River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-10-22
RIDING AN AVALANCHE.
A Survivor Recounts the Thrilling
and Awful Sensations.

WHICH COtttt INTO tNtTY
taineer's experience. The sardine sup
per or the snowstorm which lasts for
two days may not happen to every
body, but there are, at any rate-com-
mon to all who climb-the start by
lamplight and the consequent use of
bad language over broken shins Such
experiences everyone has TO go through.
Further on. each mountain has its own
characteristics. There may be a sue
cession of glorious rock climbs. or a
few hours step-cutting across an ice
,OuL0ir, or over the top of a hard drete.
In this respect an infinite variety is
presented to the climber; but after
all, every peak has to be conquered by
steady work with head, foot and arm.
But with regard TO the descent. as /
have said before, there is a variety of
ways A man may come down with
the aid of his rope and his own strong
limbs. He may unceremoniously be
bundled off his ledge and come down a
few Thousand feet lower-certainly
without stop, but, to say the least of
L, in rather a dilapidated condition.
He may, too. find himself obliged to
descend with unnecessary velocity by a
brute of a stone that detaches itself
from above and plunges its way-with
him as a comprehensive the glacier
below. Then there is the hardly less
pleasant mGniere do deScendre when he
finds the snow through which he is
plunging suddenly loosen itself and go
rolling and roaring into the depths be-
low. bearing on its crest or in it's midst
81 4, h.. hoI kas
feet upon its treacherous surface. This
last has been my experience, and,
though certainly not unique, is uncom-
mon enough for relation.
1t was some time ago that found
myself in company with two friends at
that pleasant and agreeable mountain
eering center - Grindelwald. Sur
rounded by peaks above us, and equally
surrounded by heavily -booted noun
taineers, it was small wonder that we
soon fell into the prevailing enthu-
Siasm, and were not satisfied until we
had engaged our guides and made all
arrangements for the ascent of the
Wetterhorn-that mountain that is
to the mountaineer what Caesars
Gallo war is to the classic. The
NCdAhCl Wa OftN- Ot ~
doubt about that. But guides have a
vivid imagination, and ours saw in the
sky indications of fine weather that,
must confess, none of us could per-
ceive. But it mattered little to us as
long as our bearded conductors
thought we mig hit make start. They
said that it might ''go" lit" was the
mountain, not the weather-and so we
went too.
Arrived at the Gleckstein hut. the
same weather prevailed. Dark clouds,
smart showers every now and again,
and in the far distance "A flash or two
of lightning, did not make us much
easier in our minds. | had already, a
year before, gained the summit of the
Wetterhorn, and so had not the same
anxiety and eagerness as my comrades
to mount in spite of wind and weather.
But the young are proverbially foolish.
and at four the next morning we were
all off in the highest state of joy and
excitement, having made the single
proviso that we should not mount by
the eoulOir, which in that weather
would have been particularly danger
Gus.
1t was uninteresting work, the tramp
from the hut to the first snow. Now
and again the clouds cleared a way and
discovered Grindwald already CAV
with its fiags-for the railway was to
be opened that day. But such glimpses
were few and far between. Nothing
but the black mist and the oozy grass
could be seen. Sometimes the leading
\ I FL =.
our shins against projecting rocks, or
utter deep curse at the weather. But
we-as obedient as Ulysses crew
plodded on without word, and looked
in vain for the promised change in the
lddened blaclness of the mist But
not rift appeared in the enveloping
pail continued and monotonous
darkness was around us, and when we
were roped together wei speak for
ourselves and not our guides. of course
had no more idea of where we were
than a benighted Englishman on a
Scotch moor.
Our intention had been to traverse"
the mountain and descend on Rosenlani,
and so when we came to a kind of ice
fall our head guide did not cut very big
steps, but simply satisfied himself with
providing us with footholds sufficient
for the ascent. This work of cutting
steps was long. The PARTICLES of ice that
were flying from the ice AK of the
guide were most ingenious in finding
their way down our necks and dissolv-
ing themselves between our shirts and
our skins. As the guide said himself,
you must be a mountaineer TO really
enjoy such little incidents.
When once we were on the top of
this slope of ice the guides called halt
and we opened the sacks to eat. | no
ticed in one of our sacks stick about
two feet in length, and attached to it a
huge red flag. On inquiry found that
it was intended to do the double duty
of marking the first ascent of the year
as well as that of doing honor to the
fete in Grind elwald, which was being
held that day on the occasion of the
opening of the railway. did not look
upon it with friendly eyes. 1T seemed
to me a bad omen.
With the same impenetrable mist
around us we packed our sacks and con-
tinued our way. Soon we began to hear
the roaring of avalanches all around
us. | consulted the guides, but they
said that the slope up which we had to
go was so slight that 1t was almost i'm
possible to start an avalanche. And
must say that, from my subsequent ex
perience ! should now be of their
opinion Certainly the south wind that
was blowing was making the snow
very soft. and every now and again
small patches would detach them
selves and 90 kissing away for about
twenty yards In fact, so frequent
were the noises of avalanches around
US and the slipping away of these
small patches OF snow at our feet that
familiarity with them made us if not
contemptuous of them-at least very
regardless.
We were plodding on up the slope in
single file. and each one was bewailing
the monotony of it. Now and again
little excitement was obtained by one
of lis dropping into a crevasse and be
ing pulled out again as best we could
manage it. One of these incidents had
lust occurred. and we were again on
our way. when we heard crack and
hiss. and without warning found our
selves rolling and umbling on the crest |
Of an avalanche. / can only speak of |
my own feelings at the time. ! remem- |
Der thinking TO myself: 'Well, we are |
all doBe for now" and at the same time |