Gertrude Benham

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Gertrude Emily Benham (July 1867– February 1938) was an English explorer and mountaineer.^[1] Born in London, she was the youngest of six children and began climbing mountains as a girl. She went on to climb mountains on almost every continent. Benham was also an intrepid hiker and walked from Valparaiso, Chile, to Buenos Aires, Argentina. She went on to hike across Kenya, and traverse Africa on foot.

Benham also drew as she travelled, and her drawings were later used in mapping the countries she explored. Benham always traveled alone or with native guides, spending less than 250 British pounds a year. In 1916, she was named a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. Throughout her life, she climbed more than 300 mountains.^[2] Notably, she was the first woman to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.^[1]

Truda Peaks, one of the summits of Mount Rogers in Glacier National Park, in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, is named in her honour.^[3] Her climbing boots are on display in the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery.^[2]