Mount Denali (2)

Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America. Its summit stands at 20,310 feet above sea level, and it is located in the Alaska Range in the state of Alaska. The mountain is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve, and its name is derived from the Koyukon word for "high" or "tall." The mountain was officially renamed Denali in 2015, though it had been known by that name to the Koyukon people for centuries. The first recorded attempt to climb Denali was made in 1903 by James Wickersham, but it was unsuccessful. The first verified ascent was made in 1913 by Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum. In recent years, the West Buttress route has been the most popular for climbers due to its relative safety. Denali has five large glaciers flowing off its slopes, and it is the third most isolated and prominent peak on Earth, after Mount Everest and Aconcagua.

Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, standing tall at an elevation of 20,310 feet. The mountain is located in the central region of the state of Alaska in the United States and is a part of the Alaska Range. It has two significant summits, with the South Summit being the higher one, and the North Summit having an elevation of 19,470 feet. The mountain is surrounded by five large glaciers - Peters, Muldrow, Traleika, Ruth, and Kahiltna. Denali has been referred to by different names by various groups of people. The Koyukon Athabaskans who live in the area around the mountain have referred to the peak as Dinale or Denali, which is based on a Koyukon word for 'high' or 'tall.' During the Russian ownership of Alaska, the mountain was known as Bolshaya Gora, which is the Russian translation of Denali. The mountain was briefly called Densmore's Mountain after a gold prospector, Frank Densmore, who was the first non-native Alaskan to reach the base of the mountain. In 1896, a gold prospector named it McKinley as political support for then-presidential candidate William McKinley. The United States formally recognized the name Mount McKinley after President Wilson signed the Mount McKinley National Park Act in 1917. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson declared the north and south peaks of the mountain the "Churchill Peaks," in honor of Winston Churchill. The Alaska Board of Geographic Names changed the name of the mountain to Denali in 1975. However, a request in 1975 from the Alaska state legislature to the United States Board on Geographic Names to do the same at the federal level was blocked by Ohio congressman Ralph Regula. In 2015, the Barack Obama administration announced that the name Denali would be restored.

On August 30, 2015, the Barack Obama administration announced that it would be restoring the name Denali, in line with the Alaska Geographic Board's designation, for the mountain previously known as Mount McKinley. This change was effective immediately, and was announced by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. The decision to rename the mountain received praise from Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, but was met with criticism from Ohio politicians such as Governor John Kasich and Speaker of the House John Boehner, who described the action as "constitutional overreach" and argued that an act of Congress was required for the renaming. The mountain, which holds great cultural significance to the Indigenous peoples of Alaska, has various names in seven different Alaskan languages, all of which translate to "big mountain" or "the high one." The first recorded European sighting of the mountain was by British explorer George Vancouver in 1794, and the first recorded European sighting from the other side of the mountain was by Russian explorer Lavrenty Zagoskin in 1843 and 1844. In 1897, prospector William Dickey wrote an account of the mountain in which he estimated its height at over 20,000 feet, and this estimation was later confirmed by surveyor Robert Muldrow in 1898. The mountain has been the subject of numerous expeditions, with the first recorded attempt at its summit being made by Judge James Wickersham in 1903. Controversy surrounds the first successful ascent of the mountain, with some doubting the legitimacy of the claim made by the Sourdough expedition in 1910 and others questioning the veracity of Dr. Frederick Cook's 1906 claim to have reached the summit. The first undisputed ascent was made by Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum in 1913.

In the summer of 1903, Dr. Frederick Cook led a team of five men on an expedition to Denali, determined to reach the summit of the mountain. Despite struggling to obtain funding for the journey, Cook was able to put together a team and set off towards the mountain, approaching it via the Peters Glacier. However, despite their best efforts, the team was unable to progress beyond an elevation of around 10,900 feet due to a dead end. Despite not reaching the summit, Cook's team made headlines for their 1,000-mile trek around the mountain, including finding a pass northeast of the Muldrow Glacier.

Six years later, Cook returned to Denali with a new team, including co-leader Herschel Parker, and spent the summer exploring the southern and southeastern approaches to the mountain. In September, Cook and Robert Barrill set out on a final attempt to reach the summit, claiming to have done so via the Ruth Glacier. However, their claim was met with skepticism and controversy, with some questioning the validity of their story.

