Elise Wortley (born 1989 or 1990) is a British explorer who uses equipment and clothing from the early 1900s for her journeys.[2][3]

Elise Wortley
Born1989 or 1990 (age 34–35)[1]
NationalityBritish
OccupationExplorer

Wortley grew up in Colchester, Essex[4] before moving to London in 2017.[3]

Inspired by early 20th century French explorer and author Alexandra David-Néel,[5] Wortley has re-created several of David-Néel's journeys, including Kangchenjunga in the Himalayas, Lhasa in Tibet, the Scottish Highlands, the Alborz mountains in Iran, and the Ben Nevis mountain in Scotland.[1][6][7][8]

Wortley will only use her handmade wooden backpack, a yak wool coat, Himalayan hobnail boots, cotton dress, and a linen tent. All things that her ancestors[who?] would have worn and used when they explored.[7] Wortley planned her expedition, 108-mile hike from Lachen, in Sikkim, India, to Kanchenjunga base camp. The journey mimicked the last leg of David-Néel’s journey.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Turrell, Claire (8 March 2023). "Adventurer Elise Wortley Recreates the Journeys of Famous Female Explorers". www.smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. ^ Owen, Meghan (9 October 2021). "Following in the footsteps of female explorers". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b Marcus, Lilit (7 July 2022). "Why this woman recreates the journeys of history's greatest female explorers". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  4. ^ Williams, Jessie. "In the steps of history's forgotten female explorers". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. ^ Durn, Sarah (14 March 2022). "Returning to the Valley of the Assassins in the Footsteps of Explorer Freya Stark". www.atlasobscura.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  6. ^ Moore, Jason (25 October 2022). "Reviving History's Forgotten Female Adventurers". www.zerototravel.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Magazine, Smithsonian; Turrell, Claire. "Adventurer Elise Wortley Recreates the Journeys of Famous Female Explorers". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  8. ^ Marcus, Lilit (8 July 2022). "Why this woman recreates the journeys of history's greatest female explorers". CNN. Retrieved 27 March 2023.