Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-03
ON THE MER DE GLACE.
\ THRILLING EXPERIENCE AMONG THE
ALPS
Climbing Steep Cliffs and Slippery Glaciers in ChamOnix
Yausy--The ParilOas Trip Of Two Tourists
Without 4 Guide.


Sam Parterrge and /, as l think | have
mentioned before, resolved to do the Mer
de Glace without a guide This would be
quite easily done if the people OF ChamOniX
didn't feel it their duty to make outsiders
support a lot OF So-called guides. All that
would have to be done would be to put y
signpost or two aIong the road to point the
way to the stranger and stick some stakes
up on the wide ice field of the glacier itself
\ trip across the Mer dc Glae generally
takes about II day; ut least Il person is 50
tired after the eNertiOn that he doesn't care
about making the ascent of Mont Blanc
after he returns. The guides charge ten
frances, and you have to pay rs much more
ifyou take mule with you.
The Chamonix valley is itself 5000 feet
above the sea Ii Is narrow pass, hem
med in by the tallest mountains of switzer-
land. Into this valley enter others, and
down most of these comes river Of ice
called a glacier. The Mer de Glaze is about
4 mile wide, more or less, and has been
compared by imaginative writer's to sud
denly petritied torrent. Being without
guides, we took the wrong road, of course,
and found ourselves on the other side Of
the Mer de Cilace from which travellers
usually cross. They 20 up the Mountain
side, which is next TO the village OF ChamO-
nix, cross over the icy river and 20 down on
Chapeau side. We reversed the order Of
this and so were at some disadvantages.
In a rough board shanty, overlooking the
ice field, sat a Swiss girl selling beer. She
had all the peculiar uglineSS Of her race
and Just closing up the shop rs we bought
the last bottle of beer. We tried TO get
some information rs to the path we were
to take across the ice, but she would give
none. At first the track was very easily
followed. The track was Strewn with
stones on the ice and the road was very
well defined.
Ona high shoulder of the cliff opposite
could be seen the large hotel Of Montanvert.
All there seemed to do was to steer for that
and reach it. The trouble was that in a
very short time it would be dark, for dark
ness comes quickly in the walled-up
ChamOnix valley. After crossing part Of
the glacier where the stones had tumbled
down, we came to the smooth ice Of the
glacier itself The scene was one which
was well worth going miles to see. 1t ap-
peared rs if we were standing in the mid
die of the Niagara rapids above thecataract
looking down the valley OF ice where the
water falls over. About half a mile from
where we stood the glacier suddenly ended,
and vet it was so great depth that Chamo-
nix was probably a mile below Us. The
abrupt ending of the glacier made its re-
Semblance to waterfall very striking and
this was heightend by the clouds Of mist
that rose from the ice cataract, and which
seemed like the spray which rises from the
foot of of the falls. Above the glacier
wound from side to side like huge silver
serpent and finally disappeared in the
mountains, whose tops glittered with ever
lasting snow. A drilling rain had been
falling for some time, and the surface OF
the glacier was sluShy and hard to walk
upon. The chief trouble was the rOughneSS
of its surface and the SteepneSs OF the de-
scents. Down these declivitieS we slip
ped with dangerous rapidity, and once ut
the bottom of these ice valleys u person was
apt to be bewildered and not to know eN-
actly which way to get out. Two or three
times on reachaing the top the hotel at
MOntanvert seemed to have changed SlIieS
of the huge glacier valley. At last the
mist at the edge of the valley became more
dense and finally the stone tavern was
shut out of sight completely. Sam had
been making some remarks about my use
of the alpenstock. He said that l would
never get along in the way was doing.
well, " said |, IF you know so much
about glacier climbing let US see how it Is
done"
We came to one of the very deep ice val
leys, sam took his alpenstOck and placed 1t
ahead of him so that the iron prod stuck IN
the ice, the other end was placed under his
arm, and thus equipped he proposed to
slide down the declivity, the sharp prod oil
the alpenstOck ploughing up the ice IN
front of him. All went well till he was
half way down, when the prod suddenly
stuck in q creyiee of the ice. Sam twisted
around and with the speed of lightning
found himselfat the bottom Of the valley.
As he did not rise felt alarmed and was
about to go to his rescue.
Don't come this way, he cried. Try
some other path and get down TO me as
quick as YOU can, want you"
| walked along the brow of the valley,
and picked my way carefully, got down to
the bottom. Here motion was easier, and
1 worked my way along to Sam. He lay
as stiff as frozen, grasping his alpenstock.
He had come down.across one OF those ter
rible erevices which form the only real
danger of the Mer de Glaze. he was afraid
to move for fear of s5pDing into it
''Just catch hold said,