight-day trek, she reached the summit on July 24. Tukin says she never considered herself a big fan of hiking, but after a family trip to the sand dunes in northern Michigan inspired her mom to attempt a seven-day trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa — Tukin decided to tag along so her mom didn't have to take the trip alone. After that epic experience, Tukin says her perspective on mountaineering completely changed. 'When you're mountaineering, you find out a lot of things about yourself because you're spending a lot of time without your phone, just in your own mind,' she told Local 4. Watch the full interview with Tukin in the video player above.