Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-16
EXHAUSTION FOLLOWS
ASCENT OF MONT BLANC
Walter Wodburn Hyde's Description
of Climbers Condition at
the Summit.
Immense Panorama, With Incom
parable View, if One Has ANY
Desire to See IT.

THE heart thumps irregularly, the
pulse goes up to 100, your knees knock
together and Your poor legs seem un-
willing to carry you. Your throat is
parched you feel suffocated. your chest
seems loaded down with a great weight.
and such a feeling of utter exhaustion
This is not a patent medicine adver-
tisement. IT is Walter WOODBURY. Hyde S
description of ones condition on reach
ing the summit of Mont Blanc, Switzer-
land. as written to the National Geo
graphic Society
The air has now become so rare that
even the stoutest guide is compelled to
take breath every few steps" he con-
tinues If you ever saw an asthmatic
man trying to walk up hill while
paroxysm was on him, you can form
some idea of the last part of the ascent.
And what do you think is the first use
made of the glorious view after all
these hours of toll? Do you open your
eyes wide in establishment at the Won
derful sight? BY no means. You shut
them as tight as you can and throw
yourself down on the snow IN utter
WEAKNESS of mind and body. resenting
the impertinence of your guides. who
urge YOU to look about. But it Is too cold
to sleep and soon you are up trying to
keep warm.
Incompatible View.
The view, if you have any desire to
see it, is indeed Incompatible The pan
Drama before you is immense; but every
thing is on such a grand scale, great
agglomerations of plains and mountains,
that all details escape you. Most OF
Switzerland great portions of France as
far south as Lyon and the plains Of
nd
spread out before you. The cold was
so intense that five minutes after arr1v-
ing at the summit We were all ready
to begin the descent.
.klfhough the ascent of Mont Blanc
offers no greater dangers than that OF
some other Swiss mountains. 1t has
the name Of being s abe in he ps
While such peaks as the Matterhorn
and the Chamonix Augilles are SO
formed that NO bs1 sasa ana conf
seauently present for the most part
merely dangers incident to rock climb
ing Mont Blane from ho its n pefud''ar
its upper reaches in snow and glacier.
so that crevasses and avalanches and
all other dangers peculiar to snow
climber. The extreme cold and rarity
of the air as you approach the summit
are also serious obstacles. The equip
ment for the two-day journey consists
of ice axes, hob-nailed boots, wooden
leggings and gloves, mountain caps.
which cover the face and protect It
from blistering: dark glasses, with
wire sides to protect the. eyes com,
pletely from the glare of the sun. and
a goodly supply Of provisions..for you
would be surprised at an Alpine appe-
tite. The guide himself brings long
coil of rope. almost 100 feet in length,
slung over his shoulder.
Island of Rock Projects From Snow.
Ten thousand feet above the sea is
an island of rock projecting from the
snow. tiny chalet has been built
here. where the climber can spend the
night sleeping in a good bed. The lit
tie chalet is leased to man and his
wife, most woe-begone couple, whose
detected looks eloquently bespeak the
solitude of their lives amid these eternal
SHOWS where the thermometer each
night stands at zero. Tri-weekly two
hardy porters alternate in bringing up
supplies from Chamonix. and they GER
tainly earn their few francs day.
No wonder a glass Of water costs 20
centimes, even If it be melted snow, for
every billet of wood has to be brought
from Chamonix. seven hours below"