Elise Wortley, a 27-year-old woman, traveled to the Himalayas to follow the route of French explorer Alexandra David-Néel, who in the early 1900s traversed the mountain range.
Wortley’s journey was part of a six-year project called “Woman with Altitude,” in which she retraces the paths of early female adventurers. David-Néel was a spiritualist, writer, and anarchist, who traveled to Tibet to learn about Buddhism, but later dismissed it as superstition.
Despite criticism, her book “My Journey to Lhasa” established her as a celebrity in Europe. Wortley’s journey replicated the last leg of David-Néel’s trek, from Lachen, in Sikkim, India, to Kanchenjunga base camp. To truly put herself in David-Néel’s shoes, Wortley decided to wear the same clothes that the French explorer had worn, such as a yak coat and rubber soled shoes. She also fashioned a wooden backpack from a discarded kitchen chair.
Wortley’s journey took a month to complete, during which she battled sub-freezing temperatures, skin rashes from wool layers, and altitude sickness. Despite the difficulties, Wortley found inspiration in the female adventurers who had come before her, and continues to seek out new adventures.
Source: www.smithsonianmag.com