Mount McKinley from the North and West

Bradford Washburn

EVERY one of the five expeditions which have succeeded in climbing above 15,000 ft. on Mount McKinley has used almost exactly the same route for the ascent.

The actual summit of the South Peak of Mount McKinley has been reached but three times—in 1913 by the Stuck-Karstens expedition, in 1932 by the Lindley-Liek party and in 1942 by the U. S. Army Alaskan Test Expedition. In 1912, however, the Parker-Browne expedition attained a point only 150 vertical feet below the top; and in 1910 the Sourdough party climbed the North Peak, which in reality is a more difficult ascent than the summit, despite the fact that it is some 800 ft. lower. The North Peak was climbed also by the 1932 expedition.

After the failures of the early Browne, Wickersham and Cook expeditions on the spectacular southern and northwestern approaches of McKinley, the discovery of the route via McGonagall Pass,* the Muldrow Glacier and Karstens ridge by the Sourdough party in the winter of 1910 has been followed by a 36-year period during which not a single serious attempt has been made to climb McKinley by any other route.

It is true that McKinley is considered a great prize. It is also a long way off. Under normal conditions the ascent is almost a certainty via the Muldrow route, and nobody has wanted to risk the possibility of failure after travelling several thousand miles and spending many hard-earned dollars on the trip to Alaska.

However, now that there is a good road all the way to Wonder Lake, the approach is vastly easier than it used to be. One can actually drive to a point within 18 miles of McGonagall Pass. During the war 11 different ski landings were made by army aircraft at 6000 ft. on a tributary of the Muldrow Glacier, clearly demonstrating that this means of approach is now both safe and practical with the right airplane. Parts of the Muldrow are an ideal landing field from early November until late April in any normal year. With air travel developed as it is today, it is actually possible to leave New York one morning and spend the following night camped at the foot of McKinley!

During the war several different photographic flights were made into the McKinley-Wonder Lake region in connection with field tests of Army Air Force equipment. The photographs taken on these flights, in addition to the many stereoscopic pictures taken by the National Geographic Society-Pan American Airways flights of 19361 and my flights of 1937-8 provide a wealth of information for detailed study of the mountain.

In the spring of 1945 during an extended test of AAF arctic emergency equipment in the valley of Brooks Glacier, some 15 miles N. E. of McKinley, our party arranged to have a transit parachuted to us. We occupied several different stations both on the peaks E. of McKinley and near Wonder Lake and have established rather accurate altitudes and positions for all the major peaks in this area. The Army Air Forces took a series of excellent vertical aerial photographs of the terrain between Wonder Lake and the base of the Range in June 1945. Using these pictures and all available ground control data, the Geodetic Survey and the New England Museum of Natural History have collaborated during the last year to improve an otherwise very inadequate map of the northern and eastern approaches to the mountain. We hope that a new and detailed map of the mountain can be published in the not too far distant future, after additional ultra-high-altitude photography over the peak of McKinley has been completed by the Army Air Forces.

McKinley is certain to be climbed again soon. I am writing this brief article to encourage the next party to tackle it by a new route. By far the greater part of the terrain described in this article has never been covered on foot. Hence the reader must make a reasonable allowance for the inevitable errors that are encountered in planning a route entirely by the interpretation of aerial photographs.

The height of McKinley from base to summit is so great that it is probably impossible to climb it safely without establishing at least three advanced camps actually on the mountain. No party which has climbed it to date has succeeded with less than four. The storms on the upper part of the peak are so long, so sudden and so severe at all times of the year that bivouacs are hazardous. The warmest minimum night-time temperature encountered during the week that the 1942 party spent at 17,800 ft. in July was 17° below zero F.! The primary problems on McKinley are therefore the length of the climb and the climate. The difficulty of establishing livable camps on the upper part of the mountain and provisioning them satisfactorily will always prove one of the basic factors in choosing a new route.

The southern and southwestern approaches, by way of the Ruth, Tokichitna and Kahiltna Glaciers, are long and arduous. The upper cliffs of the mountain on these sides are so spectacular and unbroken that new routes here will always be classed as extremely difficult and exposed. The ascent of the southerly ridge which stretches from McKinley toward Mount Hunter will some day be accomplished by an exceedingly strong and experienced party, but the most feasible new approach at present does not seem to be from this quarter.

