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MY SUMMER IN
T H E ALPS
1913
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MY SUMMER IN THE ALPS
H A D not been in the A lps since 1905. In the interval I h a d visited some o f the splendid m oun tainous regions o f C olorado, W yom ing and
M o n ta n a , but on horseback and n ot fo r the purpose o f climbing. A nd now th a t an o p p o r tunity presented itself to re tu rn to S w itzerland and again indulge my taste fo r m ountaineering, I seized it w ith avidity, fo r the sp o rt continued to appeal to me as strongly as ever. I can tru ly say th a t th ere is no pastim e fro m which, du rin g m any years, I have derived such enjoym ent as I have from climbing in the Alps.
Since I was last in S w itzerland the long pro jected Ju n g fra u R a ilro a d h a d become an accom plished fact as fa r as a point known as the Ju n g fra u jo c h , and curiosity now im pelled me to seek first han d know ledge as to w h at it h a d to offer. L eaving G rindelw ald early on the m orning o f Ju ly 30, I w alked up to the L ittle Scheidegg in two and one-half hours and th ere took the tra in which, in a little m ore th an an hour, carried me th ro u g h a long tunnel to the Ju n g fra u jo c h . H e re o f a sud den one finds one’s self several th ousand feet above the line o f p erp etu al snow in the very h e a rt o f some o f the best snow and ice scenery o f the B ernese O berland, and at a point w here even the novice can, in good w eather, roam safely over several large surfaces o f snow adjoining the station. T o reach such a spot in such a m anner was strange indeed to one accustom ed to do so only th ro u g h h a rd climbing. I t is a splendid th in g th a t those who cannot o r do not care to climb, and yet have a taste fo r such scenery, are thus enabled to g ra tify it, and I cannot too strongly urge all who are not disagreeably affected by the air o f high altitudes to take this sm all journey and w itness at ease glorious phases o f nature which do not exist below the snow line.
M Ö N C H J O C H
But I h a d come to S w itzerland fo r exercise, and this is not obtained by riding on train s. T h e Ju n g fra u jo c h has alread y become a sta rtin g point fo r several excursions (including, fo r instance, the J u n g fra u ) and w ith know ledge o f this fact I h ad b ro u g h t along guides fro m G rindelw ald. L eav in g the tra in at Ju n g fra u jo c h we proceeded to cross the M önchjoch, a g re a t snow pass w ith an altitude o f about 12,000 feet, which led us into th e m idst o f fu rth e r m agnificent scenery, so th a t du rin g the course o f the day I saw again every im p o rta n t peak o f the B ernese O b erlan d , including J u n g fra u , M önch, E ig er, Schreckhorn, F in ste ra a rh o rn , V iescherhörner and A letschhorn; and as I looked at them I recalled m uch o f the pleasure and some o f the difficulties and excitem ent experienced in climbing them in years past. O u r w alk lasted only fo u r hours, as we rejo in ed the tra in a t the E ism e e r station, but it p ro v ed to be a good practice w alk and furn ish ed considerable exercise; fo r ou r s ta rt being a late one and the w e a th er w arm and clear, we en countered so ft snow th ro u g h o u t, which ren d ered the going heavy. F req uently we sank to above o u r knees an d som etim es to our w aists.
A t E ism eer I w as struck by some o f the decorative in scriptions in the w aiting-room . O ne re a d as follow s:
“Ob Juden, H a id en , oder Christen, W ir sind a u f E rd e n nur T o u riste n .”
T o post the follow ing, how ever tru e, involved some bold ness on the p a r t o f a m anagem ent doubtless quite as anxious to receive the m oney o f “ fo o ls" as o f any o th e r class o f tra v e le rs :
“D en N a rre n kann m an nicht entgehen, A u ch a u f den höchsten B ergeshöhen.” “Ih re T o rh e it z u beweisen,
Gehen viele L e u t’ a u f R eisen .”
“I s t einer ein E s e l und sonst nichts weiter, So w ird er durch R eisen nicht gescheiter.”
A s principal clim bing centres f o r this sum m er I selected Z e rm a tt a n d C ham onix and proceeded to the fo rm e r fro m G rindelw ald on A ugust i , tra v e lin g first by autom obile th ro u g h In te rla k e n , Spiez and the b eautiful Sim m enthal to M a rtig n y , and thence by tra in . M y excellent guide o f 1905, Jo sep h T a u g - w alder, I found to be engaged, but th ro u g h him w as introduced to H ieronym us Julen, a n o th e r first-class guide, w ho in tu rn selected A d o lp h Julen as second guide, and on S aturday, A u gust 2, by w ay o f fu rth e r practice, we ascended the Riffelhorn. T h e tim e req u ired to p ut one’s self into training, so th a t d if ficult w alking and clim bing shall be an enjoym ent a n d never a burden, will v a ry w ith the individual, but th re e o r fo u r short, stiff excursions will accom plish a g re a t deal in this direction and usually prove sufficient; this, a t least, is my experience. T h e R iffelhorn is a rock well know n to m ost m ountaineers as afford ing m any interesting sh o rt climbs, some easy, some r a th e r d if ficult. I have been on it a t least h a lf a dozen tim es. E lsew here I have described the ro u te know n as th e “ M a tte rh o rn C o u lo ir.” T o -d ay we to o k th e “ Sky-line” route, and I re tu rn e d to Z e rm a tt w ith some fu rth e r exercise to my credit and in b e tte r condition th an I was before.
A L P H U B E L PASS
O u r next excursion was across th e b eautiful A lphubel P ass to the valley o f Saas, lying easterly and p a ra lle l to th a t o f Z e rm a tt. O n the a fte rn o o n o f A ugust 3 we w ent to sleep at the m odest inn a t T äschalp, whence we s ta rte d fo r o u r pass at 2.30 a. m. next day, using a la n te rn fo r th e first h o u r and a h a lf. I t w as go o d to be again w alking in th a t crisp m orning air, and glorious scenery o f rock, ice and snow began unfolding itself w ith the a p p ro ach o f daw n. T h is occurred sh o rtly b efo re 4, w hen we observed a fa in t g ra y light on th e g re a t snow peaks about us, follow ed, p erh ap s an h o u r late r, by th e early rays o f the sun, at first on a few o f th e highest an d la te r on countless sm aller ones. T h is im pressive spectacle is one I have o fte n h a d the chance to witness, and each tim e it has seem ed m ore beauti ful th a n th e last.
