File:Mountain adventures in various parts of the world (1876) (14780724462).jpg

Identifier: mountainadventur00head (find matches)
Title: Mountain adventures in various parts of the world
Year: 1876 (1870s)
Authors: Headley, Joel Tyler, 1813-1897
Subjects: Mountaineering
Publisher: New York, Scribner, Armstrong, and co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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xperiments required numerousphysical and meteorological instruments; food, forthree days was necessary ; but each porter couldonly carry about 32 lbs. weight besides his victuals.We had altogether about 956 lbs. weight to transportto a height of 9750 feet above the Valley of Cha-mounix. Our caravan numbered forty-three persons, ofwhom three were guides, Michel Couttet, Jean Mug-nier, and Theodore Balmat; and thirty-five por-ters, two being young men of the valley who hadasked to accompany us. On the 31st of July, athalf-past seven in the morning, we set out fromChamounix. The weather was fine, only the wind blew fromthe southwest, and the barometer had fallen alittle ; but our preparations were made. We set outtherefore without feeling perfect confidence in theweather, but hoping for speedy improvement. Thelong file of porters extended along the right bankof the Arve, in the midst of verdant meadows. Butwhen we were arrived in front of the hamlet of LesPelerins, we turned to the left.
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MONT BLANC. 27 The last house in the village was that of JacquesBahnat, the first man whose steps were printed on thethen untrodden snow on the top of Mont Blanc, andwho perished miserably, in 1834, in the glaciers overthe Yalley of Sixt. Leaving the orchards whichsurround the hamlet of Les Pelerins, we entered aforest composed of high fir-trees and old larches,on the brambles of which hung the long festoons ofa grey lichen. In the preceding spring an enor-mous avalanche, which had descended from theAiguille du Midi, had dug a large furrow in theforest. Trees torn up by the roots covered theground which they had once shaded,—others werebroken in the middle, their tops lying at our feet;while others, only partially injured, bent over thevalley. These effects are due as much to the pres-sure of the air driven out by the avalanche,—to thelocal wind which it produces—as to the snow itself.The caravan being dispersed into the woods, eachone chose his own way. A straight path goes alo

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