Female Mountaineer Annie Smith Peck

This is a little different from the normal travel blogs I do but to celebrate Women's History Month I wanted to cover some female explorers. If it weren't for these amazing women we wouldn't be able to explore some of these places like we do today. We wouldn't have the history available if they hadn't written about it. They have been instrumental in women being able to explore now.

So the first female explorer I want to cover is the great female mountaineer Annie Smith Peck. I wanted to cover her first because yes she is so very interesting but also because the very thing that inspired her to start climbing is something I have seen in real life... The Matterhorn in Switzerland.

**To book your trip to the Matterhorn, book with me on Booking.com.

Peck was an American climber that went on multiple climbs that often hit records. she was born in October of 1850 and gained strength from always being in competition with her three older brothers. Peck is a very educated and established woman as she went to Rhode Island State Normal School, then graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, received her master's degree from Michigan, and then taught Latin at Purdue University. She then later pursued advanced studies in Germany and was the first woman admitted to the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.

While Peck was on a journey from Germany to Greece, the Matterhorn in Switzerland caught her interest. When she decided that she wanted to start climbing, she started on a smaller scale practicing at Shasta in California while in her forties. While climbing she supported herself by giving lectures and writing about archeology, mountaineering, and her travels and gave teaching up completely.

Her mountain climbing track record includes:

• Popocatepetl Volcano (5,426 m) Citaltepetl Volcano (5,426 m) in Mexico

• Cape Miseno and Funffingerspitze in Italy

• Theodul Pass (3,295 m) and Matterhorn (4,478 m) in Switzerland

• Jungfrau (4,158) in Switzerland's Bernese Alps

• Cristallo (3,000 m) in Italian Dolomites

• Mount Hymettus (3,366 m) in Greece

**To book your trip to Zermatt, Switzerland book with me on Booking.com.

While there are more mountains that she climbed, it was hard to find all the ones that she went up against. She attempted Illampu (6,368 m) in Bolivia, her expedition was the first to climb the North Peak of the Huscaran in Peru. Peck also climbed one of the five peaks of Coropuna in Peru where she hung a banner on the summit that read "Votes for Women" because she was a dedicated suffragette. In fact, the northern peak was named Cumbre Ana Peck in her honor.

Peck continued climbing mountains into her eighties and climbed New Hampshire's Mount Madison (5,367 feet) at the age of eighty-two. She founded the American Alpine Club which is a non-profit organization that has the vision to create "a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes." Peck also wrote books about her climbing and explorations: Flying Over South America, Industrial & Commercial South America, The South American Tour, A Search for the Apex of America, The Conquest of Huscaran, and Uncommon Glory: The First Ascent of Huscaran.

Peck started a world tour in 1935 at the age of eighty-four but became ill while climbing the Acropolis of Athens. She died July 18th, 1935 of bronchial pneumonia. Thanks to her we got an education in mountaineering and exploration. She left a legacy of teaching, lecturing and accomplishments (many record-breaking) in mountain climbing. That's why I started my celebration of Women's History Month with Annie Smith Peck.

Stay tuned for the rest of the month to learn more about female explorers!

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