Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Empower Educate Entertain
Featuring Swimming in Antarctica
Crossing Svalbard Paddling the Nile
Plus Bog Snorkelling
Summiting Colorado’s 14ers Ultra Running in the Simpson Desert & Lots more
1 Issue 18, October 2022 www.adventureshe.com
Price £5.00 for 1 issue or £12 for all 4 of 2022’s issues
Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Welcome From Our Editor Welcome to the 18th issue of Adventure She magazine which is a bumper issue and the theme for which is ‘selfkindness.’
how to stop driving ourselves into the ground? Isn’t by being kind to ourselves a good place to start? I think so. What about you? Hiking the Colorado Trail was, in a way, me being kind to myself. You see, every now and then I had this urge to know whether I could do a long self-supported hike? True I’d hiked loads before, but could I step it up a notch? All I knew for sure was that if I didn’t try, I would never know. We’re all getting older and at 55 and the veteran of multiple operations including hip and shoulder surgeries, for how much longer would my body be willing to carry a backpack? The kind thing for me to do, was to try, in that way I could stop wondering and instead know for sure.
Yikes where did the last few months go? How on earth is it already time for another issue? I know, the truth is I escaped for a while and headed off to see family and friends in the USA. On top of that I went and hiked the Colorado Trail. What with taking the longer option in the Collegiates (I did the visually more stunning but longer Collegiate West over the original Collegiate East route) and extra miles hiked on a few awkward hitch hikes, I figure I hiked 500 miles. More hopefully from the Colorado Trail – and not just my experiences – in the December issue. In this issue though you will get introduced to some of Colorado’s marvels, namely four of its fourteeners.
You’ve probably worked out by now, that the theme this time around is kindness to oneself. Cath Pendleton, who some of you may know as the Merthyr Mermaid and who’s our cover person this quarter, was kind to herself by pursuing her dream of swimming in Antarctica, not a dream that is easy to achieve financially or logistically.
Semi regular contributor Lucja Leonard is back with more from her amazing adventurous life. This time she takes us mountain climbing in Colorado. Lucja is one person who knows how to be kind to her herself and also to others. Of course, here at Adventure She kindness is a value that is appreciated, applauded and encouraged. Kindness is a value I maintain which we need to be apply not just to others, but to ourselves too. For how can we help others, if we have driven ourselves into the ground? So
How many of us remember when we last had a laugh out loud moment that came because of our actually doing something? Arry Cain knows? The experts says that laughing is good for us. So how about following Arry’s lead and doing stuff that 2
Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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makes us laugh, as a means to our being kind to ourself. How does Arry go about having fun? By bog snorkling!
some very rough and tough times, including domestic violence. I was in shock when I learned that. I couldn’t believe it. The article which she had submitted and which demonstrated resilience, fortitude and determination, suddenly took on a whole different level. Chelsea is now in a new phase of her life. Like all change, times can be tough, but she is most certainly being kind to herself now she has embarked on this new path in life.
Like Cath Pendleton, Megan Knoyle Lewis had a dream. It took Megan even longer to achieve hers though, for Megan was in her 60’s when she set off to ride a horse around the world. I think that is one epic challenge. Megan wasn’t just kind to herself by pursuing her dream, she was also kind to herself in how she approached the challenge, splitting it up into distinct sections. That way she could focus on a section at a time rather than overburdening herself by thinking too far ahead, plus, she was kind to herself and her steads, by avoiding the worst of the weather. Megan is actually this issue’s recipient of Adventure She’s ‘What A Woman Award’.
During tough times how do we react? Do we give up, or do we keep going? It can at times be easier to give up than to keep going. But, which one is kinder? Ellen Piercy was faced with this choice when her dream of crossing country skiing across Svalbard was delayed because of Covid 19. What to do? To keep training – which involved tyre pulling - in case the trip would be rescheduled, or to give up. You guessed it, given her story is in this issue, Ellen chose the tough option, but the option where she would be kind to herself.
I hope you’ve been enjoying Jessica Mullins’ series of articles on rowing the Atlantic Ocean. This time around Jessica shares what it was actually like out there on the Atlantic. Can you imagine being on a small boat with three other people for weeks on end? I can’t. With heat, rogue waves and malfunctioning equipment, how to keep going without losing hope, or without falling out, could become a real challenge. Kindness is implicit throughout Jessica’s article, whether it be kindness to herself by knowing she needed to row nude at times, or kindness to the team through knowing when to stay silence. A true leader.
