Western Brooks Range. On July 27 Gene Warren, my wife Sharon, and I made the first ascent of Mount Oyukak (7310 feet), a broad dome overlooking the Noatak River, twenty miles northwest of Igikpak. The mountain’s name refers to the curious icecap (which groaned crankily under our footsteps) that covers the summit. The tiring hike took 14 hours out of a camp on Lake Omelaktavik. Gene, well into his sixth decade, ploughed on to the summit with all the pertinacity of a Denali sourdough.

David Roberts