Climbing on the Himalaya and Other Mountain RangesCollie, Norman
History
Climbing on the Himalaya and Other Mountain Ranges
Collie, Norman
Himalaya Mountains; Mountaineering
perhaps, he appears more a vain than a bad man, for it is not for the
sake of money that he would have the unwary traveller and the people of
his nation believe his stories, but for the sake of honour and glory,
which in itself is praiseworthy.
Now both the 'pseudo-mountaineer' and the 'irrational man' err by way
of defect, being indifferent to the true joys of mountaineering. But
the 'mountaineer' is he who has this virtue in the right measure. He
delights not in climbing this hill or that, but in climbing itself.
He loves to wander in mountainous lands; ascents of great mountains,
clad in frozen snow, to him are not unprofitable. Mountain-huts
ill-ventilated, nights spent under rocks, amidst snow, wind, mist, or
rain, these things will he endure. Moreover, to help him, will he even
pay much money to the more hardy inhabitants of the hills, who are able
to guide him with skill and safety through the inhospitable fastnesses,
which he loves to explore. Thus much knowledge will he gain, making
observations on the heights of hills, the efficacy of meat lozenges,
the movement of glaciers by day, and the _pulex irritans_ by night. He
is a searcher after sensations. But when, owing to misfortune, he finds
that his desire for climbing is in inverse ratio to his opportunity for
so doing, then will he spend his leisure hours in adorning his maps
with red lines, or he will write papers, yea, even books, describing
his former exploits, so that perchance other 'mountaineers' may receive
benefit therefrom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account