AG WOMANS ‘CEIMB'S 
THE AIGUILLE DE LM, 9,302 FEET, AND 
THE ATGUILLE DES PETITS CHARMOZ, 
9,409 FEET, Q HOURS 
‘ 
Next came what is termed “a nice 
little climb,” the comparatively difficult 
and interesting but short rock climbs of 
the Aiguille de 1M (see picture, page 
662) and the adjoining Aiguille des 
Petits Charmoz. 
MT, BLANC, 15,782 FEET, 1914 HOURS 
While not of ‘first class,” these two 
days’ climbs had each meant an ascent 
of 6,000 feet above the Valley of Cha- 
monix, and all the muscles had been ex- 
ercised. A day of rain had intervened 
between them, and fearing that the 
weather would again break, my guides 
started me off the very next day, my 
fifth at Chamonix, on a hard six-day 
tour which was to include Mt. Blanc (see 
picture, page 652) and two of the hard- 
est of the Aiguilles. 
The ascent of Mt. Blanc from Cha- 
monix is not difficult. "There are no 
rocks. Because of the cold and stormy 
weather the Glacier des Bossons, in the 
middle of which is the half-way cabin, 
was in such good condition that the cre- 
vasses had hardly had a chance to open 
and were still filled with snow. The 
only very steep parts of the ascent are 
near the top, on the second day. The 
first day’s ascent lasted only seven hours. 
When we rose again at midnight, wind, 
clouds, and the promise of snow made it 
improbable that we would be able to 
reach the top, so we stayed comfortably 
at the Grands Mulets cabin until the next 
day. Two caravanes that tried for the 
top got only as far as the last hut, two 
hours below the top, and back again, for 
it blew and snowed the whole day: but 
we were not coming back, and would 
have had to stay miserably in a cold hut. 
The only real danger on Mt. Blanc is 
from sudden storms, for the whole of the 
second day’s route, up to the top and 
down again to Chamonix, is on snow, 
and the beaten tracks quickly become 
obliterated. If one strays far in the 
wrong direction, he will get among im- 
ENO PEE HIGH ALPS 669 
passable crevasses, or will come too near 
to the slopes at the side and may be over- 
whelmed by avalanches of snow and ice 
from them; or he may perish from cold. 
The ascent from the Grands Mulets to 
the Refuge Vallot above takes four or 
five hours, in good weather, and to the 
tiny summit observatory is another two 
hours. The Refuge Vallot has mat- 
tresses and blankets, but no wood and no 
food, and its altitude is 14,312 feet. With 
the best of conditions, the ascent is, 
therefore, a long pull, and for the last 
few hours very cold, because all snow 
and so high. 
Hence it is never safe to start for the 
top without extra warm wraps, special 
protection for the feet, and a two days’ 
supply of food. Because of the number 
of people that have been lost, one short 
section of the route has now been staked, 
vet shortly after my ascent two cara- 
vanes nearly perished far above this 
point, both from bad judgment. Many 
people go as far as the Grands Mulets, 
but one-third of those that start thence 
for the top turn back at the Grand Pla- 
teau, 12,900 feet, when two-thirds of the 
way up, for there it is that the freezing, 
the mountain sickness, heart failure, vio- 
lent headache, or difficult breathing 
begins. 
Starting from the Grands Mulets at 
2.45 a. m., we went as fast as was possi- 
ble over the fresh snow, up and up amid 
fairy-like scenes first of full moonlight, 
then of dawn, and finally of sunrise on 
the massive stretches and slopes and 
summits of snow on every side. In seven 
hours we had reached the top, inclusive 
of about an hour and a half of stops. to 
eat. to make adjustments, and to photo- 
sraph. From the Grand Plateau on, it 
had been intensely cold. I had a violent 
headache, and the wind was piercing. 
Above 15,090 feet IT began to breathe 
less easily and could not continue to go 
quite so fast. The day was superb, and 
we were the only caravane. But we 
could linger only a half hour at the top. 
for we were to make the long and for a 
time difficult descent by the Ttalian side. 
A snow-covered ice cornice of great 
