Isabella Bird (15 October 1831 to 4 October 1904

Isabella has to be one of my favorite woman hikers/traveler as she was born on my natal day, although I do hope I live longer than her (died at the age of 73). With Isabella, you almost have to ask "Where didn't she go?" as she visited most of the continents of the world except for Africa and Antarctica. She was also very good about writing up her visits (many of her books are based on her letters to relatives) and her exploits were read by many not only in book form, but also from articles in magazines and journals.

Isabella's health seems to be strong correlated with her travel experiences. When she was home or in fact when she was married, her health was horrible. When she was traveling or after her husband died, her health improved considerably.

Here's her travel log:

1854--America, The Englishwoman in America (1856)
1857--Canada
1868--Away from home
1872--Australia, Sandwich Islands
1873--Colorado, A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains
1880s--Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore
1889--India, Tibet, Persia, Kurdistan, Turkey
1897--Yangtze and Han Rivers (China and Korea) and traveled with Berbers in Morocco
1904--Just prior to death was planning another trip to China.

Two of her experiences that hit home to me were her climb of Mauna Loa and riding more than 800 miles in Colorado. She rode "man-style" and often wore "men's clothing" when riding and exploring.