Photography: Lottie Hedley.
The wilderness holds few fears for Dutch author and adventurer Miriam Lancewood. When she speaks to Woman’s Day, she is about to trek on snowshoes through mountains where temperatures will dip below -10°C, and she’ll sleep in a tent while bears and wolves roam outside.
“I feel at home in the wilderness – like other people might in their own backyard,” explains 42-year-old Miriam, who is an expert in bushcraft and survival.
“Being in nature is beautiful. It’s good for the mind and body. I feel rejuvenated by it.”
At one time, Miriam’s husband, New Zealander Peter Raine, would have been by her side wherever she went. She’s written a bestselling book, Woman In The Wilderness, about their seven nomadic years in the Southern Alps, hunting for food and living in tents. Sadly, Peter, 72, is no longer well enough to go adventuring. Seven years ago, he went into kidney failure after being exposed to polluted water and he has already lived longer than doctors predicted.
“Peter’s not doing too badly at all, considering that he was told he wouldn’t have more than five years if he didn’t take dialysis,” says Miriam.
“But he doesn’t have as much energy. He’s had a heart attack and the other day had a mini stroke. There is scary stuff all the time, then he recovers and he’s good.”
Living off-grid
During the pandemic, the couple left Aotearoa and settled in a tiny shepherd’s hut in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains. It’s off grid, with no kitchen or bathroom and a hike away from a doctor. But Peter isn’t interested in medical attention anyway. He would rather be free to live out his remaining time with his wife in their isolated home.
“He’s stubborn and I can’t change him, so I hope for the best while knowing that one day he won’t recover.”
Accepting she will lose Peter is something she has been trying to come to terms with.
Preparing for life alone
Being Miriam, she’s doing that in a very practical way, learning the skills she’ll need to manage when he is gone. Her new book, Alone In The World, is about that journey towards loss and independence.
“Since I’ll be alone, I’m going to practise, and get more confidence and more skills,” she says.
“My dream is to travel and be happy all by myself. But my nightmare is being miserable and lonely, so that’s the biggest challenge.”
Adventure-led
Already Miriam has hitchhiked solo through Armenia, Turkey and Georgia. She also embarked on a two-month expedition across the Himalayas with a friend, Sophie Hilaire, climbing mountain passes, coping with high altitudes and sleeping under the stars in leopard country.
It’s always difficult to leave Peter behind. They share a serene, simple life in their little hut, along with their dog Betsi and cat Kotka. They cook over an open fire and bathe in the river.
“I look forward to going, but then the day I’m meant to leave, I don’t want to go any more,” admits Miriam.
“It’s hard to say goodbye knowing that Peter could die while I’m gone – that I might never see him again – but I make myself do it.”
Future + stakes
Miriam has always known that because of their age difference, she would have a lot of life left to live after Peter is gone. And she’s determined it will be filled with adventures. Right now, she’s training to climb the daunting 7000m Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan in August.
“I’m very nervous – people die on that mountain,” she says.
“So now I’m studying all these techniques and knots I have to learn. I need to know about avalanches, crevasses, ropes, crampons… It’s almost dizzying. And I’m not going to pay someone to carry my luggage. We’ll be completely self-sufficient, so I’m training every day with a backpack filled with rocks.”
Bigger adventures still lie ahead
However, Lenin Peak is just a practice run for Miriam’s next adventure. She is planning a longer wilderness expedition, traversing glaciers in the remote regions of the Himalayas or Siberia.
“The freedom to go absolutely anywhere – that idea excites me,” she enthuses.
While most of us don’t want to test ourselves in such extreme ways, Miriam hoped to inspire others through her latest book. She wrote it with the aim of encouraging people to push themselves out of their comfort zones.
Self-growth angle
She says, “You don’t have to risk your life on top of a mountain; just little adventures – something unusual and unexpected. You might get to know yourself better, and be more capable and courageous than you thought.”
As for her own future, Miriam plans to continue adventuring for decades more, although perhaps not always alone in the world.
“I hope to meet somebody else and grow old with another person,” she reflects.
“I need someone who is completely free and loves to travel. Right now, though, being in nature is helping to ease the fear of the unknown and we’re appreciating the time we have left together.”
Alone In The World ($38, Allen & Unwin) is out now.
For more of Miriam Lancewood and her adventures, go to miriamlancewood.com
