Crossing Glaciers for Fun

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1922, Page 4

Crossing Glaciers for Fun

(By St. John Viright.) OKI NDEDWALD, Switzerland). When I went to pu J t my boots on vesterdnv morning I founid that the hotel porter had decorated their soles with some particularly vicious looking mils I had a mild thrill as I romem-

The whole party of us. in the hotel not more tlmu 20, because wo were the first birds of the summe-r season-were <roing to cross the Obcrer Glacier which lies with its grot crags bf hluish-wlnte ie© on the slopes of th, ? Wotterhom. Onlv two people, two men remained behind in the hotel. T rather fancy they were real mountaineers, for they watched us go with condescending

smiles. , ; . 'pile sun blazed fiercely oil. the glacierelimbers. An hour and » half’s walk brought us to the foot ol the glacier and the guides carrying the ropes—and our lunches— beamingly led the way. , To warm us up for what was in front

of lIS they first took us into the ice grotto under the ghekw-an iec-houso nntiiraily made and of dazzling beauty, fho ice had taken on the colour of sapphires.

Outside again, and the loping together began. Evil chance -dogged me here. T . found mvsclf tTe<l between a. pretty, impetuous young woman of 18 and n- lady (behind me) who believed m taking giacicrs slowly ;iml seriously. Between them I suffered acutely during the next hour. •\s we were the first party of any number to cross the glacier this summer. all the steps bail tolxs cut in the ice, and this the guides accomplished with pick roes. With cautious steps, and to the soun I of crackling ice we gradually crawled on to the bosom of the glacier. Fallen rock —the aftermatlMJf the avalanches—had marred its cleanliness a goo ! deal.

At times we crossed over deep ere-; vasses in which ice-blno water gurgled and splashed. Now we crawled up walls' of ice by means of the lmcked-otit steps. Wo had been going about 10 minutes, when I realised to the full my unhappy position. Miss Springhtlv. in front of me, was pulling fiercely. Behind mo I felt the i ope tight—and heavy—with the seriously-minded ladv. Just as I was stepping over a. crevasse (into which I all hut slipped) the latter lingered more than usual.

“Stop a minute!”! yelled to Miss Spriglitlv in front. “Bats!” came the answer. “Buck up 1” 'And s-> we went on. Tt took us an hour and a half altogether to cross what seemed at first such a little stretch. Peals of laughter echoed round the TVettorhorn from time to time gs some gallon tlady slipped cheerfully on the glassy surfaces. I felt a fiendish delight when Miss Sprightly in front dropped lier stick down a fissure and the tug-of-war round mv waist stopped for n little, while the guide was recovering it. AYe broke tile tension twice by having our photographs taken, ami each of us saw that the rope had conspicuous positions. Of course your real mountaineers v mild have laughed of us, hut there. . .

Perhaps the crowning glory of the day was when wo saw thp notice on the door of the salto-a-mnngor when wo arrived hack at the hotel.

“Will mountaineers please not enter the salle-a-manger with thoir nail boots on?” it read.

Shades o r Everest I Nothing on earth would have persuaded me to have those nails taken out.