Mt. Slaggard, Mt. Macaulay, Southeast Macaulay, Northwest Steele, Mt. Strickland, Ascents and Attempt. On April 16, Paul Claus of Ultima Thule Outfitters flew Paul Barry, Jim McDonough, Shawn O’Donnell, Kirk Towner and myself to 10,500 feet on the upper Anderson Glacier in Kluane National Park. After placing a high camp at 13,300 feet, we repeated the 1959 first ascent routes up the east ridge of Slaggard (15,575', Alaska Grade 1) and the south ridge of Macaulay (15,400', Alaska Grade 1) (see 1960 AAJ, p. 132). We then moved camp three miles southeast over Southeast Macaulay (14,500') to 11,900 feet on the ridge toward Northwest Steele (13,845', Alaska Grade 1). Our hopes of making its first ascent were dashed when we discovered faint crampon imprints in the ice on the northwest ridge just below the summit. Rangers later confirmed an earlier party had climbed Northwest Steele the prior summer—could their tracks have lasted that long? We descended back to Base Camp where Paul and I attempted the unclimbed east ridge of Mt. Strickland (13,800', Alaska Grade 2). We reached 12,500 feet before turning back due to dangerous snow conditions and steep ice. Our pilot returned for us on May 2 after 17 days in this seldom-visited comer of the Canadian St. Elias Range.

David Hart, Mountaineering Club of Alaska