Denali, Alaska

Located 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 its 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.

In 1979, Joe Redington (founder of the modern day Iditarod) and Susan Butcher (three-time winner of the Iditarod) were fresh from their ninth and 10th place finishes of the 1979 Iditarod. The two decided to take a team of dogs up Denali (Mt McKinley). After finishing the 1100-mile dog race they thought climbing Denali with a dog sled team could be achieved. But neither of them had climbing experience. So, with the help pf expedition guide Ray Genet and photographer Robert Stapleton, seven huskies, 800 pounds of dog food and 800 pouds of people, Joe and Susan headed up the mountain. Veterinarians said the dogs could not survive, but probably not many vets think a team of dogs could survive the 1100-mile sled race in -20 degree fahrenheit weather either. As it turned out, the dogs were done going not too slow but too fast. Why was that a problem? Simply because the climbers could not keep up. Areas that could take four hours to climb were done by dogs in 45 minutes. The weather of the climb was horrible, thirty days out of the 44 day expedition it was below zero fahrenheit. Down glacial areas, sleds would sometimes overtake the dogs. During the final ascent, Joe and Susan found that seven dogs were too many, so they left three with a woman who had altitude sickness and camped below at 14,000 feet. Once the team reached the summit they were blessed with a clear, windless dat at -8 degrees and incredible panorama view of the Alaska Range.

At the same time there was unfolding a tragedy of a Korean Expedtition from who three summited but plunged down on their descent. Diane Gay, Ray Genet, and Joe Redington witnessed the fall from their camp at 14,000 feet on the West Buttress. A rescue party, consisting of Ray Genet and Brian Okonek, plowed up to the victims in a roaring blizzard. At about 11:30 p.m. they found Ko, Park and Lee lying upside-down in the snow, tangled in their ropes.

Ko was dead, but Park and Lee were alive and badly injured. Park appeared to have the best chance for survival, so they put Lee in a sleeping bag in a snow cave. They lowered Park down the mountain. Susan Butcher and Joe Redington were summoned to use their dog sled and dog team to rescue Lee and recover the body of Ko Sang Don. However upon returning to the snow cave, they found Lee had died. The rescue team recovered both bodies.