Who was Agnes Vaille?

If you've ever had the chance to hike to the Keyhole on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, you likely noticed the beehive-shaped stone shelter just below the famous rock formation. The original shelter was constructed in 1927, just two years after the tragic death of Agnes Vaille.

On January 12, 1925, Agnes Vaille became the first woman to ascend Longs Peak during the winter. At 4:00 a.m. that morning, she and her climbing partner, Walter Kiener, reached the summit where they recorded an incredibly frigid temperature of −14°F. During their descent, in a fierce blizzard, Ms. Vaille slipped and fell roughly 150 feet. Completely spent with fatigue, Vaille insisted she needed a short nap, but froze to death before Kiener could bring back help. As a memorial to Ms. Vaille, and as a shelter for climbers and hikers in need during a storm, the park constructed the original Agnes Vaille Shelter. Eight years later, in 1935, her family re-built the shelter that we see today.

Prior to her death Agnes was an avid climber, and a prominent member of the Colorado Mountain Club. According to records I found, she had climbed at least 21 of Colorado's 54 fourteeners in her bid to become the 4th member of the CMCs 14,000-Footers Club. In 1923 she also made the first recorded solo winter ascent of 13,294-foot James Peak. Like other members of the CMC during World War I, Vaille served the country by volunteering for the Red Cross Canteen Service in both France and Germany.

Below is a photo of Agnes (left) and Mary Cronin (right) on Mount Meeker in 1923:

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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world: