Hustled by guides, sunrise on the Rigi
Another highlight in Cook's programme was the Rigi. At the landing stage in Weggis the guides jostled and clamoured for their attention: «… if each man, boy and mulekeeper who attacked us had been a wasp and each word a sting, Weggis had possessed our remains.» Jemima Morrell used all her skill with words to describe the hustling of the porters: «We were literally infested by, dogged and danced around by these importunates!»
We have been up Montblanc!
The only way to get rid of the guides, shoe-shine boys, hotel employees and cherry sellers was to tell a white lie: «We have been up Mont Blanc!», and after that the group got a little peace. But when they then started their climb they were accompanied by people trying to sell them things at exorbitant prices, and the loose scree on the path made the ascent more difficult.
Sunrise – a treat for early risers
The next day, after about four hours sleep, Jemima Morrell and her group were standing on the summit of the Rigi in order to watch the much praised sunrise – along with about a hundred and fifty other early risers from every imaginable country. Many faces clearly expressed the feeling «You have waked me too soon, I must slumber again», as Jemima Morrell noted sarcastically.