ght, smooth
highway of the lower levels. A new unit of measurement should be
created for alpine climbers, to conform to the haughty attitude of the
mountains. At times, upon the crest of the Continental Divide, and at
an altitude of from ten to twelve thousand feet, I have covered from
three to five miles in an hour. And again, while breaking a snow
trail, creeping up treacherous glacier ice, or edging along the ledges,
I have often reversed the digits, taking several hours to gain a single
mile.

Then, too, no trip is taken twice under the same conditions. The
mountains are never the same: the weather, the wind, snow or rain
conditions may alter decidedly the footing upon their slopes. Thus a
climb that was accomplished on the first of June in one year without
serious obstacles may, on the same date another year, be found to be
impossible. Experienced mountaineers intuitively know when to proceed,
or to turn back; and though they may not be able to explain why they
abandon or continue a trip, they "feel" their actions imperative.

So climbing tests a man's judgment, his physical endurance, and tries
his soul. It brings out his true character. The veneer of convention
wears through inside a few miles of trail work and reveals the
individual precisely as he is, often to his shame but usually to his
glory. Thus a silent, backward boy one day became a hero by diving
headlong across smooth ice to rescue a trio of climbers who had lost
their footing and had started to slide across a glacier. Again, upon a
certain climb, two husky men who gave promise of conquering the ascent
without trouble, turned out to be the weakest of weaklings, abusing all
the party, demanding all the guide's help for themselves.

"You can't never tell how fur a toad'll jump!" the Parson said
disgustedly as he heard the tale of these two huskies who had turned
babies; "nor which way neither."

One of the things which I have found most helpful on hard climbs, is
mental preparation. If there are certain, lurking dangers to be
overcome, I have found it a decided help to admit the facts freely
before attempting the climb; picturing as far as it can be done the
situations that may arise. In this way it is possible, to a certain
degree, to anticipate emergencies before they happen and to prepare for
them. It also helps one to act with imperative promptness.

It is less easy to prescribe for physical preparation. Equipment must
vary with n