These tales and descriptions of the Mt. McKinley area of Alaska were written by on of the world's most famous big game hunters. The riveting accounts of hunting expeditions for caribou, bear, moose, and mountain sheep are ably illustrated with both photos taken by the author and by color plates of stunning paintings by Carl Rungius. It's a thrilling armchair journey with one of the first explorers and hunters in this part of North America. The descriptions of this wild land will have you packing your bags to visit the last great wilderness America has to offer.
Acclaimed Writing Team Pair Up Again for Gripping Historical Romance Cassidy Ivanoff and her father, John, work at the new and prestigious Curry Hotel outside Mt. McKinley. While John will be expedition and wilderness exploration guide for the wealthy tourists, Cassidy has signed on as a cook's assistant. Both are busy as the hotel prepares to welcome the president of the United States on his way to drive in the golden spike to officially complete the railroad. Allan Brennan travels to the Curry Hotel to be an apprentice of a seasoned Alaska mountain guide. Ever since his father's death climbing Mt. McKinley, he's worked to earn enough money to make the trek to the Alaska territory himself. His father's partner blames their guide for the death of his father, but Allan wants to find the truth for himself. He finds an unlikely ally in Cassidy, and as the two begin to look into the mystery, they suddenly find that things are much less clear, and much more dangerous, than either could ever imagine.
2008 WILLA Literary Awards finalist At the age of 27, Fannie Sedlacek left her Bohemian homestead in Nebraska to join the gold rush to the Klondike. From the Klondike to the Tanana, Fannie continued north, finally settling in Katishna near Mount McKinley. This woman, later known as Fannie Quigley, became a prospector who staked her own claims and a cook who ran a roadhouse. She hunted and trapped and thrived for nearly forty years in an environment that others found unbearable. Her wilderness lifestyle inspired many of those who met her to record their impressions of this self-sufficient woman, who died in 1944. To many of the 700,000 annual visitors to Denali National Park she is a symbol of the enduring spirit of the original pioneers. Searching for Fannie Quigley: A Wilderness Life in the Shadow of Mount McKinley goes beyond the mere biographical facts of this unique woman’s journey. It also tells historian Jane G. Haigh’s own story of tracking and tracing the many paths that Fannie Quigley’s intriguing life took. Uncovering remote clues, digging through archives, and listening to oral accounts from a wide array of sources, Haigh has fashioned this rich lode into a compelling narrative. In Searching for Fannie Quigley, Haigh separates fact from fiction to reveal the true story of this highly mythologized pioneer woman.
Rising more than 20,000 feet into the Alaskan sky is Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. In this collection of exhilarating narratives, Jonathan Waterman paints an intimate portrait of the white leviathan and brings to life the men and women whose fates have entwined on its sheer icy peak.--From publisher description.
This biography of Alaska's Mount McKinley presents a complete history of one of the world's great mountains. Author and famed mountaineer Fred Beckey starts with McKinley's geology and covers early human history, from native associations with Denali to the influx of Russian fur traders and American prospectors. Also included is information about the challenges and logistics of climbing Mount McKinley, with information on planning, permits, suggested routes, and what to expect.
* Helps expose long-time accident patterns so future climbers can avoid repeating these climbing mistakes on Denali In his preface, Dr. Peter Hackett writes of Jonathan Waterman's motivations for writing Surviving Denali, "The motivation for writing this book is to dispel the myth of Denali as a cakewalk, and to help climbers prepare adequately for polar, high-altitude survival. By learning from the past, climbers can avoid similar problems; this is the goal of Surviving Denali." Waterman presents an in-depth analysis of altitude medical problems, frostbite, avalanche and fall injuries, and deaths on Denali in order to point out the mistakes that may have been made and methods that might have been used to prevent them. In further chapters Waterman also covers how to prepare properly for Denali.
* The only available guide devoted solely to the route used by 90 percent of all climbers who summit Denali * Historic aerial photos and introduction by one of the route's pioneers -- Bradford Washburn * Author Colby Coombs is a Denali climbing guide and a 12-year veteran of the route Denali's massive West Buttress Route is one of the world's most popular -- and treacherous -- climbs. Seasoned guide Colby Coombs and legendary mountaineering photographer Bradford Washburn teamed up to provide climbers with information devoted solely to this challenging route. Denali's West Buttress: A Climber's Guide gives the aspiring Denali climber the details required to efficiently plan and safely launch an expedition on the West Buttress. The climbing guidebook covers every aspect of climbing the route -- from preparation to climbing strategy to step-by-step route instruction. Washburn's magnificent photos -- with route and milestones clearly delineated -- paired with Coombs' explicit text guide the climber from camp to camp to the summit and down again, outlining specific hazards and obstacles and offering techniques and instruction on how best to surmount them. The book pays special attention to environmental considerations and presents low-impact methods for minimizing human and garbage waste on the route. This guide provides complete, detailed, first-hand, safety-conscious information on the West Buttress Route, serving as a much-needed resource and a grand tribute to this historic climb.
