1850-1935

American mountaineer who achieved altitude records. Inspired to climb mountains when she saw the Matterhorn, Peck ascended that mountain in 1895. Two years later, Peck climbed Orizaba (18,700 feet or 5,697 m) in Mexico, briefly holding the women's altitude record. Frustrated by insufficient funds and unreliable guides, Peck also endured rival Fanny Workman questioning her summit measurements. Peck climbed Peru's Mount Huascaran (21,812 feet or 6,648 m) in 1908, setting a Western Hemisphere record. A peak was named for her. She wrote A Search for the Apex of America (1911).