Major thread drift here! Freya Stark certainly was an amazing character. Travelling unaccompanied, with local guides, from Mukalla to the Hadhramaut, in the 1930s.
In the early 90s I was on a seismic crew on the plateau that she traversed en route. I read her book after I returned and found that I could identify which geological formation she was crossing on her journey. Amazing observational and descriptive powers!
My mode of transport was an Aerospatiale Lama, which was a big improvement on her four-legged transport!