Whilst many of us choose adventures organised by others, adventures that might be extreme in the utmost like Cath’s Antarctic swim, others choose to create their own adventure. Sarah Davis is one of the later. Sarah, who was already a veteran of extreme holidays, decided to go for a ‘first’, her first being to navigate the entire length of the Nile by raft and kayak. Her book is one of the one’s reviewed in this issue. But Sarah has kindly also shared some of her story with Adventure She’s readers. By the way, one key take away I took from reading her book, is that being kind to yourself, entails having a means of
I couldn’t believe it on reading what Chelsea Holton sent me when I asked her for some words for the ‘about Chelsea’ section. For Chelsea has been through
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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communicating with the outside world when things go wrong. That’s I tip I plan on taking with me on future remote adventures.
She magazine is all about empowering people, particularly women, to get out there and do stuff. But, I’m also aware that sometimes the kindest thing to do, is to take a step back and say ‘no’, or to say ‘next time’, or to say ‘I want to but I can’t because ….’ After all, life can sometimes intervene and no matter how prepared, motivated or committed we are, the kindest thing to do is to put our goal on a temporary hold. When that happens, there’s no use berating ourselves, rather let’s praise ourselves for prioritising something that is more important to us. In my case I needed to heal properly from broken ribs and be during a family illness. To me at those moments in life, they were far more important than any race. But, self kindness is also about knowing when it’s time to pick up the baton and to recommence pursuit of our goals.
I know I’m lucky to live in a time and a place where I can travel. I suspect most if not all of the authors in this would agree with that. However, most people in the world simply don’t have the means to travel for pleasure. Multi-award winning photographer, Maria Tomas Rodriguez, is an exception to the ‘self kindness’ theme in this magazine. She spent much of the Covid-19 pandemic in her native Canary Islands where she decided to document migration from Africa by focusing on the boats used by the migrants. Her story certainly opened my eyes in a different way, and that was Maria’s point in choosing to focus on the boats. On top of all those articles there’s the usual book reviews, some empowering poetry which is definitely worth reading and rereading, plus the regular UNESCO feature, this time written by Sarah Davis who during her paddle down the Nile was taken to visit Sudan’s Meroë Pyramids. As for her photographs, wow! At least that’s what I think.
I very much hope that you will enjoy this issue of Adventure She and that you’ll find it to be empowering, educating and entertaining. Finally and as always, if you have a story to share, definitely please do get in touch, for I really want Adventure She magazine to share as many of your stories as possible.
There’s one more story, one from my own personal archives about my attempt at doing a half IRONMAN, or to give the race it’s official names, an IRONMAN 70.3. Why am I sharing it? Adventure
Jane
Adventure She is published by TNA Consulting Services Ltd, the address of the registered of which can be obtained from Companies House. The entire contents are protected by copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the magazine, but the publishers assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom, Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information which is contained in the magazine. Neither TNA Consulting Services Ltd nor Adventure She magazine accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used, or claims made. Copyright © 2022 TNA Consulting Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Photography Front cover Cath Pendleton, aka the Merthyr Mermaid in Antarctica. Photograph courtesy of James Pontin of the BBC. Photographs accompanying the editorial: Previous pages - the Sahara Desert. This page spread - near the Meroë Pyramids, Sudan. Both pages spreads courtesy of Sarah Davis. Back cover – Chelsea Holton. Image courtesy of Tempus Media All other photos courtesy of the article’s author / interviewee, unless otherwise stated
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Topics In This Issue Of Adventure She Magazine Page 18: Bog Snorkeling in Wales
Page 8 The Big Interview – Cath Pendleton
Page 22: What A Woman – Megan Knoyle Lewis
Page 28: Rowing The Atlantic
Page 60: Crossing Svalbard
Page 48: Ultra Running in the Simpson Desert
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Page 80: Paddling Rwanda to Egypt
Page 78: Book Reviews
Page 94: Summitting Colorado’s 14ers
Page 88: UNESCO Feature – The Pyramids of Sudan
Page 112: Slow Road to the Worlds
Page 100: Migrants and the Canary Islands
Page 122: Coming Up
Page 120: - Inspirational poetry
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Skiing Svalbard By Ellen Piercy
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61 Crossing Svalbard 2022, photograph courtesy of John Mitcalf
Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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UNESCO Feature The Pyramids of Meroë, Sudan By Sarah Davis
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
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Sofa to the Worlds By Jane Harries
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Adventure She magazine, Issue 18, October 2022
www.adventureshe.com Pula Croatia - the scene of Jane’s second attempt at starting a half IRONMAN.
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Adventure She She magazine, magazine, Issue Issue 18, 18, October October 2022 2022 Adventure
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124 Adventure She is a brand of TNA Consulting Services Ltd, Pembrokeshire, UK
Photo courtesy of Tempus Media