W e w alked fo r fo u r hours w ithout h a lt except to ad just the rope upon reaching th e ice, an d a t 6.30 stopped fo r b rea k fa st at a point about an h o u r below the sum m it o f th e pass. T h e A lphubel is justly no ted fo r its fine views, and th an k s to the cloudless w e a th er we w ere able to enjoy them fully. I t is not o ften th a t one b rea k fa sts w ith a p a n o ra m a o f such surpassing beauty as was sp re a d out b efo re us on this occasion, com pris ing as it d id M o n te R osa, Lyskam m , C a sto r and Pollux, Breit- h o rn and M a tte rh o rn , all in a p erfect setting, p a rtly in the shade, p a rtly in th e so ft light o f the early sun. Betw een us an d the tw o peaks first nam ed the eye m et nothing but snow and ice extending over m any m iles and to an altitude o f some 15,000 feet. W e gained th e sum m it o f the A lphubel at 7.40, and th ere, a t an elevation o f about 12,500 feet, enjoyed fu rth e r splendid views in new directions. T h e descent to th e village o f Saas Fee, w hich we reached a t noon, calls fo r no special m ention, except th a t a fte r 8 it becam e very hot, the snow soft and th e going heavy. W e w ere constantly sinking in below our knees (a s on th e M önchjoch) w hile my face, w hich w as not yet h a rd e n e d to th e extrem es o f cold and h e a t encountered on A lpine excursions, continued to b u rn th ro u g h o u t the rest o f the day.
T h e village o f Saas F ee enjoys a picturesque location in an am p h ith e a tre fo rm e d by splendid peaks, th e g re a te st o f which a re the tw o noble M ischabelhörner, the D orn and the T äsch h o rn , each o f them n early 15,000 fee t high. I t has n o t yet been invaded by th e ra ilro a d , and the p o stal service fro m Stalden is still p e rfo rm e d w ith th e aid o f some fifty mules.
O u r p lan w as to re tu rn to Z e rm a tt via th e N a d e lh o rn , and fo r this purpose we w ent, th e day follow ing (A ugust 5 ) , to sleep at the M ischabel hut, situated at a height o f n early 11,000 feet on th e slopes o f the D orn. W e w ere fo u r and one-half hours in reaching it. T w o o th e r p a rties h a d preceded us, one French, the o th e r E nglish. U p o n entering the hut I w as struck a t once w ith th e b a d a ir w ithin, and came to the conclusion th a t th e E nglishm en h a d n o t cared to raise the issue o f ventilation w ith the F renchm en. B ut I felt obliged to do so and am glad to say th a t we soon found ourselves in accord. I t was even
ag reed th a t a sm all window should rem ain open th ro u g h o u t the night. Guides, o f course, never see any reason w hy fre sh a ir should be let into a m ountain hut, and m ost C ontinental tourists en tertain the sam e views.
T h e w eather, in the m eantim e, h a d tu rn e d b a d ; it came on to snow, and we re tire d w ith but sm all hopes o f being able to cross the N a d e lh o rn next day. U p o n aw aking we found th a t th ere was no im provem ent and w ere co n fro n ted w ith the alternative o f w aiting in the hut fo r good w e a th er (w ith the necessity of sending down to the valley fo r m ore fo o d ) o r utilizing the p eriod o f b a d w eath er to proceed to the base o f some o th er peak. W e chose the latte r, wisely, as th e event showed, and, descending quickly to Saas Fee, w alked thence in fo u r hours th ro u g h the long valley o f Saas to Stalden, observing on the w ay a peasant w om an sm oking a long pipe while at w ork in the fields. A t Stalden we to o k the tra in fo r Z erm att.
P O L L U X
T h e day follow ing was a rainy one a t Z erm att, but on F rid ay , A ugust 8, it cleared— at least p a rtially — and in th e a fte r noon we w ent to sleep at the G andeck hut, n e a r the fo o t of the B reith o rn . T h e tw in peaks o f C a sto r and Pollux, usually m en tioned to g eth e r and well know n to all who have enjoyed the view fro m the G o rn e rg ra t, w ere the only ones o f th e la rg e r peaks about Z e rm a tt which I h a d not h e re to fo re climbed, and we hoped on this occasion to ascend one o r perh ap s bo th o f them . D u rin g the late a fte rn o o n and evening at the G andeck the w eath er w as w arm and unsettled, and th e clouds could n o t m ake up th e ir m inds w h ether to stay o r go, w ith th e result th a t the m agnificent peaks about us w ere seen am idst num erous varying and beautiful atm ospheric effects. A t one tim e all th a t could be seen o f D en t Blanche, G abelhorn, R o th o rn and W eissh o rn w as th e ir final points above a g re a t sea o f clouds. A t an o th er, all but the upperm ost p a rt o f the M a tte rh o rn w as in cloud, the po rtio n visible presenting the appearance o f a trian g le o f the size and shape o f the p yram id o f the R o th o rn , but tip p in g in the opposite direction. T h e scene was w eird and fascinating beyond
the pow er o f w ords adequately to describe, and I w ent to bed reluctantly.
