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Bachelorette star Katie Thurston enjoys girls trip away ahead of major announcement

Season 17 will air on ABC on 7 June.

Rebecca Lewis - Los Angeles
Los Angeles correspondentLos Angeles
June 5, 2021

Katie Thurston took off for a few days away in the mountains ahead of the premiere of The Bachelorette.

Days before season 17 of the hit ABC show drops, Katie joined a friend to head to Mount Rainier national park in Washington.

"Off the grid and on the mountain," she shared, clearly decompressing and preparing herself for the coming weeks as viewers see her whittle down 30 hopefuls to one man whom she will choose to marry.

MORE: The Bachelorette: Everything we know about season 17 and Katie Thurston

WATCH: Katie Thurston is The Bachelorette

Joined by her friend Katherine, the 30-year-old posed for pictures wearing a dark blue sports bra and leggings, with her sweater wrapped around her waist.

"Thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me. I know my husband is somewhere in these mountains," joked Danny Padilla, a contestant on spin-off show Listen To Your Heart, mocking the format of the show, while pal Stephen Lovegrove added: "The journey continues!!"

Katie made a memorable impression on season 25 of The Bachelor when she gave Matt James her vibrator upon meeting him and later gave the girls a telling off for bullying in the house.

Katie enjoyed a break before the big premiere

But it wasn't to be with Matt and now she's hoping to find love for herself.

Her Bachelor bio read that she wants a “mature man who has ambitions to succeed in everything he does, both personally and professionally."

MORE: The Bachelorette confirms new hosts as Chris Harrison steps down amid controversy

"Nothing turns her off more than someone who sits around playing video games all day or a man who tries to kiss her at the inopportune moment … it’s all about creating the right vibe with Katie!"

Katie and her friend hiked Mount Rainier

However, she recently acknowledged that "time is short" and that she realized she had to kiss on the first date in order to use her time "wisely."

"You can't be okay with me possibly getting engaged in two months but not kissing on the first date. I've got to use my time wisely!" she joked.

The Bachelorette will air Monday 7 June on ABC at 8pm ET.

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