The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-23
WILL SCALE S0RATA.
Miss Peck's Preparations to
Climb, Bolivia's Mountain.

Climb, Bolivia's Mountain.
THE HIGHEST PEAK IN AMERICA.
Professor Pickering Believes the
Mountain IL Twenty-Five Thousand
rect HiRh-sir Martin Conway At
tempted to Reach Its summit, but
Failed-Famous Swiss Guide One Of
the Expedition. '
Miss Annie s. Peck is a nervy little
American woman Of lofty ambitions.
She also holds the worlds record, for
women at least, as a mountain climber.
Not satisfied with climbing the highest
mountain in North America, Mount
'Orizaba In Mexico, she Is o going to
try to scale the highest mountain in
South America. Mount Sorata. says the
Boston Globe.
Miss Peck arrived In Boston recently
from New York and is completing ar
rangements for her expedition to South
America, which will leave New York
June 16. The expedition will consist
Of herself. Dr. w. G. Tight of the Uni
versity of New Mexico and two Swiss
guides. One of them is the famous
Antoine Maquignaz.
In a conversation with Miss Peck she
said she had climbed the Matterhorn
and several other mountains in Europe,
Mount Orizaba, Mount P~opocatepetl
and Mount Toluca in Mexico, Mount
Shasta in Washington. Clouds Rest in
the Yosemite, and she makes the as
founding statement that she crossed
the Presidential range in the White
mountains in one day.
The task which she has set herself
this time, however. promises to eclipse
all of her former efforts in mountain
climbing. She proposes to scale Mount
S0rata in Bolivia. which is said to be
$4,000 feet above sea level. making 1t
the highest peak on the American con-
tinent SO far discovered.
Miss Peck says Professor Pickering
Of Harvard. who established the as
Economical observatory at Arequipa.
Peru. which is about 200 miles from
Mount Sorata. believes the mountain
to be 25.000 feet high. although the
mountain has never been triangulated
OF measured. Sir Martin Conway. a IA
nous English mountain climber. at
tempted to reach the summit Of 'Sorata
several years ago. but failed. Miss
po0ly fools r0ra1npf $hot cho will
coed. as the season will be more favor
able when she will attempt it than
when Sir Martin Conway attempted it.
She will undertake it in the dry season,
while he made his attempt during the
wet season.
Miss Peck expects to arrive at Mol
1endo. a Peruvian port. by July IL.
She will go by rail to Arequipa, where
she will spend some days examining
the Harvard observatory there and
get all the information she can about
Mount Sorata. She will visit Ell Misti.
where Professor s. @. Bailey of Con-
cord, N. H.. has established the lof-
test meteorological station in the
world. 10000 feet above sea level.
Here she expects to get much in
formation in regard to weather condi-
lions which will be Of value to her.
She expects to spend u week on the
summit of Ell Misti.
She will 90 by rail to Lake Titicaca,
which is the highest lake in the world.
at an altitude of 10000 feet. She
crosses Titicaca in a steamer and
then begins the journey on horseback
with the camping outfit to Mount So
rata. about eighty miles north. She
proposes to take some Indians who
know the country into the expedition
at this point.
mountain is reached it is probable that
an altitude of $4,000 feet will already
have been attained. so that will leave
about 1900 feet to climb. Miss Peck
says she proposes to do about 1000
feet a day until the snow line is
reached. which is about 5000 feet. she
understands, from the summit. Each
day observations and photographs will
be taken by herself and Professor
Tight. who is an all round scientist.
Miss Peck will confine her attention
largely to Photographic work and
barometric observations. She has had
a special barometer made for the pur-
pose. Professor Tight will look after
the geology, topography. fauna and
fora and other things.
When the snow line is reached, a
camp will be pitched and a favorable
opportunity awaited to make a dash
for the summit. This she hopes to &C
complish in one day and return to
camp. She also hopes that the noun
tain will not prove to be 25,OOO feet
h}rh .-. -..4