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when those sad fellows saw me start off to 

 guide another party up by moonlight, they con- 

 cluded that I must be a wonder; but as a matter 

 of fact, being an invalid, I had learned some- 

 thing of conservation. This experience fixed in 

 my mind the importance of climbing slowly. 



Hurriedly climbing a rugged peak is a dan- 

 gerous pastime. Trail hurry frequently produces 

 sickness. A brief dash may keep a climber agi- 

 tated for an hour. During this time he will waste 

 his strength doing things the wrong way, — often, 

 too, annoying or endangering the others. 



Finding a way to get climbers to go slowly 

 was a problem that took me time to solve. Early 

 in the guiding game the solution was made im- 

 possible by trying to guide large parties and by 

 not knowing human nature. Once accomplished, 

 slow going on the trail noticeably decreased the 

 cases of mountain-sickness, greatly reduced the 

 number of quarrels, and enabled almost all 

 starters to gain the height desired. Slow climb- 

 ing added pleasure to the trip and enabled 

 every one to return in good form and with 

 splendid pictures in his mind. 



6 



