It was not only old Switzerland hands who joined the group; it also included a gifted writer. Thirty-one year old Jemima Morrell wrote an interesting report on the trip, which made a very entertaining read, and revealed its author to be a highly educated person with a good sense of humour and a talent for precise observation. The daughter of a vicar in central England, she was doubtless a typical representative of that class of Victorian society in Britain which in the mid 19th century started to be able to afford to travel and which seized on the opportunity: people who had (recently) become prosperous, like country squires, members of the liberal professions (professors, engineers, manufacturers, artists) and people engaged in trade (merchants, bankers) who traveled either because they were keen on culture or simply for pleasure.
Fully corseted and swathed from head to toe in heavy garments, dark crinoline, lace-up boots and donning a parasol, she looked more ready for a walk in the park than a traipse across the rugged Swiss Alps; in this instance the Mer de Glace in Chamonix, France. She belonged to the Junior United Alpine Club, a determined gang, to be sure, as five fellow members joined her on the Alpine adventure, including her younger brother, William. Their itinerary was grueling – awake at 4am every morning, went to bed late, and endured all weathers; all the while dressed in Victorian attire. Some days the women walked 17 miles plus.
