The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-12-25
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
A FIRST VISIT TO EUROPE.
PAPER No. s.

unenQuraDle even 10r an overnight sOJ0urn, must
one 60 to take carriage for Charmounix. By the
Tete-Noir road one can drive almost the whole of
the way, but to foot it over the Col de Balme for
the sake of the view of Mont Blanc, which this
route affords, the traveller must part with his car
riage at the little town of TRENT, near the north
foot of the Col, with the expectation that it will
await him at the smaller town of LIE Tour, which
hugs the south foot. Before reaching TRENT,
however, there are miles of crawling up steep
and winding road. portion of the great st. Ber-
nard Pass, followed by precipitous descent, dur
ing which we find it so difficult to keep our seat in
the carriage that we wish we had started tramp
from the summit, as many of our companions did.
We manage to get to the foot in safety, however,
and then begin to mount the other side of the
valley au pied, as the French say. This is our
first experience of hard climbing, and we find it
verify tres rapide, in the language of our guide
Mounting one portion of our narrow winding
path we find that we can easily hang our alpen-
stock upon the edge of the part few feet above
US into which we shall turn next; and poor little
heavily panniered donkey just ahead of us looks
like q mammoth fly crawling up wall.
On our left as we mount lies the Glacier de
TRENT, the first of the five monster glaciers-with
three or four minor ones thrown in-that mark the
Mont Blanc range. Three hours of this mildly
diverting exercise brings to the hotel of the Col
de Balme, which adorns the summit Our West
ern rancho huts, from descriptions we have had,
must be palaces compared with this structure. 1t
is but -storied, very irregularly built, most
roughly mortared, and has the roof thickly piled
with stones The few barren rooms unplas-
tered and have such low ceilings that one invol-
UNFAIRLY stoops upon entering. refreshing cup
of coffee, however, braces US for the descent and
partly consoles us for the disappointment of find
ing Mont Blanc completely enveloped in clouds.
We had scarcely dared to hope otherwise, how
ever. These snow mountains under the summer
sun are constantly generating mist about their
heads, even when all the rest of the sky is clear.
The descent is terribly rough, great gulleys
having been washed in the never too regular path,
loose stones affording US in many places our only
dry footing. AS we descend the wind begins to
coquette with the mist-veil about the Aquille Vert
lifting edge just far enough to give tantaizing
glimpses of dazzling white and soothing blue,
then quickly dropping it again. Just as we have
half finished the descent and are beginning to turn
our backs upon her the veil is wholly thrown
aside and the glorious peak stands forth in all her
beauty cloud based temple with dome and
spire of glittering white, such as no quarry on
earth can furnish, and we gaze reverently upon
this cathedral of nature "not made with hands,"
A drive of less than an hour brings us to Cha
mounix, bleak looking little village even in mid
summer. The hotels are crowded, it being quite
the rage for ladies well gentlemen to edo"
all the difficult environs of Mont Blanc if not that
formidable peak itself. Though truth to tell he
One lady during our stay undertook the ascent
seventeen hours in all-nine of foundering after
the snow line is reached-and returned in safety
but we have yet to discover what satisfaction she
could have derived therefrom, as the most favor
able view from the summit embraces only sea of
peaks-distant objects being indistinguishable
even in clearest weather.
The best view of Mont Blanc herself is obtained
from the Brevent, peak opposite to and about
half the height of her majesty. The ascent of the
Brevent by the Flegere-from which latter point
one can look down upon the Mer de Glace and dis
tinguish through q strong telescope travellers on
Mont Blanc-takes seven hours on mules followed
by another hour of climbing up perpendicular
wall, part of which is through "cheminee," the
French call it-a sort of open fue with tiny foot
holds cut in the vertical rock, and with an iron
rod screwed fast to the side sort of balustrade.
We had left Chamounix at five in the morning
and we deserved the glorious sight we obtained of
the great snow dome, without a cloud to obscure
her awful wilderness or to come between her and
that background of wondrcns blue, the unrufaed
drapery of heaven.
Crossing the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) threaten
ed to our Imagination things formidable and sug-
gested Arctic experiences and Polar dangers
Five hours on mules brought US to Montanvers on
its right bank, and half hours slippery tramp
ing landed US on the opposite side. The crevasses
,oere little frightful their CHASTITY parted lips
revealing great green mouths from which came
hollow mutterings, resembling muffled roar, as
we cast stones into their seemingly fathomless
threats.
And now we must descend by the Manvas Pas,
which is like the Cheminee, only "more so.'-
Here in a sheer expanse of perpendicular rock we
find again at regular intervals the tiny footholds
surmounted by the iron balustrade. We swing
ourselves into space as it were, clinging despe-
rately to the rails lest our feet should slip from
their shallow supports. Afew hundred feet of this
is quite enough for and we breathe more freely
as we drop finally upon the mule path below.
The glaciers of this section said to be chang
ing their positions, some advancing, some recedng,
but as their rate of locomoton is something like
two or three feet in century, there need be no
immediate in the minds of the natives as to
the ultimate destination of these moving ice fields
though they do even now stretch far down into
the valleys setting the hideous livid green of
death, which turks in their frozen masses over
against the bright warm green of life which quv-
ers in the grass and trees.
thrilling incident marked our stay in this
section. A traveller up Mont Blanc, roped fast to
his two guides required by law, one before and one
behind, was making his difficult way through the
snow. Presently with an awful cry the rear guide
slipped into treacherous snow-roofed crevasse
and hung suspended. His weight pulled the trav-
eler to the very verge of the frightfu precipice-
Quick as thought the foremost guide thrust his
apensock into the ice and held for life to keep
the three from being precipitated into the terrible
abyss. Hours passed Fortunately just as the
poor guide was giving out, another travelling party
approached. The combined strength of the new
corners was sufficient to draw the others from their
perilous position, and they were saved. The en-
thusiasm of the natives over the brave guide when
the story was published was characteristic of a
French popuace, but heart warming and fitting
| to the minds of all under the circumstances.
NJ. A. G..