The first uncontroversial ascent of the mountain's main summit came in 1913, led by Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens, with Walter Harper and Robert Tatum. The team approached the mountain from the north, via the Muldrow glacier and McGonagall pass, and faced a number of challenges along the way, including a fire that destroyed several of their supplies. After three weeks of navigating the difficult terrain, the team reached the summit on June 7, with Harper being the first to reach the top, followed by Tatum and Karstens. Stuck, who suffered from altitude sickness, arrived last, falling unconscious on the summit.

Today, Denali is a popular mountain for climbers, with many attempting to reach the summit each year. The vast majority of climbers use the West Buttress Route, which was pioneered in 1951 by Bradford Washburn, and it typically takes two to four weeks to ascend the mountain. However, the mountain has claimed the lives of nearly 100 mountaineers over the years, and only around 58% of climbers are successful in reaching the summit.

Over the years, Denali, known as Mount McKinley until 2015, has seen many expeditions and ascents by climbers from around the world. In 1896, Robert Muldrow, George Eldridge, and Alfred Brooks conducted surveys of the mountain. In 1913, the first ascent was made by Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum via the Muldrow Glacier route. In 1932, Alfred Lindley, Harry Liek, Grant Pearson, and Erling Strom made the second ascent, climbing both peaks. In 1947, Barbara Washburn became the first woman to reach the summit, while her husband Bradford Washburn became the first person to summit twice. In 1951, the West Buttress Route was first ascended by Bradford Washburn. The South Buttress Route was first ascended in 1954 by George Argus, Elton Thayer (who died on the descent), Morton Wood, and Les Viereck. The Northwest Buttress to the North Peak was first ascended in 1954 by Fred Beckey, Donald McLean, Charles Wilson, Henry Meybohm, and Bill Hackett. The West Rib, now a popular route to the summit, was first ascended in 1959. The Cassin Ridge, named for Riccardo Cassin and known as the best-known technical route on the mountain, was first ascended in 1961 by Riccardo Cassin, Luigi Airoldi, Luigi Alippi, Giancarlo Canali, Romano Perego, and Annibale Zucchi. The southeast spur was first ascended in 1962 by a team of six climbers, and the East Buttress was first ascended in 1963 by a team of six climbers. In 1967, the West Buttress saw its first winter ascent by Dave Johnston, Art Davidson, and Ray Genet. The same year also saw the 1967 Mount McKinley disaster, where seven members of a twelve-man expedition died while stranded near the summit in a severe storm. The first solo ascent was made in 1970 by Naomi Uemura.

Denali, the highest peak in North America, has a history of attracting climbers and adventurers. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, several expeditions were launched to conquer the mountain, including one led by Robert Muldrow and George Eldridge, and another by Alfred Brooks. These surveys laid the groundwork for the successful 1913 ascent led by Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum. The team approached the mountain from the north, using the Muldrow glacier and McGonagall pass. They encountered several challenges, including a fire that destroyed some of their supplies, and treacherous ice-covered terrain. It took them three weeks to reach the Grand Basin between the north and south peaks, and on June 7, 1913, they finally reached the summit. Stuck, Karstens, Harper, and Tatum made history as the first climbers to reach the top of Denali, but the news was met with little interest by the wider climbing community. Today, the mountain is regularly climbed, with the West Buttress route being the most popular. However, the ascent is still a challenging and dangerous endeavor, and over 100 mountaineers have lost their lives on Denali. The mountain is known for its extreme weather, with temperatures dropping as low as -100°F and windchills reaching -118°F. Despite the dangers, Denali remains a coveted prize for climbers, and a symbol of the rugged beauty and challenge of nature.

Mount Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is the highest peak in North America, towering at over 20,000 feet. Located in the Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, the mountain has a long history of exploration and climbing. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous expeditions attempted to reach the summit, but it wasn't until 1913 that a team led by Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens successfully reached the top. Since then, the mountain has been a popular destination for climbers, though it can be quite treacherous - nearly 100 mountaineers have lost their lives on Denali. The most commonly used route to the summit is the West Buttress, which was pioneered in 1951 by Bradford Washburn. In addition to Mount Denali, the massif also includes the South Buttress, East Buttress high point, Browne Tower, and the East Buttress, which is the most topographically prominent point. The region is also home to several other peaks, including Mount Crosson, Mount Foraker, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Hunter, Mount Huntington, and Mount Dickey. In recent years, the area has gained attention through the educational animated series Molly of Denali, which depicts the daily life and culture of a young Alaskan Native girl living in the region.