Fastpacking trailblazer Jenny Tough is a Montane athlete who has solo navigated six of the world’s most remote mountain ranges on foot and unsupported. For anyone unfamiliar, just give Jenny’s awe inspiring SOLO film a watch to find out more about her epic ‘Run the World’s Mountains’ challenge, completed in 2021. In doing so, Jenny combatted social stigma and pushed her boundaries to take on a powerful journey of personal growth.
The best bits of our beautiful shared planet exist beyond the cities, the paved roads, train stations and bus stops. The best bits are reached by dirt trails, winding rivers, and snowy peaks. They are places that can only be accessed with a bit of grit and determination - leaving comfort behind for a few hours, days, or more of pushing yourself to reach these delightful corners.
There is, for me, a really magical crossover between exploring the outside world while exploring my own limitations. They go hand in hand ever so well. Motivated by the desire to see these harder-to-reach places, I find and build my own strength in order to accomplish these journeys.
There is, for me, a really magical crossover between exploring the outside world while exploring my own limitations.
But so many places felt incredibly out of reach when I began venturing into outdoor adventures. I feared I didn’t have the skills, the fitness, or the bravery to push to those outer bounds - those places that are marked as truly inaccessible, only available to the hardest of adventurers. I could almost see the bounds of my comfort zone, marking the edges of what was possible for me.
My first adventures could only realistically be labelled as misadventures. So many times I found myself huddled, cold and wet, inside my unsuitable cheap tent wondering how I would ever finish the trail; or crying on the side of the road when my bike suffered a mechanical I didn’t have the knowledge to fix; or desperately lost in lousy conditions that I couldn’t navigate through.
I spent my early twenties travelling solo around the world, getting myself into these ambitious scenarios and frightening myself out of my wits every time it went wrong. But, over the years, I noticed a change. I cried less. I packed lighter. I started to understand the world better and judge situations more clearly. It took so many mishaps, but eventually I started being more confident, both in my outdoor pursuits, and in myself as a person in general.
My comfort zone, so slowly, began to expand. Each successful mission - and especially each unsuccessful mission - made me stronger, more experienced, and capable of more. And that’s when I learned an important thing about my comfort zone: it is a fluid line.
What I am capable of is not a permanent limitation, but an ebbing edge that I have control over. Every time I meet that line and step slightly beyond the bounds of my comfort zone, I actually push it out further. By going on brave adventures I continually expand my capabilities. The greater my capabilities, the greater the field of adventures that are now possible for me.
It’s not just about the beautiful experiences of the trip itself - it’s about the personal growth that you can achieve in every trial.
At 27 I finally felt brave enough to go on my first real expedition - to try something that had never in history been done before. I wanted to run across Kyrgyzstan (621 miles/1000km), a country I had never been to and a distance I had never come close to.
It was almost an overwhelming task: all of the planning, packing, route creation and cultural barriers that I had to work through before I even set foot in the country. But I surprised myself - I felt, deep down, that I was capable of this target. Despite being told constantly by those around me that it was an impossible challenge and I should try something more “achievable”, I believed in myself and pursued this dream.
Crossing the finish line of this expedition after 25 days of solo running in the tall peaks of the Tian Shan mountain range, I collapsed into tears of joy. I realised that, after years of pushing myself and testing my comfort zone and making myself so intensely uncomfortable in beautiful places around the world, I had now become so incredibly strong and capable.
I realised that there was almost nothing I couldn’t do. With a bit of work, and slow progress through continually challenging myself in my adventures, I could keep growing my comfort zone and achieving goals as big as this one.
This is why I will forever be encouraging everyone around me to pursue adventures. It’s not just about the beautiful experiences of the trip itself - it’s about the personal growth that you can achieve in every trial. Through living a life of adventure, you can not only see the world (a valid pursuit in itself), but also develop yourself and constantly push out the edges of your comfort zone.
Bigger comfort zone, bigger life.
This article is sponsored by Montane, an outdoor clothing company that develops lightweight, technical clothing and equipment for adventurers looking to get more from their life outside - from lightweight waterproof jackets to warm, protective down jackets and durable, high-stretch legwear.