W e w ere to s ta rt at 2 a. m., but so unsettled was the w e a th er th a t we did n ot venture to leave until 3.45, a t which tim e it cleared suddenly, and a t once it becam e evident th a t a b eautiful m orning w as b efo re us. F o r two and a h a lf hours we follow ed the B reith o rn route, w alking ov er easy, rising snow fields on which th ere w ere at least six parties, fo u r o f them bound fo r the B reithorn, one fo r C a sto r and one fo r Pollux, all advanc ing rapidly. T h e sun rose on a cloudless sky and its first pale illum ination o f the splendid peaks surrounding us fu rnished a m ost b eautiful picture, so b eautiful in fact th a t it seem ed as if we should cease w alking and devote o u r w hole atten tio n to it. A fte r thus rising fo r tw o and a h a lf hours we began skirting the long, southerly face o f the B reith o rn — a m ost interesting route— and a t 7.15 w ere a t its w esterly end, w here we h a lte d fo r b re a k fast, an h o u r’s w alk th e re a fte r bringing us to the fo o t o f the southerly P ollux arête. U sually its ascent presents no p a rticu la r difficulty, but this was a b a d y ear fo r rock climbing by reason of the ex tra o rd in a ry am ount o f snow, which indeed ren d ered some o f the g re a t rock peaks quite unclim bable th ro u g h o u t the whole season. Snow in the rocks op erates to conceal o r destroy w holly o r in p a rt the usefulness o f any fo o t and hand-holds, while offer ing no p ro p e r substitute, especially when soft. W e m ade slow tim e and w ere not on the sum m it until 11. W e w ere then at a height o f approxim ately 13,500 feet. A strong, cold w ind was blow ing and the atm ospheric conditions w ere generally so dis agreeable th a t we rem ained on top but tw o m inutes.
As we approached the base o f the peak on the descent we noted th a t banks o f fog w ere rising from Italy, and indeed this fo g soon enveloped us, ren d erin g it inadvisable, especially at so late an h o u r in the day, to attem p t to climb the adjoining C astor. T h e problem b efo re us w as how best to reach Z e rm a tt b efore b a d w e a th er should set in, and we selected the shortest route via the S chw arzthor. “ T h o r " m eans gatew ay, and this w as indeed one o f m agnificent pro p o rtio n s, lying betw een Pollux and the B reith o rn and leading down the Schw ärze G lacier to the
C o rn e r G lacier below. F o rtu n a te ly the Ita lia n fo g h alted a t the S ch w arzth o r and did not cross the bo u n d ary into Sw itzerland.
T h e u p p e r p o rtio n o f the Schw ärze G lacier consists o f steep slopes o f snow, and these w ere becom ing v ery so ft un d er the influence o f a h o t sun. W e literally w aded dow n them , an d as we ap proached the bottom en tered a veritable m aze o f broken and fissured ice, w ith surrounding ice tow ers, o r séracs, differing how ever fro m the o rd in a ry m aze in th a t it sloped dow nw ard, which circum stance, taken in conjunction w ith th e softness of the snow, w ould have ren d e re d v ery difficult the task o f re tu rn ing; in fact, to rem ount the 2,000 feet o f steep, so ft snow th a t a fte rn o o n w ould have been next to im possible. As we p ro gressed, we seem ed to become m ore and m ore involved and finally found ourselves on a tran sv erse b and o f ice w ith the w ay to the next one a p p a re n tly b a rre d . U sually, w here the intervening fis sures are too wide to be jum ped, one can get a ro u n d the ends, but not so here. A fte r m uch careful consideration the guides d e te r m ined th a t to extricate ourselves it w ould be necessary to enter w h at m ay be roughly described as an ice cave, and cut ou r w ay up p artitio n s o f ice w ithin this cave a distance o f some tw enty feet. T h is w as atte n d ed w ith some d an g er ow ing to the possi bility o f the chopping on a hot a fte rn o o n b ringing dow n portions o f the ice above ; but as a result o f m uch delicate ice w o rk on the p a rt o f the guides we finally em erged in safety on to the next band o f ice, whence pro g ress becam e relatively easy. T h e descent o f the S ch w arzth o r is n o t usually accom panied w ith serious d if ficulties and those encountered m ay be ascribed to the abnorm al am ount o f snow, w hich affected m aterially th e m ovem ent and configuration o f th e low er p o rtio n o f the Schw ärze G lacier.
U N T E R G A B E L H O R N
T h e day follow ing the ascent o f P ollux we w ent to the T r if t Inn, some tw o hours above Z e rm a tt, w here we spent the night p re p a ra to ry to climbing the U n te rg a b e lh o rn . W e sta rte d M o n d a y m orning, A ugust 11, a t 4 a. m., the lateness o f the h o u r being due to the fact th a t the excursion, th o u g h an ex ceedingly interesting one, w as to be sh ort. T h e w e a th er w as all th a t could be desired and we selected fo r o u r route th e east
ridge, n o ted fo r the excellent rock clim bing w hich it affords. A fine rock climb is one o f th e g re a te st joys know n to the m oun tain e er a n d a m ost ex h ilaratin g fo rm o f exercise, bringing into play alm ost every muscle and p a r t o f the body, fo r the hands and fee t a re n ot alone sufficient in the ascent o r descent o f d if ficult rocks, and w here either go o d h an d o r foot-hold is w anting one discovers how m uch can be done w ith th e elbows, th e knees, the shoulders and the back. Some o f the very best rock climbing is found on “ a rê tes,” o r ridges, which alm ost alw ays have th e ir teeth, needles o r pinnacles, som etim es te rm e d “ g en d arm es," and these usually presen t in teresting and perplexing problem s by reaso n o f the sharpness o f th e ir edges and the steepness o f th e ir sides, ren d e rin g it o ften as h a rd to cross as to tu rn o r circum vent them . In the case o f the U n te rg a b e lh o rn the best o f th e clim bing lasted, it is true, not much ov er an hour, b ut w hile it lasted it w as m ost in teresting and exciting and included cross ing th re e needles. W e w ere on the sum m it a t 9.30, w here we found ourselves su rro u n d ed on all sides by g re a t peaks, so th a t the views w ere o f the best in every direction. T h e M a tte rh o rn , alw ays im pressive, seem ed peculiarly so fro m this point. W e rem ained on th e sum m it a long tim e, fo r it w as good to be th ere in such w eath er, and upon leaving proceeded leisurely to Z e rm a tt by the usual route.
