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Large
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Map of Alaska, Denali (Mt.
McKinley) in lower center |
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| Denali
Facts and Official name: Elevation: Location: Mountain Range: Geogr. coordinates: First Ascent: First Solo Ascent: First Winter ascent: First all female ascent: First dog team ascent: |
Statistics Mount McKinley Named after William McKinley the 25th US president in 1897. Denali is it's native name meaning "The High One". Very suitable actually. 6,194 meters or 20,320 feet South Central Alaska in the heart of Denali National Park Alaska Range N63º04'15" W151º00'30" June 7th, 1913 by reverend Hudson Stuck, Harry P. Karstens, Walter Harper and Robert G. Tatum. The lower North Peak (19,470 feet) had been ascended on April 3rd in 1910 by the Sourdough Expedition. August 23rd, 1970 by Naomi Uemura of Japan He also did the first solo winter climb on February 12th, 1984. He disappeared during the descent never to be found. March 1st,1967 by Arthur ("Art") Davidson, David P. Johnson and Ray Genet July 6th, 1970 via the West Buttress by Margaret Young, Grace Hoeman, Dana Isherwood, Faye Kerr, Arlene Blum and Margaret Clark. May 28th, 1979 by Susan Butcher, Joe Reddington, Ray Genet, Brian Okonek and Robert Stapleton. |
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in south central Alaska Denali towers 6,194 meters or 20,320 feet
above sea level. It is the pinnacle of the gigantic Alaska Range with one of the
highest vertical rises in the world. The surrounding terrain is only around 600-800
meters or 2000-2600 feet above sea level. No wonder the native Athabaskans called it
Denali "The high One". Because of the high latitude Denali feels approximately
2000 feet higher than the real elevation due to the sloping atmosphere towards the
poles. Because of the extreme rise above the surrounding terrain it often creates
it's own climate. Intercepting moist airflows from the North Pacific ocean and is
often well into the jet stream. The weather can change without notice with rapidly
dropping barometric pressure and winds well in access of 100 kilometers an hour. It
creates a potentially difficult and dangerous climate for anyone attempting to
summit unprepared. Temperatures may easily drop to 40C/F below zero almost any time
of the year and frostbite is the most common injury among climbers. Alaska it self means "The Great Land" in Aleut. It is a magnificent and great place with a natural beauty that beats most everything else in the world. It spans across 21 degrees of latitude and four time zones. Alaska covers an area of 1,509,550 square kilometers or 586,000 square miles and is one fifth the size of the remaining United States of America. Alaska harbor some of the most amazing variety and abundance of wildlife in North America and can claim to be the only State witch still have remaining intact ecosystems. The climate varies greatly across the land. From the coastal rainforests to the arctic tundra are enormous glaciers, tall rugged mountains and a vast boreal forests. You will find the largest glacial area in the world besides the north and south poles. The third longest river in North America, the Yukon River cuts through the land east to west. It's total length of 3176 kilometers (1,979 miles) only surpassed by The Mississippi and The McKenzie River systems. It is also the home of the larges bears and the biggest Moose in the world. A great and memorable sight if you ever get to see one of these magnificent creatures. |
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