Elise in her own words:
“To me, Alexandra David-Néel’s book My Journey to Lhasa was one of those books I just couldn’t get over. You know when you read a book or see a film and you keep thinking about it for weeks afterwards, it was like that. Except that with this book, I never stopped thinking about it. The book recounts the final six months of Alexandra's epic 14 year journey through Asia, her quest to reach the forbidden city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Against all odds, dressed as a poor pilgrim, she reached Lhasa in 1924.
12 years after reading this book for the first time, I was still wondering just how she managed to achieve what she did. 14 years of dealing with the cold, the wet, illness and of course the constant pressure and difficulty that came with being a female traveller in the early 1900s.
So, I decided to act on that idea that had always been in the back of my mind - to recreate Alexandra’s journey in some way, and to experience life travelling as a woman as closely as she would have done. I realised that the only way to truly do this, and to truly do her journey justice would be to do exactly as she did, taking with me only what she had. This meant NO modern day mountain equipment. So with my yak wool coat, a wooden backpack I made out of an old chair and an all-female team in tow, I set off in search of a special cave, the worlds third highest mountain and answers to questions I'd had for the last 13 years.
After returning from this life-changing first expedition, I realised that the stories and achievements of histories female explorers like Alexandra should be celebrated and never forgotten. I've made it my mission to bring these stories back to life, to inspire this generation and the next the same way they have inspired me. In July 2019 I set off on my second adventure to the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, to follow in the footsteps of Nan Shepherd, one of the UK's best known nature writers and mountain wanderers.”
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Show notes
Who is Elise/lise and how she would describe herself
Reading Alexandra David-Néel book "My Journey to Lhasa" at 16 years old
Growing up in the country side and spending lots of time in the outdoors
Not knowing what she wanted to do
Doing an art degree and wanting to be an artist
Starting to work at a travel company
Starting Women with Altitude website
Deciding to do the first trip at 28 years young
The planning and preparation process
Trying to find the old equipment
Figuring out the route
The gear…. and why it was better than you think
Heading over to India for the start of the journey
Being joined by a filmmaker (Emily) and a local guide (Jangu)
The magical moments from the trip
Dealing with the altitude sickness and the cold
Managing periods while on the adventure
Spending a month in the mountains
Finding the cave where Alexandra meditated for 2 years
Tummo breathing
After completing the challenge and heading home
Dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and having a lack of confidence
Wanting to take on a new adventure
Trying to highlight a woman from the UK - The Nan Shephered Trip
Who is Nan Shepherd?
Her book - The Living Mountain
Making a plan to go to Scotland
What her time in Scotland was like
Being vegetarian and trying to eat like the 1940s
Not having any modern equipment
What days were like
Dealing with the nerves before the trip starts
Journey number 3
Grace O’Malley the Pirate Queen of Ireland
Dame Freya Madeline Stark DBE - Anglo-Italian explorer and travel writer.
Figuring out how much things costs and paying for challenges
Pitching the idea to TV channels
The women who have inspired Elise
Final words of advice
Social Media
Website: www.womanwithaltitude.com
Instagram: @woman_with_altitude
Facebook: @womanwithaltitude
Twitter: @altitudewoman
Jangu
Emily Almond Barr - Film maker
Website - www.emilyalmondbarr.com
Instagram: @emilyalmondbarr
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