In a season o f v ariab le w e a th er such as this, one m ust take a t least some chances if anything is to be accom plished, and by sta rtin g fo r a h u t in the rain one m ay be able to m ake the ascent in fine w e a th e r: fo r this m ay come next day and last only tw enty-four hours. T uesday, A ugust 12, it rain ed h a rd , no r w ere conditions on W ed n esd ay m uch b e tte r; but, believing th a t th ey m ust change shortly, we sta rte d W ed n esd ay a fte rn o o n fo r the Schönbühl hut, up th e Z m u tt G lacier, intending to cross next day to A ro lla via the Col d ’H é re n s and the Col de B ertol. U p o n reaching the hut we found th a t we w ere not the only ones w ho w ere w illing to gam ble on the w e a th er f o r th e follow ing day, fo u r o th e r p a rties having preceded us, all anxious to do som ething. T h e guides w oke me a t 3. I t h a d cleared con siderably du rin g th e night, but the a ir w as unn atu rally w arm and th e re w ere th re a te n in g clouds. I t w as alm ost a foregone
con-M a t t e r h o r n f r o m S l o p e s o f U n t e r g a b e l h o r n
elusion th a t the day w ould not be fine, but the passes selected, though lo fty ones, did not belong to the very difficult class and we th o u g h t the w eath er w ould be at least good enough fo r th e ir crossing. So we s ta rte d at 4. M uch so ft snow h a d fallen, ren d erin g the going laborious, but th a t w as relatively unim p o rta n t; the real difficulty th a t we h a d to contend w ith was fog, the configuration o f the Col d ’H é re n s and the intervening space betw een it and the B ertol being such th a t at least m oderately clear w e a th er w as necessary fo r a safe crossing. W e w alked slowly to w a rd the first pass, hoping th a t the fog w ould lift as the hours advanced. A slight im provem ent w ould have en abled us to m ake a dash and get across, but it did not come ; in stead th ere arose a furious snow storm accom panied by g rea t cold and by 10 a. m. we realized, th ough th en n e a r the summit, th a t we could not retu rn too soon to the low er levels. O nly those who have experienced it can appreciate w h at bad w eath er m eans a t g re a t altitudes. W e h ad a veritable taste o f severe w inter w eath er in m id-sum m er. In an h o u r a fte r tu rn in g back we w ere out o f the snow storm and reached Z e rm a tt in due course in a heavy rain. A p p aren tly several days o f b ad w eath er w ere in store fo r Z erm att, so I decided to take this o p p ortunity to change my base o f operations to Cham onix.
A I G U I L L E D ’A R G E N T I È R E
I t so happened th a t I h a d done less climbing at Cham onix th an in m ost o f the o th er districts o f the A lps and I was exceed ingly glad to go th ere again. T w en ty -fo u r years h ad elapsed since I h a d visited it, and num erous w ere the changes which I noticed. T h e ra ilro a d has resulted in converting w h at was f o r m erly a quiet m ountain village into a small tow n w ith up-to-date shops, beer gardens and a th e a tre , and you are now w hizzed in an autom obile to your hotel instead o f w alking to it fro m the spot w here the “ diligence” used to leave you. A rriv in g as I did at night, I w ent to bed thinking Cham onix a fa r less a ttra c tive place th a n form erly, and it was not until I aw oke next m orning and looked up a t the fam iliar m ountains th a t I fully realized th a t its principal attractio n s h ad not been affected by the onw ard m arch o f civilization. I put up at C o u ttet’s H o te l,
w ith its beau tifu l gard en , an d h aving secured the services o f tw o excellent guides, Ju les B urnet an d J e a n D evouassoud, a rra n g e d to s ta rt th e follow ing a fte rn o o n f o r the A iguille d ’A rg en tière. I ow ed m y good luck in finding tw o such guides disengaged a t the h eight o f th e season to th e fac t th a t it w as one o f such v ariab le w e a th er th a t business w as slack. In p a st y ears I h a d ascended M o n t Blanc, th e A iguille V erte and th e tw o peaks o f the A iguille du D ru , and the A iguille d ’A rg e n tière w ould tak e m e into a p o rtio n o f the chain w ith w hich I w as n o t very fam iliar. T h e guides and I first w ent shopping fo r food a n d I w as conducted to the “ F aisan d o ré ,” an excellent c h ar cuterie o r delicatessen store. W e found th e re ju st w h at we w anted, including w o n d erfu l cheeses and the best o f honey in glass ja rs o f convenient size. Cheese and honey a re tw o o f the articles o f fo o d on w hich I have usually relied in climbing, some o f the oth ers being b read , b u tter, chicken an d sardines. A curi ous com bination, some m ay say, and th ere m ay be no p a rticu la r v irtu e in it, but it has served my purposes well and does not differ w idely fro m th a t tak en by oth ers on m ountain excursions. A t the evening m eal in a hut a thick, nourishing soup form s alm ost invariably the principal dish. Some clim bers d rin k light w ine (usually “ vin du p a y s " ) , oth ers tea, my perso n al p re fe r ence being fo r the fo rm er.
L eav in g C ham onix we passed th ro u g h the village o f A rg e n tière and then ascended a steep p a th to a sm all m ountain inn at L ognon, high up on the G lacier d ’A rgentière, w here we spent the night. W e s ta rte d next m orning at 1.30, the m oon lighting the way. M o u n tain eerin g is the only pastim e I know o f in which the ho u rs betw een m idnight and five o ’clock, w hen n a tu re m ay be a t h e r loveliest, are reg u la rly used fo r out-of-door ex ercise. I t goes w ithout saying th a t very h a rd w o rk cannot be done eith er on rocks o r snow while reliance m ust be placed on m oonlight o r la n te rn light, but the approach, lasting fro m tw o to five hours, to th a t p a r t o f the climb which is to test one’s pow ers is n ot as a rule difficult. O n the contrary, it will o ften be across a sm ooth glacier, o r over snowfields w ith an easy incline, and alm ost alw ays one is su rro u n d ed by and com ing n e a re r to peaks w hich lose nothing o f th e ir magnificence as seen on a clear night.
T H E S U M M I T O r T H E L A T T E R IS I M M E D I A T E L Y U N D E R T H E C R O S S
A nd when, in addition, it happens th a t the splendid snow m oun tains o f these regions are b a th e d in m oonlight, I doubt w hether th ere exists a m ore beautiful scene in natu re, o r a fo rm o f ex ercise m ore fascinating and exhilarating th an th a t o f w alking at such a tim e and in such a place.