At least two excellent new routes exist on the W. and N. W. side—both of them steep, arduous and long, but entirely practical. One of these routes is very close to that planned by Judge Wicker- sham during the first recorded attempt on McKinley in 1903. It is in reality a route up the great N. W. face of the North Peak rather than to the actual summit. The South Peak cannot be approached from this side without traversing within a few hundred yards of the top of the North Peak and descending 800 ft. into Denali Pass.

The second route is an intricate one, attacking the prominent W. buttress of the South Peak, which drops 10,000 ft. from Denali Pass to the head of Peters Glacier. It would prove very difficult to appreciate the existence of this approach without a careful study of aerial photographs such as those which illustrate this article, as its top and bottom thirds are hidden from the S. and its middle third is obscured from the N.

The first part of the approach from Wonder Lake is identical for all routes on the N. and W. sides of McKinley. After leaving the highway near the S. end of the lake, one follows a good trail through the woods for two miles to the McKinley Bar Ranger Cabin of the Park Service on the N. side of the McKinley Fork of the Kantishna River. The cabin is an ideal place to spend the night, if permission to use it is obtained from the Superintendent of the Park, from whom official written permission must be obtained anyway in order to climb McKinley.

The best crossings of the McKinley River are usually found almost directly opposite the Bar Cabin. Inasmuch as it is fed mainly by melt-water from Muldrow Glacier, it is easiest to cross in the early morning. During the spring and summer months this river can become so swollen in warm weather that it is almost impossible to ford afoot in the afternoon and evening. Until the middle of April it can usually be crossed safely on skis or by dog team except for the normal dangers of successive layers of partly frozen overflow ice. The “breakup” usually occurs in late April; the “freezeup,” in early November.

The McKinley River consists of a number of swift, braided streams meandering aimlessly across a flat gravel valley almost a mile wide. Once on the S. side of the last stream the route now diverges from the usual approach to McKinley, which leads straight ahead southward over the slowly-rising upland toward Cache Creek, and McGonagall Pass.

Turn sharply to the right and follow the gravel bars on the S. bank of the McKinley River for five miles downstream to the mouth of the Clearwater. Follow S. W. up the Clearwater, crossing it at the earliest possible opportunity. Although a relatively small stream, the Clearwater can prove a nasty customer after a heavy rain or late on a spring afternoon. It should be forded as early in the morning as possible during the spring and early summer.

About three-quarters of a mile from the McKinley Fork, the Clearwater begins to swing toward the left (S.S.E.) before entering its canyon. Turn right (W. or S.W.) here, first through sparse and then quite thick spruce forest to the E. bank of the Muddy River, which at this point is only about three-quarters of a mile from the Clearwater.

The Muddy River is a wild glacial torrent which drains the entire N. W. face of McKinley, welling up from the snout of Hanna Glacier. Its curious black color comes from the glacial grindings of the dark slate and schist through which Hanna Glacier has cut its deep valley at the foot of McKinley. It is very difficult to cross at any time of year without horses.

There are good camp sites all along the E. bank of the Muddy. It would probably be well to spend the first night fairly near the point where the river is first reached; for, although this is only about eight miles from the Bar Cabin, it is still a long day afoot owing to the inevitable delays in crossing both the McKinley River and the Clearwater.

Along the gravel flats on the E. side of the Muddy, there is scattered timber for three or four hours’ walking. This ends rather abruptly seven miles above the first camp site at a point where the river bars narrow down and the stream twists sharply through an old recessional moraine of Hanna Glacier.

The best route now seems to continue up the center of the barren, flat floor of the valley. Take care to keep the main streams of the Muddy on the right. A second recessional moraine is passed three-quarters of a mile above the last timber. After this, bear gently to the left as the large hummocks and hills of moraine-covered ice at the stagnant end of Hanna Glacier come closer. About three miles above the timber, the foothills of the Range begin to rise on both sides of the valley, and a somewhat barren and miserable overnight camp will be in order—unless a little flat grassy spot can be found in the shelter of one of the great heaps of moraine. The altitude here should be somewhat over 3000 ft. The view of the North Peak, rising at the head of the valley, is certain to be magnificent.

The third leg of the route from the Bar Cabin to the base of the North Peak is relatively short, but the total distance of 21 miles seems too long to tackle in two days, unless the party is in fine shape and no relaying need be done.

A rushing stream follows the hollow between the side of Hanna Glacier and the lower slopes of the hills which rise steeply to the E. For two miles above the end of the glacier the going appears best right beside this creek. After one comes abreast of the first sharp peak2 on the left (E.) side of the valley, there is a chance that the footing may be a bit less rough between the hillside and the high abandoned E. lateral moraine.

Four miles above the end of the glacier (seven miles from timber), the valley takes an abrupt turn to the right (S. W.) at the very foot of the North Peak. At this same point, a gentle valley rises to the left (S. E.) to Gunsight Pass, the low divide between the Muldrow and Hanna Glaciers which is now an easy three-mile walk.3 Here an excellent Base Camp can be established at an altitude around 5000 ft. on flat ground, behind the E. lateral moraine and in full view of the stupendous 14,000-ft. cliffs of Wickersham Wall, the N. face of McKinley.

If an airplane approach to this climb is preferred, it is easy to land on Muldrow Glacier about five miles from this point. This camp would prove an ideal base for a traverse of McKinley in either direction. It is certain to be a very windy spot, with rough air for dropping supplies, except in very calm weather.

The approach from this point to upper Hanna Glacier is best followed on Figures 4 and 5. There appears to be no ideal way to traverse the horrible mess of moraine-covered ice directly W. of Base Camp. It is at least certain that the going is better about two- thirds of the way across the glacier toward the opposite side from camp (W.). After about three miles of gentle climbing toward the S. W., crevasses begin to form at the right, and the ice appears much better just toward the middle and then toward the left where the medial moraine from the Jeffery Glacier lies.4

The suggested location of Camp 1 lies approximately six miles S. W. of Base Camp and at an altitude of about 6300 ft., directly opposite the confluence of the Jeffery and Hanna Glaciers. This is the last common camp for the two projected new routes up McKinley. There is just a possibility that a small airplane could be landed near here in April.

Route I

The North Peak via Wickersham Ridge

Leaving the level surface of Hanna Glacier, follow the most practical route up Jeffery Glacier, bearing in mind that the further to the left one goes, the more acute becomes the danger of avalanches from the beetling ice cliffs of Wickersham Wall. Keep as far to the right as is humanly possible between Camps I and II on this route. It is impossible to exaggerate the danger of avalanches on the N. side of a great Alaskan peak.

Camp II, situated on the smooth névé of upper Jeffery Glacier, should be at a height of about 10,000 ft., just below the little ridge which marked the end of Judge Wickersham’s climb on 20 June 1903.5 Above this camp the climb of McKinley begins in earnest (see Figures 5 and 6).

A huge ice wall situated at about 14,000 ft. sweeps the whole face E. of this camp with avalanches. A small cliff a few hundred yards directly above the location of Camp II in Figure 5 should be watched closely so that the camp may be placed well out of any possible danger.

Although the indicated route above Camp II first swings to the left across upper Jeffery Glacier, this is an exposed spot and should be avoided if the climbing along the crest of the lower part of Wickersham’s ridge looks reasonable. In any case, a vertical ice wall about 1000 ft. above this camp forces one briefly to the left. The route then winds back and forth upward for 1500 ft. on steep snow slopes amid large blocks of ice. To minimize danger, the crest of Wickersham Ridge should be followed as closely as conditions permit. This appears almost impossible, however, for more than a few hundred yards below Camp III.

