Going wild!
Emily Atack, Ruby Wax and Melanie Brown follow in the footsteps of a pioneering female explorer…
The unlikely trio of Ruby Wax, Melanie Brown and Emily Atack trek through the Rocky Mountains in a new three-part travel series, inspired by Victorian explorer Isabella Bird.
Yorkshire-born Isabella travelled to Colorado in the 1870s after being prescribed time in the open air as a treatment for her ailments – and while it was almost unheard of for a woman to travel alone in that era, she completed an 800-mile journey, which she recorded in her book
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains.
‘I only learnt about Isabella a few years ago – I wish I’d been taught about her in school,’ says Ruby. ‘When I was growing up, you didn’t think about women going out on their own. I thought you just had to fit in with the crowd, then get married and have kids. But now I know there was a Victorian explorer who just took off – what a gal!’ The trio plan to follow
Horsing around… Emily Atack
Isabella’s footsteps through the
Rockies before branching off to forge their own path across
Colorado and Utah, ending their journey at Pikes Peak – the mountain that inspired the patriotic song America the Beautiful. They’re excited to meet people who live in the remote mountain towns, and are determined to sample as many of Isabella’s experiences as they can along the way, including cattle wrangling and fly fishing.
‘Horse riding is such an alien thing to my life,’ says Emily. ‘But it’s a good way of channelling the Isabella Bird vibes!’
Ahead of her time… Isabella Bird