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Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest mountain peak in North America, at a height of approximately 6,194 metres (20,320 feet). It is commonly known as Denali, which
means "the great one" in the Athabascan language, and which is also the
official name recognized by the State of Alaska. McKinley, named after former U.S. president William McKinley,
is the centerpiece of Denali National Park.
A 1903 claim of a first ascent by
Dr. Frederick Cook was later
proven fraudulent, and the first real ascent came on June 7, 1913 by a party led by Hudson Stuck. In 1947, Barbara Washburn became the first
woman to reach the summit. The mountain is regularly climbed today, although it is still a dangerous undertaking, and there have
been many fatalities.
References
- Dow Scoggins, Discovering Denali
- R. J. Secor, Denali Climbing
Guide (Stackpole
Books, 1998) ISBN 0811727173
- Bradford Washburn
et al Mount McKinley: The Conquest of Denali (Harry N. Abrams, 1991) ISBN 0810936119
- Colby Coombs and Bradford Washburn, Denali's
West Buttress: A Climber's Guide to Mount McKinley's Classic Route
- Jonathan Waterman,
Surviving Denali: A Study of Accidents on Mount McKinley 1903-1990 (American Alpine Club,
1991)
- Jonathan Waterman,
In the Shadow of Denali: Life and Death on Alaska's Mt. McKinley (1994)
- Art Davidson, Minus 148
Degrees: The First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley, 3rd ed. (Mountaineers Books, 1999) ISBN
0898866871
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