This is the first of articles about women who took travel chances and made a big impression on me. We met Annabelle in Nepal on our first “easy” trek in the ’80′s. Annabelle was from Adelaide, Australia (all these “A’s” would make a good song). She was a basically unathletic person with a yen to see and trek in Nepal.

Annabelle tried for years to get her husband to arrange a trek for the two of them, but he had absolutely no interest in (a) visiting Nepal and (b) trekking. She finally got up her courage and said, “Okay. If you’re not going to go then I’m going to make arrangements with a group…and go by myself.” Of course, he humored the “little woman” and actually gave tips and helped her make the arrangements thinking Annabelle would back out or change her mind eventually.

Up until the day her plane took off for Asia, he didn’t believe she would actually go ahead with her plans! Scared to death, Annabelle stuck to her guns and got on the plane leaving her family behind in Adelaide for three weeks. It took a tremendous amount of courage in the ’80′s for a woman in her forties to leave family behind for a trek of all things, and a trek wasn’t the only thing Annabelle tried. On a tight budget, Annabelle flew from Adelaide, Australia to Kolkota (Calcutta), did some sightseeing and rode a public bus by herself from Calcutta to Kathmandu! I have no intention of riding a public bus for 19 hours let alone someone on her first solo trip to Asia. At that time, some buses drove all night while others pulled into a small town where the people either slept on the bus or stayed in not-so-nice accommodations.

Gutsy Annabelle finished the Nepal trek in great spirits, went into Gaida Wildlife Camp in Royal Chitwan National Park to look for Rhinos on the back of an Elephant (she rode bareback without the elephant saddle) and had the time of her life. We lost track of each other over the past 20+ years but I’m hopeful that this trip was only the beginning of many life-changing experiences and, for me, on my first trek with ex-Marine (husband, Steve), Annabelle was an inspiration and the first Gutsy Woman I traveled with. There were many more later on…..