The climbing between Camps II and III is the only part of this route involving danger over which the climber has little or no control. In order to accelerate climbing through this part of the route, a dump is suggested about 1500 ft. above Camp II and 1200 ft. below Camp III on a safe shoulder of the ridge. A good trail can be easily broken out to this point and two or three relays carried up and left here. The last trip up from Camp II can be made relatively light and fast, only stopping briefly at the dump for lunch and carrying on to III where camp can be made. Two or three easy trips can then be made down over a well broken trail to move the camp up to III. This type of procedure not only keeps the party rested and moving fast in danger spots, but also is very efficient for keeping the trail broken out in poor weather. The going in this part of the route is certain to be miserable in fresh snow, which usually piles deep in the lee of all ice blocks on these northern slopes.

Camp III is situated at a little less than 13,000 ft. For 800 feet above this camp the route appears relatively simple—first up gentle, then steep neve slopes. At an altitude of about 14,000 ft. an extremely steep ice ridge about 400 vertical feet in height must be negotiated to attain the easier slopes below Camp IV, which is located in as unexposed as possible a spot on the crest of the ridge at approximately 15,000 ft.

Camp V at about 17,000 ft. is situated at the crest of the main N. W. buttress of the North Peak. It is approached from below by steep snow and ice slopes which will probably require considerable step cutting around 16,000 ft., but under the best of conditions can probably be negotiated on crampons. After a heavy S. W. snowstorm, parts of this section of the route will have to be watched carefully for windslab. Around 16,000 ft., where rocks force one off to the left of the ridge, there may be snow avalanche danger from far above.

Under ideal conditions Camp IV might be eliminated and the 4000-ft. climb from III to V handled in a single day. Two or more fixed ropes would prove very useful at the 14,000-ft. Steep Pitch, as this particular altitude on McKinley seems to be swept by a great many storms and this spot might be rather nasty to descend in a gale and bad visibility.

Camp V is located above 75% of the central Alaskan bad weather, whose upper ceiling averages around 16,500 ft. A short but steep ice slope rises directly above this camp, whence a gentle ridge leads to the 19,000-ft. plateau (as large and flat as a polo field!) and the summit of the North Peak (19,440 ft). Just before the plateau is reached, a steep little hump of rock and snow rises on the ridge. This can be traversed easily to the right (S.) to attain the plateau, but could be climbed for a splendid close-up view of the final cone of the North Peak a third of a mile away.

The Muldrow route can be reached from the top of the North Peak by descending to the plateau, crossing it southwestward and climbing gently to the rock buttress6 overlooking Denali Pass. The pass (18,150 ft.) is about 800 ft. of clambering below this little peak down a ridge of jagged schist.

Route II

McKinley via the Great West Buttress

This route is longer than Route I, but somewhat less exposed and difficult as a whole. Because of its westerly and southwesterly exposure, it should prove much warmer, especially in the early spring.

From Camp 1 (about 6300 ft.) the Tluna Icefall can probably be avoided more easily to the right than by the route followed by Dr. Cook in 1903.7 There is more distance involved between Camps 2 and 3 than is apparent in Figure 5—especially between the icefall and Camp 3. Hence a midway dump to facilitate packing is suggested near the icefall. It is probably about five miles between these two camps. No topographic work has yet been done W. of the Base Camp and all these distances and altitudes have therefore been estimated by reference to Wickersham, Cook, Dunn and aerial photographs.

The upper basin of Hanna Glacier must be about 8500 ft. high. There is almost no question that an airplane can land easily and safely a little W. of the location of Camp 2 on these illustrations.

Airplane landings in this country are, however, to be heavily discouraged unless at least one member of the party is intimately familiar with the entire approach on foot. (See story of 1932 Carpe-Beckwith McKinley Expedition in A.A.J. for 1933.)

Whether or not a landing is made at Camp 2, it is an excellent place for a large advance base of parachuted or free-fall airborne supplies which would otherwise entail a very heavy back-packing program below this spot.8

Camp 3 (about 11,000 ft.) is located on the crest of a snow pass between Hanna and Kahiltna Glaciers, with magnificent views in every direction but to the W. It may be necessary to climb over the top of the snow dome to the W. of Camp 3 in order to reach this pass, if its E. face (not clearly visible in any of these pictures) cannot be easily traversed.

