National Three Peaks & Beyond: Building Confidence Through Inclusive Outdoor Adventure
Meet Anna Humphries – TheMountain Girl. Love Her Wild’s trusted partner and leader for our National 3 Peaks challenge in September 2026.
Why the Outdoors? A Journey of Regulation and Resilience
“I didn’t have the language for it then, but I understand it now — the outdoors regulated me.”
What made you decide to start working in the outdoors?
I don’t think I ever decided — I think I slowly realised I’d never really left.
As a little girl, I felt safest outside. Big skies made my worries feel smaller. Hills felt like secret places where I could think clearly. I understand it now — nature-based regulation strengthened and steadied me.
As I grew up, life became louder with expectations and pressure. But every time I returned to the mountains, I felt like myself again.
There’s a moment I’ve seen over and over again when guiding women — halfway up a climb, when self-doubt kicks in. “I can’t do this.” And then step by step, they do. Watching that shift in someone’s eyes is powerful. It’s not about the summit. It’s about witnessing someone meet a version of themselves they didn’t know existed. This is at the heart of outdoor empowerment and that’s why I work outdoors.
Building Community: Partnering with Love Her Wild
Which organisations are you involved with through your work?
Throughout my career, I’ve worked alongside schools, youth groups, community organisations and structured expedition frameworks, helping young people build confidence through challenge. But the heart of what I do is creating inclusive outdoor spaces where women feel they belong.
Partnering with Love Her Wild is a natural alignment. Their ethos of collective courage – women lifting other women – mirrors everything I believe in.
The outdoors can feel intimidating. Community removes that edge and replaces fear with belonging.
From the English Channel to Everest Base Camp
Tell us about your big challenges and favourite places.
Challenge has always called to me — not for the headline, but for who I become inside it.
One of my biggest milestones was completing the National Three Peaks Challenge solo — not just within 24 hours, but in 19 hours. That day was my own personal challenge to see what I’m truly capable of and also, how terrifying it is to do something I’ve never done and be put in the ‘learners’ seat again. It removes the ego and helps me sense what clients feel like turning up to an event with me that is knew to them.
I’ve been part of the first all-female stand-up paddleboard relay across the English Channel. battling tides, weather shifts and the kind of exhaustion that strips you back to your core. That experience taught me the power of team energy. When one person dips, another rises.
And then there are the moutains that shift your perspective entirely – hiking to Everest Base Camp beneath the vast presence of the Himalayas, summiting Kilimanjaro through changing climate zones step by step, and climbing Mounta Toubkal in North Africa where the landscape feels both harsh and beautiful all at once.
But honestly? Some of the most meaningful moments still happen on British soil. Watching someone summit Snowdon for the first time. Seeing confidence grow on Scafell Pike. Witnessing the emotional release that comes with standing on Ben Nevis.
The height of the mountain matters less than the depth of the transformation.
Adventure should feel accessible, not exclusive.
What inspired you to partner with Love Her Wild?
I’ve always believed adventure should feel accessible, not exclusive.
Too many women wait until they feel “ready” — fitter, braver, more experienced. Love Her Wild creates space to show up exactly as you are.
When women walk together, something changes. The pace softens. Encouragement replaces ego. Strength becomes shared.
That collective energy is what inspired me to partner. It’s not about proving anything — it’s about becoming something together.
You don’t have to be fearless. You just have to be willing.
Tell us about your experiences of the N3P and why you’re excited to be involved in this challenge?
Climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours is not just a physical test — it’s logistical, mental, emotional. It’s sleep deprivation. It’s sore feet at 3am. It’s questioning yourself on the drive between peaks and choosing to keep going anyway. It’s like being on the greatest school trip but with friends who truly love you and walk beside you.
Having completed it several times before I know firsthand that the hardest part isn’t always the ascent — it’s the commitment to continue when fatigue sets in. And EVERY SINGLE EVENT is unique. New people, new weather, new moods. But always possible.
What excites me about being involved in N3P this year is helping women realise that this challenge isn’t reserved for a certain “type” of person. You don’t have to look like an ultra-athlete. You don’t have to be fearless. You just have to be willing. I remember attending my first ever 25km trail run in 2025 – I was so scared. But I did it. 10 years before it, I couldn’t run 5km. It’s not the challenge that frightens us, it’s our own capabilities. Persistence wins. Don’t think, just do!
There’s something incredibly powerful about standing on three of the UK’s highest peaks within a single day and knowing you carried yourself there.
The National Three Peaks Challenge builds more than endurance — it builds identity.
Tips for a Career in the Outdoor Sector
Your advice for anyone wanting to start an outdoor career?
Start messy! You don’t need to be polished; you need passion. I believe success in the outdoor industry is 80% attitude and 20% skill. The sector needs leaders who can hold space and encourage others through fear. If the outdoors has shaped you, follow that path.
Join the Love Her Wild National Three Peaks Challenge with Anna – 26-27th September 2026.
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