Among the many interesting places on the planet, Alaska stands out for its uniqueness, part of which is located above the Arctic Circle and is characterized by harsh conditions for life and simple stay in this region. For a long time, the main inhabitants of this wild land were local tribes, as well as numerous wild animals.
Mount McKinley - the symbol of Alaska and the United States
The mountain is located above the Arctic Circle and is the highest on the mainland, but practically no one knew about this for a very long time, since only local residents from the Athabaskan tribe, who traditionally settled around it, could watch it. In the local dialect, she received the name Denali, which means "Great".
Let's decide on which mainland Alaska is located. A closer look at a globe or a map of the world suggests that this is North America, most of which is occupied by the United States of America. Today it is one of the states of this state. But it was not always so. This land initially belonged to Russia, and the first Russian settlers called this two-headed peak - Bolshaya Gora. There is snow on the top, which is very clearly visible in the photo.
The first to place Mount McKinley on a geographical map was the chief ruler of Russian settlements in America, who had held this post since 1830 for five years, Ferdinand Wrangel, who was a well-known scientist and navigator. Today the geographic coordinates of this peak are known exactly. Its latitude and longitude are: 63o 07 'N, 151o 01 'W.
At the end of the 19th century, discovered in Alaska, which has already become a territory of the United States, a six-thousander, was named after the twenty-fifth President of the country - McKinley. However, the former name Denali did not go out of use and is used today along with the generally accepted one. This peak is also called the Presidential Mountain.
The question of which hemisphere the two-headed summit is located in can be safely answered - in the northern one. The polar mountain system stretches along the coast of the Arctic Ocean for many kilometers. But the highest point in it is Mount Denali. Its absolute height is 6194 meters, and it is the highest in North America.
Mountaineering passion
Mount McKinley has long attracted many mountain tourism and mountaineering enthusiasts. The first known ascent to it was made back in 1913 by the priest Hudson Stack. The next attempt to conquer the peak was carried out in 1932 and it ended with the death of two members of the expedition.
Unfortunately, they revealed a long list of victims who became hostages of extreme climbs. Nowadays, thousands of climbers want to try their hand at conquering this rather difficult peak. There are many Russian climbers among them.
Difficulties begin already at the stage of preparation, since it is almost impossible to bring food and equipment to Alaska in full. Most of the climbers are recruited directly in Anchorage and by planes deliver equipment and participants to the base of the mountain at the base camp.
We advise you to read about Mount Everest.
During the development, a sufficient number of routes of varying difficulty have already been laid. Most mountain tourists climb the easy classic route - the western buttress. In this case, one has to overcome a closed glacier, on which there are no dangerous cracks.
The steepness of some sections reaches forty-five degrees, but in general, the route is quite run-in and safe. The best time to conquer the summit is from May to July during the polar summer. The rest of the time the weather conditions on the routes are unstable and harsh. Nevertheless, the number of those wishing to conquer Mount McKinley is not decreasing, and for many, this ascent is a prologue for conquering the higher peaks of the earth.
A serious lesson in the dangers of playing with nature is the story of the Japanese climber Naomi Uemura. During his career as a mountaineer, he, independently or as part of a group, climbed many peaks of the world. He made an attempt to independently reach the North Pole, and was also preparing to conquer the highest peak of Antarctica. Mount McKinley was supposed to be a workout before going to Antarctica.
Naomi Uemura made the winter, the most difficult, ascent to the top and reached it, planting the Japanese flag on it on February 12, 1984. However, during the descent, he got into unfavorable weather conditions and communication with him was interrupted. Rescue expeditions never found his body, which may have been swept up in snow or caught in one of the deep ice cracks.