Substantially these conditions existed at the beginning o f the w alk we w ere tak in g on this occasion. O n ou r rig h t was the picturesque A iguille V erte w ith its splendid, ru g g ed ridges known as Les D ro ite s and Les C ourtes, on ou r le ft the A iguille du C h a rd o n n e t; and as we proceeded up the G lacier d ’A rgentière th ere came into view its w onderful am p h ith eatre w hich vies in beauty w ith the scenery a t the end o f the M e r de Glace. A s we appro ach ed the junction o f the G lacier du C h ard o n n et and the G lacier d ’A rgentière we crossed the la tte r to the left and, ascend ing the m oraine o f the form er, stopped a t 4.30 fo r a light b re a k fast, sta rtin g again at 5 up snowfields which led us n e a r to the fo o t o f o u r peak. A t 7.15 we believed th a t we w ould be a t the sum m it in an hour and a q u a rte r; we did not, how ever, reach it until 10, fo r we soon came to rocks which, like those on Pollux, h a d been p ut into very bad condition th ro u g h fre sh snow. A scending these we reached a shoulder o f snow a t th e fo o t o f the final pyram id, w here a n o th e r unpleasant surprise aw aited us. T h e sum m it was not over 300 feet above us, b ut the ro u te to it was over ice, and fo r m ore th an an h o u r the guides w ere engaged in the slow process o f cutting steps up a slope so steep th a t it w as necessary in addition to cut holes fo r th e hands. In retu rn in g we went down this slope w ith o ur faces to it— “ à reculons," as the F rench say.
M eanw hile the w eather, which h a d begun well, was changing rapidly, and as we a rriv ed on ou r peak it becam e enveloped in fog, a m ost discouraging circum stance, especially as we w ere at an elevation o f nearly 13,000 feet. F o rtu n a te ly it lifte d fo r a few m inutes, so th a t we had at least a glim pse o f the m arvelous scenery to the south to w ard s M t. D o len t and the adjoining jag g e d peaks, whose steep, fu rro w e d rocks, stre a k ed w ith snow, presented an appearance alm ost fantastic. I t was sad th a t we w ere to see so little o f this scenery, but the skies w ere getting black, and at any m om ent we m ight find ourselves in the m idst
o f a storm . W e, th e re fo re , proceeded to descend as fast as was p ru d en t and w ere off the m ountain p ro p e r by i o ’clock. W ith out fu rth e r incident w o rth y o f note we reached th e V alley of C ham onix a t 4.15, h aving been out approxim ately fifteen hours, o f which th irte e n and one-half w ere spent in w alking. I w ent to bed early but was soon aw akened by a violent th u n d ersto rm . I t was indeed fo rtu n a te fo r us th a t it h a d re fra in e d fro m b re a k ing until a fte r ou r excursion— in every w ay a m ost interesting one— was over.
C O L D E T A L È F R E
N ex t day, T uesd ay , A ugust 19, I w ent to M o n ta n v e rt, a sta rtin g point fo r num erous fine excursions, but th a t and the fol low ing day it rain e d and rained, and all was gloom am ongst the clim bers th ere assem bled. I t is, how ever, alw ays d a rk e st b efore daw n, and the daw n came, tem p o rarily at least, on T h u rsd ay , A ugust 21, in the shape o f very fine w eather. B ut the new snow h a d ren d ered the best rock climbs impossible fo r the p res ent, and this seem ed em inently the tim e fo r me to cross one of the snow passes leading fro m the M e r de Glace, o r its trib u taries, into Ita ly and incidentally visit the village o f C ourm ayeur, charm ingly situated on the southerly side o f M o n t Blanc. H a v ing h e re to fo re crossed the Col du G éant (th e pass usually ta k e n ) , I chose the Col de T a lè fre . L eaving M o n ta n v e rt we p ro ceeded a certain distance up the M e r de Glace, th en tu rn in g to the le ft clim bed some rocks, reaching in th re e hours the C ouvercle hut, w here we spent T h u rs d a y night. O n the way we w ere s ta rtle d by a loud noise, the result o f the sudden col lapse o f several ice tow ers o f an adjoining glacier, w eighing hundreds o f tons. A sim ilar occurrence on the B renva G lacier in Ita ly h a d a w eek b efo re occasioned the d eath o f an u n fo rtu n ate p o rte r.
T h e C ouvercle is situated on the slopes o f the A iguille du M oine at an elevation o f about 9,000 feet in im m ediate p ro x im ity to some o f th e best scenery in the A lps, the dom inant peaks being M o n t Blanc (w hich in my opinion presents a finer ap pearance fro m this, its easterly side, th a n any o th e r ) , the G randes Jo ra sse s and the A iguille V erte, w ith its splendid con
tinuing ridges alread y re fe rre d to, Les D ro ite s and L es C ourtes. In w h atev er direction the eye turned, it m et an im pressive sight. T h e sunset was a splendid one and th en came tw ilight follow ed by b rillia n t m oonlight. Scenes o f this so rt to be ap p reciated m ust be witnessed, fo r in beauty they f a r exceed anything th a t m ay be im agined by those n o t acquainted w ith th em ; and how ever glorious these m ountains m ay be by day, yet he who has not seen them also by m oonlight knows b ut a p a rt o f th e ir splendor.
Once b e fo re I h a d spent a night at the C ouvercle, nam ely in 1889, w hen I climbed the A iguille V erte, but th en th e re w as no hut, only a g re a t o verhanging rock u n d e r w hich we slept— o r trie d to sleep. N o w we found a sm all but co m fortable hut w hich on the night o f A ugust 21 sh eltered several p a rties of clim bers. I re tire d last and h a d my m attress placed on the floor o f the ante-cham ber w here I could control the ventilation. T h o u g h the a ir w ithout w as crisp, yet the d o o r rem ained open a bit du rin g the night and thus we slept soundly until 3 o ’clock, w hen we arose and b rea k fa ste d . A n h o u r la te r we w ent out into a scene o f g re a t beauty and began ou r climb as m oonlight w as giving w ay to early daw n. W h e n in 1889 we sta rte d fro m the C ouvercle fo r the A iguille V erte, we h a d a very h a rd day b e fo re us, the event o f w hich rem ained uncertain until h a lf an h o u r b e fo re we reached the summ it, fo r the m ountain p ro v ed to be an extrem ely difficult and dangerous one, n o r w as I surprised to le a rn th a t in some o f the succeeding years, including this one, it could not be climbed at all. T o -d a y ’s excursion w as o f a to ta lly different ch aracter, and we w ere alm ost certain to accom plish it w ith relative ease.
