New York, AAC, 1996, 2nd paperback edition. 400 pp, maps, b/w photos. Larger paperback. Fine.
Superb large format paperback history and guide. Seventy-eight Washburn photos, 48 routes.
With a firm eye toward preserving the environmental integrity of the mountains, Jonathan Waterman occupies a unique vantage point from which to survey the peaks of the Alaska Range. His perspective, gained as both a mountaineer and Mountaineering Ranger with Denali National Park and Preserve, allows him to render the arctic-like wilderness more accessible but no less harsh.
Waterman is well acquainted with his subject. He has participated in numerous expeditions in Alaska and has made ascents in other areas as well. He was a member of an alpine-style team that made the first ascent of Thelay Sagar in India. He has climbed extensively in the United States, and has also climbed in the Alps and Canadian Rockies.
After a bout with high altitude pulmonary edema and a case of frostbite incurred during his second winter ascent of Denali. Waterman turned to rescue coordination for Denali National Park and Preserve for several seasons. His candid insight and wealth of experience was presented in his compendium of adversity and tragedy, Surviving Denali. Waterman has also written numerous mountaineering articles for several magazines and newspapers.
From the book:
'There was no pride of conquest, no trace of that exultation of victory some enjoy upon the first ascent of a lofty peak Rather was the feeling that a privileged communion with the high places of the earth had been granted ...'
So wrote Hudson Stuck in 1914, putting into words the reverence that many feel in the shadow of the awesome peaks of Alaska. Jonathan Waterman writes in that same vein, deeply respectful of the might and majesty of the Alaskan mountains, and mindful of the historic contributions made by the early mountaineers. High Alaska presents a history of the ascents of the three greatest peaks in the Alaska Range.
Denali. at 20,320 feet, is the highest point on the North American continent. Just south of the Arctic Circle, and subject to extreme cold and weather conditions, it is the most difficult mountain of the three. Among the most beautiful peaks in the world, Denali surpasses 20,000 feet of free-standing height.
Mount Foraker, fifteen miles southwest of Denali, is the sixth highest peak in North America, standing at 17,004 feet. It is situated almost entirely within the wilderness boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Mount Hunter, with an altitude of 14,570 feet, is one of the steepest and most striking of North American peaks. Its spectacular form supports three summits across a broad plateau. This chronicle of the perseverance, triumph and tragedy of the first mountaineers offers both inspiration and example. Anecdotes and firsthand accounts, taken from letters, journals, and contemporaneous articles, trace the geography of spirit and will of those who first explored the range. Continuing to the present, first winter ascents, significant route variations, and solo ascents are recorded and placed in the context of modern mountaineering ethics.
Knowledgeable and informative, the text is amply illustrated with magnificent color and black and white photographs. The detailed descriptions of approaches, camps and logistics for each route and variation, coupled with the route-delineated photographs by Bradford Washburn, provide essential reference. High Alaska will be a valuable addition to mountaineering libraries the world over. It will be an important tool for those planning expeditions to this harsh land of austere grandeur.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
DENALI
Chapter 1, Northern Routes:
Early Exploration and Attempts Muldrow Glacier Pioneer Ridge Wickersham Wall: Canadian Route Wickersham Wall: Harvard Route Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 2, Western Routes:
West Buttress Northwest Buttress West Rib West Rim Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 3, The South Buttress:
1954 Route Southeast Spur Ramp Route Reality Ridge Isis Face Ridge of No Return Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 4, The South Face:
Cassin Ridge American Direct Milan Krissak Memorial Southwest Face Czech Direct Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 5, The East Buttress:
1963 Route Catacomb Ridge Traleika Spur Route Guides & Firsts Map
MOUNT FORAKER
Chapter 6, The Northern Routes:
Northwest Ridge Archangel Ridge Highway of Diamonds Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 7, The Eastern Routes: Southeast Ridge Northeast Ridge East Face Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 8, The Southern Routes: Talkeetna Ridge French Ridge Infinite Spur Southwest Ridge Route Guides & Firsts Map
MOUNT HUNTER
Chapter 9, The Northern Routes: West Ridge East Ridge Northeast Ridge Kennedy-Lowe North Buttress Diamond Aręte - East Face Route Guides & Firsts Map
Chapter 10, The Southern Routes: South Ridge Southeast Ridge Southeast Spur Southwest Ridge Route Guides & Firsts Map
