Meet the adventurer championing historical women: Lise Wortley

“I saw the back and the introduction by the Dalai Lama and just had to buy it […] It’s strange now looking back at that moment thinking how much that book has influenced the path of my own life.”

The clock had started on eleven years of preparation that would end with Lise looking out over an endless sea of foothills from the peak of Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. As if this incredible feat needed further qualifiers, Lise was taking in this breathtaking view whilst wearing the kind of kit that Alexandra David-Néel would’ve worn in 1923, a far cry from the technical gear available in 2017.

“I realised that if I wore modern day clothing, I would never truly understand what women like Alexandra went through and how difficult their journeys had been, facing the weather and impracticalities of wearing a long wool dress! All that on top of the other pressures of travelling as a woman – I just wanted everyone to know how brave these women had been.”

What drives someone to take on something so hard? Who heads deep into Nepal, to attempt a hike that only occurs an average of 25 successful summits a season? Where the high percentage of avalanches and weather hazards demand a level of skill and grit that very few possess? And who would dare do it in anything less than the highest tech thermals, ultra-light kit and boots woven with the highest calibre Gore-Tex? Lise Wortley is an adventurer like no other, and most amazingly, her epic feats aren’t done in her own name. Wortley is taking on these climbs to bring awareness to the women who achieved them many, many years earlier.

“When I originally read the book, I wanted to follow in Alexandra’s footsteps to raise her profile, as no one I spoke to had heard of her. During my twenties I had a really tough time with my mental health and I decided that when I felt better, I would try and re-create her journey, a dream I had always wanted to follow.”

My Journey to Lhasa had an incredible effect on Lise, and who wouldn’t be incredibly amazed at the story of a French woman, who left her husband to travel the Himalayas for 18 months, only to be away for 14 long years. It’s a story that seems too surreal to be true, with Alexandra meditating in a cave for two years, donning a disguise to enter Tibet (it was off limits to foreigners at the time), and even being the first western woman to meet the Dalai Lama.

“It’s interesting because these women were trying to be taken seriously as writers. It was harder for them to get their books published and they weren’t given as much media coverage as their male counterparts, so they don’t really write about how they truly feel in difficult times, or about what they were wearing and how it held them back.

They wanted to be level with the men, so they mainly wrote about what they achieved and who they met, rather than any worries and how they truly felt. So, it’s interesting to put myself in their shoes and piece together how they were really feeling mentally and physically. Usually, you can find a little more of their real feelings in their letters to friends.”

It was reading these inspirational tales that moved Lise to push herself further. At one point, she struggled to leave the house, or go to work due to her anxiety, and it was these stories of overcoming the odds that helped her reimagine her own boundaries – and further, want to demonstrate this to other women.

“People are usually surprised they haven’t heard of these adventurous women, but also get just as inspired as I am by their stories. I’m really happy it’s resonating with people, and I get so many lovely messages from people who now have the courage to go on their own little or big adventures.

For me the best moments have always been with the people who I’ve met along the way or who come with me on my journeys. I try to keep the whole team female identifying where possible, which has led me to some friendships with some incredibly inspiring people, like my mountain guides in India and Iran.”

It is, of course, not all beautiful views, and wonderful people. These journeys are insanely demanding on the body:

“The lowest moments for me are usually to do with the cold, mixed with the old equipment! In the Indian Himalaya it would sometimes get down to minus ten at night, and as you sit there shivering, unable to sleep, that’s when you start to question your decisions!”

Since travelling through Sikkim, Wortley’s taken on The Cairngorms in Nan Shepherd’s footsteps, The Valley of the Assassins in Iran as Freya Stark undertook them and explored West Scotland as Jane Inglis Clark did in the mid-1850s. Each, a phenomenal feat, and yet, Wortley’s not done. Next, she plans to take on Mont Blanc, exactly as Henriette d'Angeville did in 1838 – in the exact outfit, and with the exact gear.

But first, as you can imagine, there’s some training to be done. And where better to practise than our national parks? Taking on one hike per month, Lise will be in the Lake District in March, the Brecon Beacons in April, Eryri (Snowdonia) in May, Peak District in June, The Cairngorms in July and The Yorkshire Dales in August. All along the way, she’ll be staying in Canopy & Stars places at the end of the day – where we’re hoping she can rest her weary feet!

“I want people to know that they don’t have to walk up a Himalayan mountain with a wooden backpack to have an adventure! There was a time when I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’m doing now, and a brave adventure would have been a walk round the park, so I hope people realise an adventure and getting into the outdoors can be anything that feels rewarding to you.

I also want other women to feel comfortable in the outdoors, which is still a very male dominated industry, and hopefully the more women that go on adventures, and the more we are represented, the younger generations will see that an adventure or a career in the outdoors is possible.”

For Lise, the process is everything. Like many travellers, she feels that the journey is worth far more than the destination:

“Over the six years I’ve been doing this project, one of the aspects I’ve become so grateful for, is that I get to spend time in nature. I didn’t realise just how important it was for my mental health, and I wasn’t doing it enough before. For me, walking and listening to wild sounds is like meditation, where I completely switch off and give my mind a break.

There is much more scientific knowledge now around how wild spaces can heal us, and how it’s especially good for people like me who suffer from extreme anxiety. I also found that travelling in the old equipment, and stripping back on modern technology like your phone is so beneficial to stop the noise and chaos of modern life too, it helps us get back to being in nature like our ancestors were, how our bodies and minds are really supposed to be living – something I learnt a lot about during my time on Alone.”

For now, the prep goes on. There’s still the small matter of locating the right kind of knickerbockers for the journey (isn’t that always the way?), planning the routes, organising kit, travel and presumably some sort of insurance we can only imagine. Curious about why our national parks are so ideal for training, we asked why she uses them, instead of somewhere a little more far flung:

“We have some pretty big mountains here in the UK, so I can climb up and down all day long for my training. These spaces like the Cairngorms National Park are some of the wildest and untouched places in the UK, so I feel that I can really get myself immersed in the mountain landscape and challenges that the weather might throw at me!”

But as intense as it sounds, it’s very accessible, and Lise is keen that others try out their own adventures in the parks:

“My advice would be that if you’re completely new to the outdoors, find yourself a buddy! It’s such an incredible bonding experience sharing the adventure, and if you’re nervous it helps to have someone else in it with you. If you don’t have friends that want to go, there are lots of all-women groups you can join where you will meet like-minded people. You will find your confidence grows to the point where you may be ready to adventure on your own.”

If you’re feeling inspired, and want to follow along, you can track Lise as she takes on the national parks and see how this incredible story of recognition is coming along. In the meantime, read a little about these amazing adventurers who paved the way for Lise’s journeys, and follow along on Lise’s Insta, Women with Altitude to be kept in the loop.