Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-11-21
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CROSSING A GLACIER.
An Ellsworth Boys Experience among
the Alps.
Written for THE AMERICANA

There were two of us, my friend and l.
tramps abroad, and we were about to
cross our first glacier. At Aosta, in
Italy, we engaged our guide and from
there went by rail to Chstillon. 1t was
one of the hottest days in July, and after
a rest after dinner we began the long
walk up the mountains to Valtournanche
picturesquelysitu village at the
foot of the Matterhorn.
At Naltournanche, which is at an al
titude of about 5000 feet, we spent the
night. The next morning we began the
ascent of the Theodue Pass, which
crosses the central part of the Mont
Blanc chain near the Matterhorn. The
weather was unfavorable, being very thick
and rainy, but it cleared in the afternoon,
when we had a splendid view of the
snow-covered peaks of the Matterhorn,
the Breithorn and Monte Rosa.
We left the inn at about I o'clock,
after walking for perhaps two hours we
struck an extensive now-tield, along
| which we walked for an hour and half,
making slow progress, for the snow was
slippery and soft, affording a precarious
! lootuoiu' ne log, w ulCu Snut OuJ lLe
sun, was very thick, and the brisk wind
blew as cold as any we have in winter;
| it penetrated through all my clothing,
notwit hstanding thick sweater which l
wore, and | was chilled to the bones. My
feet were wet and very cold, besides | had
not taken the precaution to grease my
shoes properly.
ftpr pf no oSt
fatiguing walks l ever had we reached
the summit of the pass, which is 10000
feet above the level of the sea. Here we
found what is called in the guide-book
an inn, but what in reality is nothing
but small wooden shanty. But we were
| glad of even this meagre protection, for
the wind was now blowing a gale, and
was very cold.
We were shown into little room with
q small stove in one corner, in which
small wood fire was burning. Being
chilled through the fire was none too
warm, and as we huddled over the blaze
we talked over the mornings walk and
the prospect for good view.
After lunch, which proved, by the way,
/ the most expensive it has been our mis-
/ fortune to partake of, we prepared to
cross the glacier proper. Our guide here
brought into use the rope which he had
! been carrying over his shoulder for miles.
He fastened it around our bodies, under
the arms, wit about fifteen feet between
each person.
We started out in fine spirits, the guide
leading he way, with his ice-aXe in his
hand. The weather had moderated a
little, though it was still quite cloudy,
and presently we enjoyed the unique eX-
perienee of being in a snow squall in the
middle of July. The wind blew in titful
gusts, which occasionally brought furries
of snow; the flakes were hard and round,
almost hail, and my face tingled as they
struck its exposed parts.
We pressed on, the guide now and then
stopping to sound treacherous-lookin
places in the snow with his ice-axe We
found, however, practically no difficulty
in going over this part of the glacier, and
after crossing a ledge of rock where we
reached the end of the snowteld, we
descended about 300 feet to the edge of the
great Corner glacier, which is composed
of six small glaciers.
We crawled up the smooth rounded
mound-or rather hil-Of ice, from which
we had a splendid view of the glacier.
On our right were the six branches eX-
tending far up the mountain sides; before
us were the combined rivers of ice in all
their magniticence, winding down below
US in one broad sweep. The ice with its
beautiful blue tinge, which gradually
faded out into the white snow at the
edges of the glacier, the frowning rocks
thrown up in confused heaps at the lat
eral moraines, the mountains, snoW-cap-
ped in the distance, and the beautiful
green valley almost at our fetal these
produced one of the prettiest pictures of
Alpine scenery imaginable.
We experienced no difficulty until al
most across the glacier Then we came
to some steep crevasses. The ice was
cracked in long and deep-jagged assures,
perpendicularly The assures We're irreg-
ularly made, the sides being at almost
every conceivable angle.
Here the guide brought his lce-axe into
use. We were obliged to go down the
side of an ice pyramid, in which the guide
cut steps for about twenty feet, and jump
across a chasm four feet wide. We did
this with apparent ease, though confess
it was rat her ticklish work for me. From
here we soon reached land, and in about
half an hour arrived at Hotel Riffelalf
near the summit of the Gornergrat,
where we spent the night.