Michael Elsohn Ross - A World of Her Own. 24 Amazing Women Explorers and Adventurers

A n inspiration for any young person who loves the outdoors, wildlife, or science, A World of Her Own tells the stories of 24 brave women from different cultures, epochs, and economic backgrounds who have shared similar missions: to meet the physical and mental challenges of exploring the natural world, to protect the environment and native cultures, and to leave a mark in the name of discovery. Among the many bold women profiled are Rosaly Lopes, who worked for NASA and discovered 71 volcanoes on one of Jupiters moons; Helen Thayer, the first woman to walk and ski the Magnetic North Pole accompanied by only her dog; Kay Cottee, the first woman to successfully sail nonstop around the world completely unassisted; and Anna Smith Peck, who set the record for the highest climb in the Western Hemisphere at the age of 58. These and other engaging profiles, based on both historical research and firsthand interviews, stress how childhood passions and interests, perseverance, and courage led these women to overcome challenges and break barriers to achieve great success in their adventurous pursuits and careers. A bibliography and annotated list of exploration resources and organizations make this an invaluable resource for young explorers, parents, and teachers alike.

Copyright 2014 by Michael Elsohn Ross

All rights reserved

Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated

814 North Franklin Street

Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN 978-1-61374-438-3

Cover and interior design: Sarah Olson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ross, Michael Elsohn, 1952

A world of her own : 24 amazing women explorers and adventurers / Michael Elsohn Ross.

pages cm (Women of action)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-61374-438-3 (hardback)

1. Women explorersBiography. I. Title.

G200.R66 2014

910.925dc23

2013024947

Printed in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to my remarkable grandnieces; the young women of my village, El Portal; and youthful readers everywhere. May these stories ignite a desire to take a step beyond the known.

You have legs, you can go;

You have a voice, why not sing?

You have a heart, dance!

Nanao Sakaki, Break the Mirror

Index

Picture joining a potluck birthday party attended by 24 women, each one bringing tales of her wild adventures along with exotic foods from places she has explored. Everyone is celebrating Jill and Stephanies birthdays. Both were born on January 1. As you wander through the crowd, you listen in on one conversation after another. At the edge of the field, Jill and Helen take bites of smoked salmon and gesticulate dramatically as they discuss voracious bears they have encountered. Nearby on a small hill, Constanza, Annie, Sophia, and Rosaly eat Andean potatoes while talking of the high mountains they have climbed. Lounging on a picnic blanket chewing venison jerky, Martha and Isabella compare adventures in the Rocky Mountains, and a short distance away, Aparajita and Ynes snack on roasted grubs, laughing about encounters with tropical leeches and giant cockroaches. Stephanie and Edie, between bites of sushi, describe their first underwater experiences. Not far from them, Pamela and Lorie dine on dal and rice as they chat about bird discoveries. Under a large tree, Helga and Alexandra sample tsampa and oatmeal as they swap stories of their long treks. Above them, perched on a stout limb, Kate and Margaret munch on mangoes and compare encounters with venomous snakes. Out by the pond, Kay and Eleanor drink grog and soak their bare feet in the cool water, exchanging tales of their sea voyages. Seated on a tree stump, Freya and Kira nibble on olives and chuckle about their experiences evading authorities intent on restricting their travels. Watching it all is Marianne, who paints the scene before her and smiles at the sight of Annie weaving in and out of the crowd on her bicycle.

This scene can only be imagined, because some of the women you will meet in this book lived long before others were even born. As you get to know each woman, I invite you to revisit this imaginary potluck picnic, as well as picture yourself as one of the next generation of women explorers and adventurers.

When I first landed in Antarctica, I got out of the airplane and immediately I was frozen cold, but before I even realized that, what I saw was the most amazing sight: Everything looked like glittering diamondsfrom the air to the hills to the ice below meit was just sparkling and so awe-inspiring that I knew in that second, this is why I do it.

Lorie Karnath

T he first explorers to reach the North Pole, the South Pole, the worlds highest peak, and the surface of the Moon all were men. Each of them also belonged to the Explorers Club, which for its first 77 years was an all-male club, headquartered in New York City. The club functioned as a gathering place for explorers to share their discoveries and talk shop. It also served as a repository for artifacts and journals from members expeditions.

Exceptional women explorers had been making remarkable discoveries during the preceding centuries, but it wasnt until the 1980s that they were invited to become members of the club. And it wasnt until the year 2000 that the Explorers Club finally elected Faanya L. Rose as its first woman president. In 2009, explorer Lorie Karnath became the second woman to lead the club. She took on the mission of actively honoring the clubs history while at the same time redefining the image of explorers.

In the early 1960s in Concord, Massachusetts, Lorie and her brothers frequently investigated the nearby woods. They captured snakes, frogs, grasshoppers, and other critters and brought them home to observe but not keep as pets. All of the animals were released back into the wild. Lories parents, Albert and Carole, shared their childrens interest in nature and actively encouraged these backyard explorations. Lorie said that starting early in her life, her parents showed her and her siblings many amazing things the planet has to offer. They encouraged their children to learn through experience.

More than 100 years earlier, the famous naturalist Henry David Thoreau had lived nearby at Walden Pond. The Karnath family took walks there, and Lorie learned about Thoreaus friends Ralph Waldo Emerson and also Louisa May Alcott, who became one of her heroes. At the age of 10, Lorie moved to Europe with her family, where they continued to explore. As they traveled around Europe, Lorie came to recognize the differences between well-trod tourist spots, the more genuine communities, and lesser-known historic sites where few tourists ventured.