Above Camp 3 an illusion occurs in Figure 7 which makes it appear as if a gentle snow valley leads all the way to Camp 4 (about 13,500 ft.). This is the case above the suggested half-way supply dump, but there is quite a drop-off to the S. of Camp 3, and the ridge will probably have to be followed over two rather steep pitches in place of the possibly impractical alternate route in Figure 7.

The route between Camp 4 and Camp 5 is the key to the ascent of this side of McKinley.9 It is invisible from the ground except from the summits of Mounts Foraker and Hunter. It may best be studied from an airplane flying over the head of Kahiltna Glacier. Camp 5 is probably a little less than 16,000 ft. high, and the 2000 ft. below it are the most difficult and exposed part of this route.

The safest ascent above Camp 4 would certainly be via the crest of the rock buttress directly above camp, but two extremely steep rock pitches in the lower third of this crag may render it impractical. The big rock and snow slope S. of Camp 5 can most certainly be climbed, but a detailed route is impossible to suggest in a picture taken at such an angle as Figure 8. The rock here is granite, so avalanche danger on that score would appear at a minimum. Snow and ice conditions will have to determine the best final solution of this problem at the actual time of ascent.

Camps 5 and 6 are very near together, but the location of 6 is suggested in order to have a final camp near 17,000 ft. for the climb to the top via the last steep slope of Denali Pass and the gentle westerly ridge to the South Peak of McKinley. Local storms on the upper part of McKinley are so sudden and so utterly unpredictable that it would seem inadvisable to have a final camp much more than 3000 ft. below the top, except on the extremely easy N. E. side.

If a traverse of McKinley were attempted by this route, Camp 6 could easily be advanced into Denali Pass at 18,150 ft. But never camp actually in Denali Pass, as the violence of the weather there is indescribable at all times of year. A site a few hundred yards down Harper Glacier and on the S. side of the valley would be much less exposed to the full force of the S. W. winds that suck through the pass with hurricane force.

The preparation of this article has been something of an experiment in alpine journalism, as it may not be entirely wise to try to predict publicly the conditions on two new routes neither of which has ever even been approached by well qualified climbers. Yet I am convinced, from a thorough study of these pictures under the stereoscope, that both these ascents can be made, given a powerful party and good snow conditions.

The first route is almost certain to be the colder and the more difficult, except under ideal snow conditions. Heavy fresh snow could make certain parts of both routes exceedingly dangerous. Route II has the advantage of being a direct attack on the summit of McKinley. It is also better adapted to air support, as supplies could be easily dropped near Camps 2, 4 and even 6 if the aircraft had a sufficient ceiling.

Both routes are magnificent climbs that represent a real challenge to the mountaineers of America.

REFERENCES*

Bates, Robert H. “Mt. McKinley 1942.” A.A.J., Vol. V, No. 1, 1943, pp. 1-13.

Beckwith, Edward P. “The Mt. McKinley Cosmic Ray Expedition 1932.” A. A. J., Vol. II, No. 1, 1933, pp. 45-68.

Browne, Belmore. The Conquest of Mount McKinley.. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1913.

Cook, Frederick A. To the Top of the Continent. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1908.

Dunn, Robert. The Shameless Diary of an Explorer. New York: The Outing Publishing Company, 1907.

Lindley, Alfred D. “Mt. McKinley, South and North Peaks, 1932.” A.A.J., Vol. II, No. 1, 1933, pp. 36-44.

Stuck, Hudson. The Ascent of Denali. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1914.

Washburn, Bradford. “Over the Roof of Our Continent.” National Geographic Magazine, Vol. LXXIV, No. 1, July 1938, pp. 78-98.

Wickersham, James. Old Yukon, Tales, Trails and Trials. Washington Law Book Company, 1938

*For a note on the spelling of the name, see A. A. VI, 172.—Ed.

1See National Geographic Magazine for July 1938.

2Left foreground of Fig. 4.

3See center of Fig. 3.

4Left foreground of Fig. 5.

5See references at end of this article.

6See Fig. 7.

7See references at end of this article.

8See Fig 7.

9See Fig. 8.

*Additional references to articles in journals will be found in Joel E. Fisher, Bibliography of American Mountain Ascents (New York: A. A. C. Research Fund, 1946), pp. 9-10.—Ed.