T h e Col de T a lè fre , as seen in the distance, resem bles a tall, n a rro w strip o f snow betw een the Aiguilles de T a lè fre and de T rio le t. T h e w alk to the fo o t o f it w as a b eautiful one over g rad u ally rising snowfields, and as the sky was cloudless I was again enabled to witness one o f those w o n derful sunrises which can be seen only at high altitudes. N o difficulties w h atev er w ere encountered until we w ere about 300 feet below the top o f the pass, when the fresh snow on the final slopes gave us som e trouble, as it h a d several tim es elsew here e a rlie r in the
season, an d we w ere an h o u r covering this sh o rt distance. O n the sum m it, which we reached a t 7.40, a m agnificent view o f “ Sunny Ita ly ” suddenly b u rst upon us, and w ith it also a very ra p id increase in the tem p e ra tu re , which rose fro m below the fre e z in g point to 70 degrees, o r th ereab o u ts. W e rea liz e d at once th a t the h e a t o f the sun on the Ita lia n side w as alread y playing havoc w ith the snow slopes which we w ere to descend, and as th ey contained m any hidden crevasses, we felt th a t we could n ot attack them too soon, so we le ft a t once, and until 10.30 w ere struggling w ith ra th e r try in g conditions. W e con stantly sank deep into the snow, an d w ere com pelled to spend much tim e in dodging and circum venting a num ber o f those deep fissures o f which T y n d a ll has so rightly said th a t “ to be killed in the open a ir w ould be a luxury com pared w ith having the life squeezed out o f one in the h o rrib le gloom o f these chasm s.” N o t until 10.30, w hen we w ere off the snow, did we sit dow n fo r o u r first m eal since 3.30 a. m. U su ally one p a rta k e s o f food every th re e o r fo u r h o u rs; to om it doing so fo r seven hours is against the rules o f the gam e and the longings o f natu re, but som etim es, as here, it becomes necessary to suffer awhile fro m h u nger in the interest o f safety. W e w ere w alking till about 2, w hen we came to the h ig h ro a d leading dow n the V al F e rris, whence we drove in a c a rt to C ourm ayeur. A lm ost o ur last act w as to w ade a w aist-deep glacial stream which the fre sh snows had converted into a to rre n t.
I t was o ur plan to s ta rt the follow ing day fo r M o n t Blanc and ascend it fro m the Ita lia n side by the M ia g e G lacier. All arran g em en ts w ere m ade accordingly, but the w e a th er again p ut in its veto and com pelled us to take tw enty-four hours o f rest we did not feel we required. T h e y did not, how ever, pass at all unpleasantly. C ourm ayeur is beautifully located and is, fu r th erm o re, only twenty-five miles d istan t fro m the interesting tow n o f A osta, and since an excellent autom obile service exists betw een the tw o places, I was able to spend the a fte rn o o n visit ing R om an ruins, enjoying, incidentally, delightful rides down and up the valley. T h e dust on the h ig h ro a d w as laid by lab o re rs splashing w a te r on it fro m a g u tte r by m eans o f spades w ith long handles. C ourm ayeur possesses an excellent hotel,
also the usual long, n a rro w street, closely lined w ith shops of every description. A m ongst the articles fo r sale I noticed “ E lix ir L a B ren v a,” nam ed a fte r the glacier, regardless o f the fact th a t the Brenva route to the sum m it o f M o n t Blanc is one o f the deadliest in the A lps and h a d only the previous week claim ed a n o th e r victim. H ig h heels and hobble skirts w ere m uch in evidence in this prim itive Ita lia n village, n o r w as th e ir use con fined to the sum m er visitors. T h e hours subsequent to 12 noon w ere designated by the num bers 13 to 24 fo r all a p p a re n t p u r poses except to indicate the tim es o f m eals ; but in this age o f pro g ress C ourm ayeur m ay yet have 13 o ’clock lunch, 17 o ’clock tea and 20 o ’clock dinner.
C O L D U M O N T T O N D U
T h e second day a fte r ou r a rriv a l in C ourm ayeur we le ft it fo r the M iag e G lacier w ith a view to ascending M o n t Blanc the next day. B ut again we w ere balked by the w eather, which grew so b a d to w a rd s a fte rn o o n th a t it w ould have been sheer folly to continue in the direction o f a g re a t peak. W e, th e re fo re , changed ou r plans and a rra n g e d to re tu rn to Cham onix via the V al de la Seigne and the Col du M o n t T o n d u , spending th a t night at a m ountain inn called L es M o tets. S tationed n e a r it w ere several com panies o f the C hasseurs A lpins o f the French A rm y, soldiers o f fine appearance. O ne o f my guides h a d served w ith them th ree years and he h a d some things o f interest to relate concerning them . T h e inn w as well filled w ith guests, am ongst them a F renchm an and a G erm an who, being seated at the same table, agreed to “ split” a bottle o f vin o rdinaire, th ere being no h a lf bottles. As the F renchm an was an ex-officer, T th o ught the tran sactio n not w ithout interest.
E a rly on the m orning o f A ugust 25 we le ft Les M o te ts fo r the Col du M o n t T ondu, the to p o f which we reached in th ree and a h a lf hours o f easy w alking. F ro m here we looked down oil the o th e r side upon the g re a t T ré-la-T ête G lacier, which I h a d never seen b efo re. T h e n descending to it, we crossed it and reached Contam ines th re e hours late r. W e proceeded thence to St. G ervais and C ham onix and upon arriv in g at the last nam ed place had, incidentally, com pleted the to u r o f M o n t Blanc.
