Hard Man Hart

Hart. Wikipedia

 Henry Chichester Hart (1847-1908) was born in Dublin, the son of Sir Andrew Searle Hart (Professor of Mathematics and Vice-Provost of Trinity College).  The family roots were in Donegal and he was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen and Trinity College, Dublin.  During his college years he was a noted athlete, a powerful swimmer and champion walker.  At Trinity he was  awarded a moderatorship in natural and experimental science and graduated (1869) with a BA (hon.). In 1871 he was awarded a diploma in civil engineering.

From the age of 17, Hart conducted a botanical survey of Donegal (lasting until 1898), which led to his publication Flora of the County Donegal, widely regarded as his most important botanical work.  He was a friend of Richard Barrington and together they contributed to the 1898 edition of A.G. More's Cybele Hibernica.  Of all the botanical explorers whom  More enlisted in the preparation of the second edition of Cybele Hibernica, Hart was the most active, searching mountain-ranges, rivers, lakes, islands, and coasts in order to determine the distribution of rare flowering plants.

In 1875-6. he served as naturalist in the Arctic expedition under Sir George Nares on board H.M.S. Discovery.  Hart's farthest North was c. 86° 50'. He collected :flowering plants and ferns at various points, from Disco Island onward, but his most important work was done in the NE. part of Grinnell Land between 80° and 81 ° 50' N. (See Nares, 'Voyage to the Polar Sea',)

In 1883-4 he was with the Scientific Expedition to Sinai and Palestine (supported by the Royal Irish Academy ) and while there climbed a number of mountains, including Jebel Katerina (2642m).

In his own country he was an indefatigable walker and from his own experience he contributed the section on Ireland in Haskett-Smith's 'Climbing in the British Isles' (1895).  He was accepted for membership of the Alpine Club in 1889 (proposed by John Ball, seconded by F.J. Cullinan, two Irishmen), his qualifications being scientific - his publications on mountain botany.  In that same year he made, it seems, his only climbing visit to the Alps, when he ascended the Weisshorn and Dent Blanche with Barrington and guide Christian Almer.  

Earlier (1887) he had carried out some groundbreaking climbing on Skye - traversed the Inaccessible Pinnacle, and made the 1st traverse of Sgurr Mic Choinnich and ascended Sgurr Alasdair in a single day.(see Irish Mountain Log ....).

Hart Walk times. J. Lynam.(IMEHS Journal)

He is commemorated today by the 'Hart Walk'.  This originated in a wager, for fifty guineas, in 1886 between himself and Barrington - that he couldn't walk from Terenure to Lugnaquilla's summit and back again in less than 24 hours.  This is a distance, according to Hart, of 75 miles; he completed the journey in 23hours and 50 minutes and so won the wager.

The repetition of this walk has become a 'test piece' for modern-day hikers and Joss Lynam has produced a table of times achieved up to the mid 1970s. (IMEHS Journal Vol 1).

That Hart was a 'hard man' is of little doubt and is exemplified by the tale that shows his indifference to weather conditions. He and Barrington were botanising on a pouring wet day near Powerscourt in Wicklow.  They ended up, testing each other, by sitting on a submerged stone in the river, nonchalantly eating their lunches, indifferent to the conditions.

He died in 1908 and is buried at Glenalla, Donegal, amidst the wild glens and valleys where he had spent the happiest days of his life.

See Frank Nugent, In search of peaks, passes & glaciers for more detail.