"Tired of all the stories focused on racing to the summit, Hannah Westhenry fell into the pages of her beloved book The Living Mountain, by Scottish writer & explorer Nan Shepherd. Inspired by Nan’s work, Hannah brings together a diverse group of women to follow in Nan's footsteps, adventuring into the UK's largest and wildest mountain range to tell a different story."
'To Know A Mountain’, a film by Emily Baker and Michelle Sanders, interweaves visuals of the Cairngorms – from its grand landscapes to its smallest details – into an anti-summit story, promoting inclusion in the outdoors, and representing a diversity of ways of being in the mountains not often told in adventure films.
We were delighted to add support through the Alpkit Foundation as the team looks to inspire young women of all backgrounds, who do not see themselves in the outdoors. Check out the trailer and read the account from Hannah below.
"The film will be an effective way of empowering our future female generation into the natural world. That they can belong there, they can climb mountains, they are allowed to have a relationship with nature. With this, we hope a greater respect for the natural world to be reached by anyone who watches the film and acts on it by creating a relationship with nature."
You can see the film premier at this year's Kendal Mountain Film Festival 2024.
All photos by Ameena Rojee. Instagram: @ameenarojee
It was Wednesday 27th September 2023 and autumn was in full swing in the Scottish Cairngorms with the tail end of Hurricane Lee beginning to pass through. The same day, a group of 9 mixed-ability women were preparing to set off on a micro-expedition into the hills.
They didn’t quite know what was in store for them as they ate around a table at Aviemore Youth Hostel, their first time meeting in person. Soon, they were to embark on a journey following in the footsteps of the pioneering female mountaineer and author Nan Shepherd.
In her book, ‘The Living Mountain’, Nan writes about experiencing the Cairngorms as if it were her playground and sanctuary. She writes of an alternate mountaineering experience, one that greatly differs to current outdoor culture where importance is placed on pushing ourselves to our absolute physical, emotional, and mental limits. A culture the language speaks of us battling and challenging nature. We “conquer” mountains and “overcome” nature, while beating personal bests or world records.
Nan regarded those who endeavour such things as “hardy hot heads” who reduced being with the mountain to the “level of a game”.
This is not to say that it’s wrong to challenge ourselves. Instead, we want to emphasise that this is not the only way to experience the outdoors. With this in mind, we wanted to experiment with Nan’s less intimidating and far more inclusive approach.
Organised by Jennifer, Ruth, and myself, we set out to challenge the conquest-dominated and historically male-dominated space. Through a more intentional approach to mountaineering, we focused on being present in the moment. We welcomed small joys, noticing and understanding the local wildlife down to the tiniest pixie cup lichens at our feet. No racing to achieve any particular goal, simply allowing ourselves to just be with the mountains.
You can plan an expedition with all the forethought and energy you can muster, but the mountains will always have the final call. By the afternoon on our second day of the 4-day expedition, we were approaching the Wells of Dee on the plateau of Braeriach, a place which Nan talks about with great fondness. Hurdles quickly arose; navigating different paces, filmmaking pressures, and the unpredictable and unforgiving weather of the mountains.
Limits were tested, but no woman was broken. At the end of the gruelling day, we nestled in for a fearsome night 1000m up, shivering in sleeping bags trying to fight off the biting cold of the Cairngorms.
Once the morning had thawed out the landscape as well as our fingers and feet, one by one the team reluctantly emerged from their nylon cocoons. The past 24 hours had been a lot; constant heavy rain, suffocating fog, a sudden hailstorm, forceful gusts lasting all night, all topped off with a flurry of snow. We encountered unexpected and demanding ascents and descents, faces battered by the full force of mother nature, and record-breaking tent assembling in breathtaking winds and rain
Our perseverance was rewarded. In what seemed like the shake of a ground sheet, the heavy cloud around us dissipated, and the sun, our saviour, rained down her warming rays on us. The entirety of the Cairngorms was laid out before us, and our tired eyes feasted upon the landscape’s unravelled slopes and valleys. Arm linked in mine, Nicola, our Welsh wild swimmer and mother of two, had tears in her eyes. Once the achievement of the expedition had sunk in, back in the comforts of our homes, Nicola described that this moment of the sublime we all shared wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful without the difficulties. Surviving that day expanded her confidence. Being part of a team of women sharing the same motives and values, a group which exuded patience and understanding, led her to pursue her Mountain Leader qualification.
