| PAGE | |
| Group of Climbers, | Frontispiece |
| “The New Route,” | Vignette |
| A Regiment of Larches advancing on Veteran Pines, | 6 |
| Melchior Anderegg, 1895, | 16 |
| Sketch Map of the Highest Point of the Dauphiné, | 20 |
| Les Ecrins from the Glacier Blanc, | 26 |
| Group of Climbers, | 32 |
| La Meije from the Val des Etançons, | 36 |
| Icebergs stranded on the bed of the Märjelen See, | 80 |
| Old Stone Bridge at Saas Fée, | 108 |
| Foot of an Infant Five Weeks Old, showing the Instep touching the Shin on slight pressure of the Finger, | 122 |
| Foot of an Infant Five Weeks Old, touched with the Finger to show the Angle of the Foot with the Leg and the Prehensile Toes, | 124 |
| Foot of an Infant Five Weeks Old. The Instep is made to touch the Shin by slight pressure of the finger, | 126 |
| Foot of an Infant nearly a Year Old— | |
| First Position, | 128 |
| Second Position, | 130 |
| Guide’s Foot in Climbing Position against the Shoehorn Rock at Zermatt (Alois Kalbermatten), | 134 |
| Do. (Peter Perren), | 136 |
| Guide’s Foot, to show the Angle made by the Foot with the Leg without pressure, | 138 |
| Do., Another Position, | 140 |
| Foot of Experienced Amateur, | 143 |
| Act of Sitting Down, using only One Limb— | |
| First Position, | 142 |
| Second Position, | 144 |
About This Book
A surgeon’s collected letters and essays recount seasonal mountaineering trips across the Swiss and French Alps, combining practical route accounts with landscape and natural-history observations. The narrative offers training advice, day-by-day descriptions of ascents and traverses, and candid notes on hazards, accidents, and guidework. A focused technical section examines the anatomy and mechanics of the climbing foot, supported by photographs and comparative studies of infants, professional guides, and amateur climbers. Interspersed reflections consider tree ecology, the pleasures of alpine travel, and concise guidance for novices preparing for mountain expeditions.