The Climbers' Club Journal (Volume 9) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906. Excerpt: ... CLIMBERS' CLUB JOURNAL. Vol. IX. June, 1907. No. 36. CLIMBING IN DAUPHINE IN 1906. I.--A Traverse Of The Meije. There is a special exhilaration in the traverse of ridges. When the Romans drove their roads along the watersheds for miles in a straight line, they showed their appreciation of ridgeways. Historians tell us that the plains and valleys below were covered with forests and marshes, a prosaic explanation of what was really a love of ridges. I append a free translation of the Roman song of triumph which they made for use on ridgeways--Now new made roads are ruts for toads, girls' ribbons, coilful things, But the Roman wrought as a Roman ought, a street for the cars of kings.--Ballad of the Ridgeway Road. In the course of our wanderings in Dauphine in 1906, we finally reached the Meije, and enjoyed one of the most delightful rock climbs that either I or Farmer had ever had. By a mixture of chance and calculation, we succeeded in getting the Promontoire hut to ourselves, and were thus spared the weariness of explaining why we climbed without guides, or the still more active annoyance of being obliged to make an absurdly early start in order to get the mountain to ourselves. As a matter of fact, we were so comfortable that we did not get off till about 6'0 a.m. The conditions were absolutely perfect, the rocks being warm, and quite free from ice. The route was obvious till we reached the steep wall on the west of the Glacier Carre We then wound in and out over a series of ledges till we reached a point on the west, where we ought to have continued round the corner of the Pas du Chat, but, missing this, we traversed back to the right to some steep rocks immediately below the west end of the glacier. A yard of old and well worn rope deceived us into thin...