Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-09-11
MISS PECK'S GUIDES
Famous Woman Mountain Climb.
er's Experiences With Them.
HER TRIP UP MOUNT S0RATA.
Story Of How Her Faint Hearted Aids
Tried to Brighten Her by Striking
For More Psy-Prime Requirement
For Q Mountain clinber-lsek Of
Confidence Cause Of Most Accidents.

For More Pay-Prime Requirement
For . Mountain clinber-laek Of
Confidence Cause Of Most Accidents.
Miss Annie S. Peck. who astonished
mountain climbers the world over by
announcing recently that she had
climbed $1,000 feet toward the top Of
Mount Huascaran. in the Andes. f.
native Of Providence, X. I. She began
her career as a mountain climber In
1885 while studying In Athens. That
year. with a number Of her friends.
she assembled Hymettus and Pentiii
Gus, and the experience 50 thrilled her
that she became a life convert TO this
form OF sport Miss Peck has been
professor of Latin in Smith college
and has spoken on art and archaeology
before the American Geographical So
ciety. the National Geographical So
ciety and many colleges and institu-
lions all over the country.
Miss Peck's mountain climbing COS
tune comprises n heavy pair Of leather
shoes. with iron nails in the soles and
heels; a heavy knit sweater and a pair
OF mans knickerbockers. Her hat IL
always tied down by veil She car
ries heavy iron pointed stick
One OF Miss Peck's favorite stories
Is OF the time when her guides. becom
ing faint hearted, but not wishing to
show il to a woman, fixed up deal 10
| ask for Increases OF wages so great
that she could not pay them. Then
they struck and refused to climb fur
| Their.
ut was on my trip up Mount Sorata,
In Bolivia" she said. that my guides
struck. With me were two Spanish
Americans and five half breed indians
We pushed up until the 5000 foot limit
was reached and then one of the Span.
ish Amerlcans turned coward and left
| us. then found that the other one
was half wltted The Indians were
| growing discontinued ms we continued
They delighted In telling the story
that those who looked from the sum
NIT turned to stone. They wanted to
| brighten me so ! would not 60 up any
! farther. Nevertheless we went on.
Then at the 1850 foot point the guides
| struck for more pay. | offered then,
double, and even then they were not
satisfied. Then | made IL treble. but
that did not satisfy them. At last they
! refused absolutely to go farther, and
| we had to return. although Within
few hundred feet Of the top. The top
OF Sorata reached 20,JOO feet into the
| clouds.
| "A second attempt, made within
| three months, on this same mountain
/ got me no farther toward the summit
| for the same reasons. The guides quit
| They We're afraid Of something, just
what could never determine. did
want a couple OF good old Swiss guides
You can rely upon them"
| Miss Peck In 1896 delivered an ad,
dress in Infantry hall. Providence. i'm
which she told of the desire born in her
| to climb mountains. which. she said.
came TO her in the early eighties when
she was within sight of the Matter.
horn. She told her story as follows:
! when | first came in sight OF the
summit of the great Matterhorn was
seized with desire to climb to the top
and look out over the great expanse of
earth that knew must be visible FROM
such height. Ever since the day
first looked up at its peaked top in,
tended to climb up there despite the
| fact that people laughed at me when
told them about my desire.
so it was Notwithstanding letters
advising me not to try from many other
mountain climbers of reputation.
went there one day determined to get
to the top, or, rather, to get as near the
very top as it was possible.
II went to Switzerland just for the
purpose Of climbing the Matterhorn.
and. AS you see, l have climbed it and
am back here to tell you about it, But
now maybe you think wasn't afraid
to start. Well, l wasn't exactly afraid.
but tell you was skeptical.
| Before started up the mountain |
picked out the spot where wanted to
be buried provided | was to die on the
trip and my body found. There Is a
| h''S III anu
I told those about me that wanted to
rest there If l was never to return to
my home. Many predecessors were
buried there, mountain climbers who
had been overwhelmed upon the sides
of the great Matterhorn.
'The prime requirement for a sue
cessful mountain climber must be de.
termination. accompanied with strong
heart and physical strength. One must
have good lungs and steady head, and
n person who will become dizzy under
any circumstances should never try to
| climb mountain.
ut is also necessary for a person to
be able to climb for fifteen or eighteen
hours day steadily over the hardest
kind Of climbing one can imagine.
Most of the accidents are due to
lack of confidence or too much con-.
fidence and seldom from anything else.
Folly, Of course, and bravado lose many
lives year, but among the experienced
climbers the accidents are compare.
lively few"