GREAT WOMEN ALPINISTS.(Lucy Walker.1836-1916.)

The first woman acknowledged to have been a regular alpine climber was Lucy Walker.She was in all respects a conventional victorian woman,not concerned about the status of women in sports or in any other sphere of life.As a girl she had never done anything more active than play croquet,and would never had discovered mountains(the great passion of her life),had it not been for her father,Frank,and brother Horace,who were both well known alpinists.

The Walker family.(Lucy standing third from left.Melchior standing far right.)

The whole Walker family used to spend summer in the Alps every year,moving from place to place with mother in charge of "Base Camp",keeping her family supplied with everything they needed.
Lucy was born in 1836(the year Victoria came to the throne),and first joined on climbs in 1858,ascending Theodule and Monte Moro.In the second year whilst they were staying at the Schwarenbach Inn near Gemmi Pass,lucy gazed up at Altels(3629m)and declared she wanted to climb it.Her father suggested Melchior Anderegg as a suitable guide to assist them,and Lucy never climbed with any other guide from then on!
Over the next 21 years they made 98 expeditions together-never just the two of them of course,as respectable young ladies in those days would not travel anywhere with only an unrelated male person as a companion.She took to mountaineering in the quiet buisnesslike self assured way which was characteristic of her nature,and other menfolk had no doupts of her ability and fortitude.She was captivated by mountains from the start,and climbed simply for the beauty,excitement,and danger.Her total support came from her family and Melchior Anderegg(one of the greatest guides of all time)protected her against the spitefullness of people who thought that a woman should not be doing such things.She was a large young lady with dark hair and spectacles and climbed in the normal female attire of voluminous skirts(usually a white print dress),and never resorted to wearing breeches or trousers.Fortified on the mountain by a diet of champagne and sponge-cake,she seemed impervious to hardship,and succeeded by virtue of calm fearlessness and sheer endurance rather than athleticism.
Among her notable ascents were Finsteraarhorn in 1862,Eiger in 1864,Jungfrau in 1865,Dom in 1866,Monch and Schreckhorn in 1867,Allalinhorn in 1875,and Monte Viso in 1879.(all with Melchior Anderegg)
When asked why she had never married,she replied with typical frankness,"I love mountains and Melchior,and Melchior already has a wife!"
Frank and Horace Walker were members of the Alpine Club in London,UK and contributed articles to the Alpine Journal,but Lucy,as a woman,could not even become a member let alone send reports of her numerous ascents.She was however one of the first to join the Ladies Alpine Club when itwas founded in 1907,and in 1912 at the age of 76yrs she bacame its second president(succeeding Mrs,aubrey Le Blond).She was immensely popular amoungst its members and and her witty speeches were greatly enjoyed.She died in 1916,aged 81.

A touching mark of respect from male mountaineers of her era came from this engraving by the famous Edward Whymper.Its entitled "The Clubroom Zermatt",and depicts some of the best and most famous mountaineers of the time.Standing by the Clubroom door(right of centre)is Lucy Walker.The engraving was not done from "life",and her inclusion shows the very high esteem in which she was held by all of her fellow alpinists despite the restrictive social rules of the period.


Good climbing,


Peggy. 

ALTITUDE SICKNESS. (Part deux!!!)

                              "Horrible! Horrible things!"

                                                          (Grandpa Simpson.)

Further to my last blog on this subject, in regard to the use of dispersible aspirin or any other medication likely to promote blood-thinning: all these can be contra-indicated if the climber is already on anti-clotting agents (like Warfarin) or is taking medications for circulatory illness such as diabetes. This is not to say they cannot be used, but your doctor or, better still, a pharmacist should be consulted first to ensure your prescription pills are compatible.

Many thanks to those of you who made excellent comments over the blog and by email with their own experiences of altitude illness. A common thread amongst them was the rapid ascent from valley base (1000m or less) to overnighting in bivvies and huts at 3000m-plus, having come from homes close to sea-level. Many had arrived in the Alps having undergone tough and effective fitness programmes and having made successful day ascents of 3000m peaks without any ill-effects in the previous weeks, yet still suffered serious ill-effects when overnighting above 3000m.
Rapid ascent seems for the most part to be the critical factor inducing altitude illness in those prone to it. There is more than anecdotal evidence to suggest the efficacy of a limited daily ascent height of 400m per day to aid acclimatisation. Work done by Huber and Pilcher of Switzerland (see last blog) indicates this, and its use by alpine-style ascenders in recent years in the Himalayas has resulted in 80% summit successes in those groups ascending together with all their tents and equipment, with each member helping with tent rigging and cooking, as against the exhausting "climb high, sleep low" seige tactics of many larger groups on 8000ers.

I have where possible used this mid-way bivvy tactic on 4000-plus peaks for many years with great success in summer conditions. The advantages of overnight rest, rehydration, and nutritional intake when not overstretched and exhausted are obvious. The body has time to recover from exertion at altitude and is thus able to more efficiently metabolise foods and liquids, giving one the best possible conditioning for the next day's summit push and descent. When you are descending by the same route, excess gear can be left at the bivvy and picked up on the way down. I use a pack-liner for this, which is identity-marked, and this saves a lot of pain (see pic). 

Now some will say, "Well, that's what the huts are there for!" But they are not always around when you need them, especially in the more isolated alpine areas, or on infrequently-climbed routes. There is a strong link with general exhaustion and altitude sickness, and the independence of being able to establish a good summer overnight bivvy helps to overcome this problem.

ELECTROLYTE REPLACEMENT -- For a long time it was thought that a high-electrolyte (salts) intake in the form of flavoured drinks helped to stave off heat exhaustion/stroke at altitude. Actually, all that happens is that over-salted, over-sweetened drinks taken when tired induce nausea, loss of appetite and, overall, energy. This results in an increased chance of altitude sickness through adverse effects on blood chemistry. Electrolytes are best absorbed in hot meals, at rest, when the body has time to metabolise them. Most good ration packs these days have more than enough of all the chemicals your body needs to sustain a good blood-chemistry balance for 12-18 hours of work. (More about nutrition another time).

The higher you go, the more body fluids you lose (experienced climbers don't need me to explain this!). The more fluid you lose, the thicker your blood becomes, again increasing your chance of altitude sickness. This is where carrying a bladder and drinking-tube really helps, enabling you to drink frequently while on the move. Don't flavour your water, chew raisins or other soft dried fruits between drinks. This way, you rehydrate, take on energy and refresh a dry mouth. Avoid eating nuts and biscuits while on the move, their dryness can bring on choking and coughing fits.  The same goes for large cereal bars. One should eat them only when stationary. Chewing large mouthfuls of anything dry whilst trying to climb at altitude is going to end up choking you.
(In the next blog on this subject we will discuss "CUMULATIVE CONDITIONING ASCENTS" over time.Age and Fitness factors).

Good climbing!

Rob.