The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley) ebook

About the Author


Hudson Stuck was born and raised in London. He graduated from King's College in London. He immigrated to Texas in the U. S. 1885. He was ordained as an Episcopal priest upon completion of his theology studies in University of The South.


Hudson moved to Alaska in 1904 and served as Archdeacon of the Yukon, a rugged mountain and untamed high plateaus. He became the first non-native in the climber team to successfully climb Denali (Mount McKinley) in June 1913, via the South Summit. He published five books about his years in Alaska.


Hudson dedicated his life to serve both Alaska Natives and American settlers in Alaska. He was single. He died of pneumonia in Fort Yukon, Alaska on October 10, 1920 .


About the book


First published in 1914, The Ascent of Denali offers a first hand account of the successful expedition to the highest peak on the Northern America.


This book is a must read for those interested in the History of Alpinism.
When Ohioan William McKinley won the election and became President in 1896, the gold prospector exploring the region honouring him by naming the highest peak “Mount McKinley”. President McKimley happened to be a champion of the gold standard then.
At that time, the peak was long known among the Alaska natives in Anthabaskan as Denali, meaning “the High One”. The state of Alaska officially designated the mountain as Denali in 1975, and has since been pressing the support of federal government to do the same.

The Ohio politicians on the other hand, wanted to stick with McKinley as a lasting tribute to the 25th U.S. president, who served from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. In the bitter move, Alaskans had been blocked in Congress.

Fast forward to August 2015, President Barack Obama, in addressing global climate change issues, used his executive power to officially restore Denali as the name of North America's tallest mountain, ending a 40-year battle over what to call the peak that has been known as Mount McKinley.


Denali is the tallest mountain on land, 20,320 feet above sea level. Ranking by topographic prominence, it is the 3rd most prominent peak in the world after Mount Everest and Aconcagua.


On June 7, 1913, 4 men achieved the first summit of Denali. Robert Tatum, one of the 4-man party sums up the experience: "The view from the top of Mount McKinley is like looking out the windows of Heaven!


In The Ascent of Denali, readers get to read a riveting account of the descent, and their preparations leading up to it, the primitive nature of their equipment and their method of climbing in stages. The author is most believable. His humility comes through as he gives credit to his party as well as those who attempted this climb before him.


Other details in how they prepared their pemmican themselves at their base camp from game they shot, their sheer determination in completing the slow and dangerous expedition in the hush and punishing sub-zero hellish weather conditions. They encountered several unexpected and expected problems, and, in between made a lot of scientific observations too.


Let The Ascent of Denali brings you back to over a 100 years ago, to re-visit that historic moment when the names were placed upon the summit by the author, feel the frigid wind, the snow, the ice, the pain, the desperation, the elation of achieving the highest peak summit on the American continent.


The Ascent of Denali ebook contains black and white images with captions and detailed sub-captions. These treasured old photos offer insight into the conditions they encountered. This book covers other technical aspects of the climbs of old, and the logistics details of the climb to the Denali peak too.


If a book that explores deftly your desire, to reach an unreachable summit appeals to you, this is your book. Enjoy!