Women Mountaineering: A Project for Global Studies
This web site is focused on a women who has dedicated her life to mountaineering. The woman talked about is Phyllis Munday, one of the most well-known and inspiring women climbers known. She has definitely left her mark in the sport, and will never be forgotten.
I am Melissa Charpentier, a freshman at Queensbury High School, and I present this site to you as my final project for Global Studies.
Phyllis Munday was born on September 24, 1894 in Sri Lanka, but grew up in Canada. She fell in love with climbing when she was just a teen, despite what her father had wanted. She met her husband, Don Munday, also a mountaineer, in 1918. After two years they were married and deliberately skipped their reception to go into the mountains. One year later they had their only daughter, Edith. At only 11 weeks, Edith accompanied them up Crown Mountain (1,503m). Taking their daughter on many climbs as such a young child, she was raised to be comfortable and confident in the outdoors.
Phyl soon became very known by most climbers, and on only the third ever ascent of Mount Robson (3,954m), she was the first woman to stand atop it's summit.
In the spring of 1925, Phyl and Don Munday spotted an unknown high peak in the Coast Mountains across the Straight of Georgia. A few moments later, they realized it was their future goal, and they called it Mystery Mountain. The Mundays and a few friends then searched out the area for the most feasible-looking route, coming to Homathko Valley, anything but encouraging. They estimated it's height at about 4,000 meters, which would then beat Mt. Robson (3,954m), believed to be the highest in the province. Soon after, they transferred five weeks' worth of supplies as far up the Valley as possible. On May 31 the whole party set out, leaving Edith at the logging camp withsome friends of the Mundays. After thirteen days they had barely made it fifty kilometers from tidewater and just one hundred meters above it. Another week passed while they battled their way to Waddington Glacier, trying to get as close as possible to their goal. It was a very harsh area of climbing. After making a summit to scout out the area, Phyl became snowblind. For days Phyl coped with the pain, but she still carried her full load and made the climb being led by a hand. On June 23, they made one final push for the mountain, with only four days' food rations left. Leaving camp at nine p.m., the climbers arrived at "Mystery Mountain Pass" at 5:15 a.m. After their first full view of the mountain, the climbers hiked twelve hours up Mystery Mountain until time had run out, and they returned to tidewater.
In July 1927, the Mundays, hoping for an easier route to Mystery Mountain, tried an approach from Knight Inlet. The group made three attempts up the mountain, the third being chased down by a severe storm, leaving them stopped for a week. Afterwards, the snow had made the mountain too treacherous to attempt again. The crew returned to Vancouver disappointed, but not done trying.
In 1927, Mystery Mountain's height was established at 4,016 meters, and it was officially named Mount Waddington. The Mundays were happy to be able to name most of the surrounding features of the mountain.
On a third expedition, the Mundays, accompanied by Don's brother Bert, made two first ascents, that of Mount Whitetip and Mount Myrtle. On July 8, they began bright and early for a third attempt of Mount Waddington. After reaching what appeared to be the final tip, they discovered the rest of Mount Waddington, across a gap to the east. They were forced to turn back yet another time due to weather.
In 1930, with the use of skiis, the Mundays attempted, summitted, and skied down Mount Munday (3, 505 m), which had recently named after them.
Making eleven trips in twelve years to the area, the Mundays spent a total of fifteen months exploring the Mount Waddington area. With sixteen attempts at Mount Waddington's summit, they never reached it. Each time being forced to turn back for one reason or another, the team once was as close as fifty feet from the summit, but never made it.
In 1936, the Mundays had heard that Fritz Weissner and Bill House had finally accomplished the long-awaited first summit of Mount Waddington on July 21. Finding out that the summit was reached using pitons and extra rope, the Mundays took it well. They never used pitons or any extra tools, so it wasn't so bad.
Don Munday died at age fifty-nine, six months after becoming very sick, in 1950. Phyl contineud to do easier climbs throughout her sixties, keeping up with the mountaineering world, and also showed off her love for photography. On April 11, 1990, Phyl Munday died.
 		A Fierce Climb
Aren't They Pretty?
Pyllis Munday was truly the Grand Dame of the Coast Mountains, and every climber knows that. Throughout her life, Phyl climbed some one hundred peaks, and almost a third of them were first ascents. Many others were first ascents for women.

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