Once we had packed away our clothes and equipment saturated with the essence of yesterday, we wandered back to earth, dozing in heather, heading down the sloping soft mountain side with a hop, skip, and the odd bum slide. For our last night, we tucked ourselves away in Rothiemurcus forest. The winds soon whipped their way through the trees making sure we had one more shivering night before we returned to civilisation. For one more challenge, in the morning we braved the waters of a nearby loch with squeals and laughter, soothing our aching bodies
Nan’s style of mountaineering helped open up the mountains to those of us who would normally have been intimidated by them. We individually contributed a range of experiences and confidence levels to the group, from myself as a recently- qualified mountain leader, to Aisha who has medical conditions and no experience of mountains, to Alice whose last comparable trip was completing her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. After four days, we were bonded by the mountains and in awe of Nan’s strength.
Each woman left the Cairngorms exuding confidence along with a new perspective of being with the mountains. In the words of Nicola, “slowing down makes you feel more at home and present in the mountains, whether that’s through noticing the water running down a rock, or down your face.”
Fancy going "Nan Style"? To empower more people to follow in Nan Shepherd’s footsteps and benefit from a deeper relationship with the mountains, the team have created a resource to help.
Explore their Following Nan Toolkit.
Team Bio
Nicola
Nicola didn’t engage in the outdoors for a long time, however seeing the role modelling of 'Nan's style' earlier would definitely have made a difference. Nan’s style is her preferred way to be outdoors. The expedition expanded her confidence in the outdoors and has also inspired her to do her Mountain Leader Qualification. We adored having Nicola on the team, level-headed, forever encouraging, and always smiling – even when she was tent bound!
Ameena
Writer, photographer, and creative Ameena, was a joy to have on the team. Bringing lighthearedness and humour to the expedition even when her copy of ‘The Living Mountain’ ended up as soaked as half her belongings. She is the talent behind many of the photos that we have shared on our Instagram channel.
Emily
Co-filmmaker Emily was calm and collected even when freezing cold on the side of a mountain. She made every woman feel comfortable in front of the camera whilst working wonders behind the camera along with Michelle. Two skilful women who are in the process of creating our final film.
Michelle
Michelle was a key motivator for the project from the beginning. Having met Jen, Ruth, and Hannah at the Royal Geographical Society and hearing the idea, she was keen to be the filmmaker on the project. Her passion for the environment and empowerment of women is tangible.
Alice
Sweet-natured and always smiling, Alice was our talented sound recorder and music maker. She recorded a segment on the expedition for the podcast ‘As The Season Turns’ and is creating the music soundtrack for the Following Nan film.
Aisha
Brand new to the mountains, the expedition was a massive step out of her comfort zone. Even in the most challenging moments she was smiling. A strong and invaluable member of our team, whose positivity was contagious.
Ruth
Ecologist and assisting with project planning, Ruth exuded enthusiasm in the planning and execution of the expedition. Always thoughtful of the team, willing to give out snacks, and always taking care of others. A calm presence for many on the mountain.
Jen
The Project Coordinator without whom none of this would have happened. Queen of logistics, Jen kept us on track and ticking boxes, before, during, and after the expedition. Never has there been someone more committed and motivated to spreading the Nan message.
Hannah
I was the expedition lead, getting to do the fun parts of designing the expedition as well as being in charge of making sure everyone was prepared and safe. If it wasn’t for the enthusiasm of Ruth and Jen who I first shared the idea with at the Royal Geographical Society in 2022, it would still be just that – an idea.