M O N T B L A N C
I h a d clim bed M o n t Blanc in 1881 a n d recently conceived a desire to revisit it. T h e re a re som e w ho dispose o f the ascent o f this g re a t m ountain by re fe rrin g to it as a long, tedious w alk o v e r snow fields. I do n o t sh are this view. T h e w alk is a long one, but to m e it is f a r fro m tedious, p ro v id e d alw ays one be in fit physical condition to u n d ertak e it. T h a t perso n h as my sym pathy w ho is unable to derive keen enjoym ent fro m close acquaintance w ith this m agnificent m ountain, o f the v a st ness and beauty o f w hose snow fields one cannot obtain a correct conception fro m below. T h e question is o fte n asked w h ether the ascent o f M o n t Blanc is h a rd o r easy, but the answ er depends larg e ly on th e w e a th er conditions and the stre n g th an d experi ence o f the climbing p a rty . G iven go o d w eather, it m ay offer no serious difficulties; but the w e a th er is o fte n bad, and th en by reaso n o f its altitude and size, it m ay become a place o f g re a t d an g er. T h e m ountain has a long d e a th ro ll to its credit, fo r a g re a t m any who have no re a l in terest in o r know ledge of m ountaineering are nevertheless tem p ted to climb it m erely be cause it is the highest m ountain in E u ro p e , an d w here such people, being led by in fe rio r guides (alw ays p le n tifu l), a re o vertaken by a furious storm , it need cause no su rprise if they come to g rief.
W e spent th e nig h t preceding the climb a t the usual point, nam ely, the G ran d s M ulets, splendidly situated at a h eig h t o f ov er 10,000 feet in the m idst o f snow and ice, reaching it in five and one-half ho u rs fro m C ham onix a n d arriv in g in tim e to enjoy the a fte rn o o n and evening views fro m o u r lo fty position. A valanches w ere very freq u en t this y e a r an d we w itnessed two o f th e first o rd e r. T h e first, fro m th e G lacier des Bossons, strew ed th e p a th below th e P ie rre P ointue w ith g re a t blocks o f ice, and w ould have b ro u g h t d eath to anyone using it a t th a t tim e. T h e o th er, lasting several m inutes, resem bled a splendid w a te rfa ll, about 4 0 0 feet high and fifty feet wide.
N e x t m orning we le ft the G ran d s M u lets at 1.30 a. m., and reached the sum m it seven ho u rs la te r. O f this tim e we w ere w alking about six and o n e-quarter hours. T h e condition o f the
M o n t B la n c fr o m n e a r t h e C o n v e r c l e H u t
snow w as n o t p a rticu la rly good, but n e ith e r w as it bad. T h e principal points on the route are : L e P e tit P lateau , L e G ra n d P lateau , L a C ôte du D ôm e, L e Col du D ôm e, L es Bosses, L a M au v aise A rête, L a Côte de la T o u rn e tte , L a C ulotte and the Summit. P e rh a p s the route m ay be roughly described by saying th a t tw o-thirds o f it (to the Col du D ôm e) is principally over steep, b ro a d surfaces o f snow, either those leading to the p la teaus, o r the plateaus them selves, w hile the rem aining th ird is principally along ridges o f snow o r ice. W e experienced all sorts o f w eather. B etw een 3.30 and 4 a. m., on the G ra n d P lateau , we w ere in a snow storm which th re a te n e d at one tim e to ren d e r fu rth e r p rogress im possible, but we p ersisted and obtained ou r re w a rd in the shape o f clear skies la te r. A t 6 o ’clock, the w e a th er having changed, it came on to blow stro n g and cold fro m the n o rth , and the last two hours o f the ascent w ere m ade in a w ind w ith a velocity o f 30 to 40 miles an h o u r and w ith a tem p e ra tu re well below fre e z in g ; which conditions, taken in connec tion w ith the ra rity o f the a ir above 14,000 feet, ren d e re d the last p a r t o f the climb a very chilly affair. Once on the summ it, we w ere at a height o f nearly 16,000 feet above sea level and 8,000 feet above the line o f p erp etu al snow ; and so clear was the atm osphere th a t we rem ained th e re h a lf an hour, n o tw ith standing the cold, to enjoy th e w onderful scene which w as sp read out b e fo re us. T h e n , descending, we reached the G ran d s M ulets at 11.30 and C ham onix some th re e hours late r.
A I G U I L L E D E S G R A N D E S C H A R M O Z
T h e re a re no peaks in the w o rld affording b e tte r rock climbing th a n some o f the “ aiguilles” about Cham onix, and few afford as good. A m ong such aiguilles m ay be m entioned the tw o points o f the D ru , the G répon, the R equin and the G randes C h arm o z. T h e ir rocks are firm and offer passages about as difficult as it is possible fo r hum an beings to ascend o r descend w ithout artificial a id ; indeed, to the uninitiated some o f the places which w ith care and effort m ay nevertheless be scaled m ust o fte n seem quite inaccessible. T h e joy a n d satisfaction o f such climbing a re v ery g rea t, and those who have once indulged in it alm ost invariably re tu rn to it. P eaks o f the ch a ra c te r m en
tioned can be climbed only un d er fav o rab le conditions. Above all, the rocks m ust be free fro m snow, fo r its presence n o t only m akes them slippery but ren d ers it difficult o r impossible to find, o r w hen found to use, the h a n d and foot-holds.
T h e G ran d es C h a rm o z a re one o f the several splendid aiguilles w ith num erous sh arp and jag g e d sum m its which fo rm the w esterly b o undary o f the M e r de Glace. W ith a view to its ascent we slept a t M o n ta n v e rt (a lre a d y re fe rre d to ) the day a fte r clim bing M o n t Blanc, leaving it a t about 2 a. m. on the follow ing day, F rid ay , A ugust 29. W e proceeded fo r th re e and a h a lf hours w ithout h alt, except to ad just the rope upon reaching the ice, and w ere then a t the point know n as the “ R o g n on,” well up on the G lacier de N an tillo n , w here we b rea k fasted. T h e w e a th er could n ot have been b etter, and fro m the R ognon we w alked rap id ly up and across th e snow above this glacier, until we w ere a t the fo o t o f the long couloir which leads to the depression betw een the C h arm o z and the G répon. T h e re o u r knapsacks w ere deposited, as well as tw o o f the th re e ice-axes, fo r some very h a rd rock w o rk lay b e fo re us and we w ished to be burd en ed w ith nothing th a t w as n o t indispensable. W e placed a sm all am ount o f fo o d in o u r pockets. A fte r ascending th e couloir fo r th ree-q u arters o f an h o u r we tu rn ed sh arp ly to the le ft (th e G rép o n lying to the rig h t) and w ere soon th e re a fte r at close q u a rte rs w ith rocks w hich afforded us splendid clim bing fo r about an hour. A t one point we found ourselves face to face w ith an exceedingly steep and n a rro w gully, o r chimney, about tw enty feet high, which it w as necessary to ascend by the sides, w here the holds w ere few and aw kw ardly situated. A p a rt o f the distance th ere was a small crack. In the course o f this bit o f climbing one has to grip w ith the knees surfaces a t a wide angle and, rising, th ro w oneself quickly and a d ro itly to the rig h t and th ere secure a new hold h igher up. T h e effort involved in surm ounting such an obstacle as this chim ney is v ery g re a t and alm ost certain to leave one blown and rea d y to pause fo r a m om ent. T h e highest summ it, called th e G ra n d e P ointe, w as reached first, and we found the top o f it to be a v ery sm all spot, w ith precipices in several directions. B ut the rocks w ere secure, and we rem ained several m inutes to
Ai g u i l l e d e s Gr a n d e s Ch a r m o z
enjoy the b eautiful view and o th e r in teresting featu res o f the scene about us.
