“It’s not just a man’s world”: Lucy Shepherd on paving the way for female adventurers

After completing a gruelling 50-day trek through a patch of uncharted Amazon Rainforest, the young adventurer shares what drives her to explore the world's most extreme environments.

At just 29 years-old, Suffolk-born Lucy Shepherd has got some incredible milestones under her belt. She became a member of the Royal Geographical Society at the age of just 23, then became the youngest-ever elected council member of the Scientific Exploration Society thanks to her achievements. 

From skiing solo across the Arctic to climbing Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains, her thrill-seeking nature has taken her to some of the most remote and dangerous places on the planet.

At the end of 2021, the British adventurer completed her most ambitious expedition yet. Accompanied by a team of Amerindian men from the Macushi and Wapishana tribes – Aaron Bernadine, Michael McDonald, Vivian Smith, Lionel James, Carlos Honorio and Maximus Griffth – she trekked east to west across Guyana’s monumental Kanuku Mountains.

Lucy and her team who explored the Kanuku Mountains (clockwise, from left: Aaron Bernadine, Michael McDonald, Maximus Griffth, Vivian Smith; image: Michael McDonald)

The 50-day, 253-mile-long (400km) trek covered a route which had never been documented before. So the team had to go back to basics, relying on a few 50-year-old maps, compasses and a good dose of intuition to pave their way through the forest. At one point, the canopy was so thick that they didn’t see daylight for 17 days.

We caught up with Lucy after the momentous trek to find out what it was really like, where she gets her motivation from and why the world needs more female adventurers.

What led you to your first ever expedition?

I was always quite an adventurous child, but I never thought being an explorer was a real job. I didn't know any explorers and I’m not from a military background, nor are my parents, but I did have a lot of opportunities to roam free in the countryside. 

When I was 15, my dad suggested I go to an adventure school in Scotland for two weeks. It was there that I was introduced to the word ‘expedition’. We did these mini expeditions – which were, say, three days long, kayaking, hiking, that sort of thing. I finally discovered that this was something I could be good at.

After that, I realised I wanted to do a proper expedition. I saw an advert in the paper asking for 18- to 25-year-olds to apply and go to the Arctic for 10 weeks. At the time I was about to turn 18 so I applied, went through the interviews and training and had to learn how to fundraise. I got in and went to Svalbard [in northern Norway].

 

 

 

 

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There were only 10 of us and we were just cut off from civilization completely. When I got back, everyone said it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. But I felt as if I had suddenly tasted bliss –  it was a shock to the system coming back. 

What made you want to go to the Kanuku Mountains?

I’d heard about the Kanuku Mountains from a contact who lived there, but I didn't really know what the area was like, there was hardly any information online about it. The only existing maps are 50 years old so that really attracted me to it. 

Lucy during her trek through the Kanuku Mountains (Image: Michael McDonald)

I did a shorter crossing [of the Kanuku Mountains] in 2020, from south to north. It was very clear that there was so much left to see. When I finished that expedition, it was pretty much 10 years to the day since I’d done my first-ever expedition. I was ready to do something big. 

People thought we wouldn't be able to do it. I did it with my friends, who are indigenous Amerindians living near the Kanuku Mountains. I had been on previous expeditions with them, so I trusted them. But they were warned by their families they might not come back. 

We navigated through with just a compass and these dated maps. There were times where it felt like it was never going to end because the forest was so dense. It was teeming with wildlife and so varied – there was something new around every corner. You could never relax! 

Lucy's teammate Aaron Bernadine on a boat during the Kanuku Mountains trek (Image: Lucy Shepherd)

How can we encourage young girls to foster their sense of adventure?

Having role models and seeing more diversity is important. I do talks at schools, and one of the wonderful things that happens is I go into a school and I won’t wear my outdoor gear, I’ll wear normal clothes. Kids will say: "You don't look like an explorer." And that's the whole point – to redefine what being an explorer means. 

I also think it’s about reminding people that if you're an adventurous person and you like getting outdoors, you don't have to only do that. You can also be a girly girl, you can be all the things. It's not black and white. 

Lucy cooking during the Kanuku Mountains trek (Image: Michael McDonald)

I want to showcase that this is not just a man's world. I guide expeditions and it's really interesting that when they’re led by a woman, more women sign up to take part. I think it suddenly makes them think: "Maybe I do want to be on that team."

READ MORE: An interview with cave diver John Volanthen

What’s the biggest thing that you've learned?

We definitely need to be outside. I think it does us good – not only will it do the planet good, if we can all spend a little more time outside – but I think it almost acts like a catalyst for realising our potential. 

 

 

 

 

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We all know it's good for us but it's more than that: being outside in the sunlight, movement, working as a team. I think it's ingrained in us as human beings. So I think if we deprive ourselves of that, then we're losing out.

How has your experience made you want to act when it comes to climate change?

Ever since my first-ever expedition to the Arctic, I couldn’t help but feel a connection when I went to these places. You feel vulnerable in these big, wild spaces, but you also sense the fragility they are facing as well. 

 

 

 

 

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Over the 10 years I've been doing this, the Arctic has warmed so quickly – I've seen it – and it creates a sense of urgency. It's very easy when we're in cities and concrete buildings to not realise that it's happening. You speak to people who live in these areas and they'll say, with a tear in their eye, that no one's listening. 

The smallest thing I can do is share my story, get people hooked on the adventure side of things, but then also lead them on to the fact that these adventures won't be possible if we don't act.

READ MORE: An interview with Hilary Bradt MBE

What’s next for you?

At the moment I’m just packing for a nine-day expedition across an Arctic plateau with my boyfriend, Tim. And I'm guiding an expedition to Svalbard in May, with people who have never done it before. 

As a result of the Kanuku Mountains expedition, I’ve been contacted by different countries, who want to give me access to their uncharted regions, so I'm currently planning something big for next year.

Lucy's Amazon Unchartered expedition, which took place between 1 October and 24 November 2021, was sponsored by the Scientific Exploration Society. To find out more about Lucy's past and upcoming expeditions, check out her website.

Main image courtesy of Chris Boulton