Straton was introduced to climbing through her friend Emmeline Lewis Lloyd, with whom she travelled throughout the Alps and Pyrenees on hiking and climbing expeditions in the 1860s-70s. One of their first climbs was an attempt on the Matterhorn in 1869. In 1870 they became one of the first women to climb Monte Viso and the following year did make the first ascent of Aiguille du Moine. When Lewis-Lloyd retired from climbing in 1873, Straton climbed with Jean Charlet, a French mountain guide from Chamonix who had accompanied her and Lewis-Lloyd on their previous expeditions.