T h e ro p e h a d been playing an im p o rta n t p a rt in o u r climb ing, as it does in every ascent o f any m agnitude, w h eth er on snow o r on rocks, and a w o rd here as to its p ro p e r function will not be out o f place. Its use on snow is readily explained. W ith th re e on the rope, if one o f th e p a rty b re a k th ro u g h th e surface, the oth ers can p rev en t him fro m disap p earin g very fa r. W h e re a s any one, how ever careful, m ay b rea k th ro u g h the snow, the g o o d clim ber will rarely, if ever, slip on rocks which he has once d eterm ined a re fit to be climbed. A n d yet even in the case o f such clim bers the presence o f the ro p e is indispensable as a m eans o f steadying them and furnishing them w ith th e m o ral courage o r su p p o rt necessary to enable them to atta ck difficult places. T h e question m ay be asked w h eth er in the unlikely event o f a slip the ro p e can be m ade to g u a rd ag ain st its con sequences. T h e answ er is th a t usually it can, p ro v id e d it be used w ith intelligence and skill; fo r a t difficult places only one m em ber o f th e p a rty will advance a t a tim e, and b e fo re he advances at least one o f the oth ers will lodge him self in a secure position and, if possible, double the ro p e a ro u n d a firm knob o f rock.
In connection w ith w h at is said h e re it m ust be rem em bered th a t only expert clim bers can w ith safety u n d ertak e to scale rocks which presen t difficulties o f the first o rd er, and each m em ber o f the p a rty should have full confidence in the ability o f each o f the oth ers n o t only to climb w ithout slipping, but also to re n d e r some assistance if the unexpected slip actually h ap p en ; and w hen the p a rty is so constituted serious accident is a m a tte r o f very ra re occurrence. H e w ho finds him self req u irin g much active assistance fro m the ro p e on rocks should rem ain below, fo r it is n o t the province o f the ro p e to enable th e incom petent to be d ra g g e d up peaks. B ut th e re a re instances w here assistance is as p ro p e r as it is necessary, as w hen an alm ost perp en d icu lar w all is m et, w ith no cracks o r holds and considerably h igher th a n th e reach o f the lead er. H e m ay be able to ascend it only by first placing him self on the shoulders o f th e second m an and
so on. O bviously in such a case the last m an m ust haul him self up by the rope, o r be hauled up by it.
T h e really serious w o rk o f the day came a fte r leaving the G ra n d e P ointe, fo r we h a d set ourselves the task o f trav ersin g , o r crossing, th e five principal sum m its o f the C h arm o z. T h e next one is know n as B âton W ils. B efo re reaching it we h a d to pass an extrem ely n a rro w shelf w ith a long d ro p (w here anything resem bling dizziness w ould have been entirely out o f place) an d scale a n o th e r difficult chimney. B oulders and stones at g re a t heights in th e A lps a re usually found placed upon each o th e r in a m an n er m ost e x tra o rd in a ry an d perplexing to the clim ber; w hy th e re should be few er h a n d and foot-holds at these lo fty elevations th a n low er down, I do n o t know . A t a la te r p o in t o f th e climb we came to tw o rocks, one know n as the P a s C arré, w hich could not be crossed and h a d to be tu rn e d by th e ir steep, rec tan g u la r corners to the left. N e ith e r o f these corners w as inviting, fo r th e re was no place to put the feet except w here the rocks curved slightly ou tw ard s n e a r th e ir base (a n d even th en one could g rip only w ith th e tips o f the b o o ts), while the depths below w ere considerable. B efore it was deem ed safe to pass either, the second rope w as so ad ju sted a ro u n d firm knobs o f rock as to serve as w h a t the guides term ed a “ ram p e ” (literally , h a n d ra il) in the event o f a slip, o f which, how ever, no one w as guilty.
T hus, f o r about tw o hours we enjoyed w h at m ay be fairly te rm e d severe clim bing betw een five o f the sum m its o f this in teresting aiguille. F o rtu n a te ly the w e a th er continued fine. I t was w arm and clear and th e re was not a b re a th o f wind. W e le ft the m ountain by w ay o f the fifth peak, fro m w hich we de scended directly, encountering in the course o f this descent a num ber o f b a d gullies w ith steep, sm ooth sides. D ow n th re e o f them it was im possible to go except w ith the use o f the second rope, w hich in each instance w as carefully ad ju sted a ro u n d a knob o f rock at the top, so th a t it could be w ith d raw n by the last m an. W e reg ain ed the snow a t the point w here we had le ft the knapsacks and ice-axes, and once on it rea liz e d th a t we w ould have to m ake haste, fo r it was very w arm and some th ree h u n d red feet o f the route w ere likely at any m om ent to be swept
by avalanches fro m the steep glacier which came down fro m the A iguille de la B laitière. A cross this space we h u rrie d in double quick step and w ithout fu rth e r incident reached the R ognon at
1.30 and M o n ta n v e rt at 4. T h e climb p ro v ed to be one o f the best and m ost exciting I have ever enjoyed and also the last one o f this my fifteenth season in the Alps.
