COOK IN THE ANTARCTIC AND IN ALASKA 101 



first white man to approach within a hundred miles of it being a 

 gold prospector named W. A. Dickey, in 1895, who gave it its pres- 

 ent name of Mount McKinley. 



Attention being called by him to its great height, several efforts 

 were made to approach it, the first to reach its base being two ex- 

 plorers, Alfred H. Brooks and D. L. Raeburn, in 1902. The grow- 

 ing conception of its vast mass and great altitude, estimated at over 

 twenty thousand feet, gave inspiration to Dr. Cook, then looking 

 about for ' 'other worlds to conquer," and in 1903 he set out at the 

 head of an expedition towards these seemingly loftiest of American 

 peaks. Following the Susetna River inland from Cook Inlet and 

 then taking the route followed by Brooks and Raeburn, the party 

 reached the northern base of the mountain. Two attempts were 

 made to scale its mighty mass and an altitude of 11,000 feet was 

 attained. The season being then too far advanced for further effort, 

 the explorers returned to their starting point, Tyonek, on Cook Inlet. 



Observations made at this time convinced Dr. Cook that the 

 mountain could be best approached by a power boat up the Chulitna 

 River, a branch of the Susetna, leading to the region of the great 

 glaciers descending from the southern and eastern sides of the moun- 

 tain. By packing over some of these glaciers supplies might be 

 taken to a point near the mountain's base fitted for an attempt to 

 reach the summit. 



In 1906 Cook returned, eager to complete the enterprise of 

 scaling the mountain, now accompanied by Professor Herschel O. 

 Parker, Belmore H. Browne, an experienced Alaskan explorer; R. 

 W. Porter, of Arctic experience, and a number of able packers and 

 assistants. It was no light task that lay before this party of enthu- 

 siastic mountaineers, as they were to find. Glacial streams of ice- 

 cold water traverse this country in various directions, navigation of 

 them being difficult and crossing often dangerous. 



This way led from Cook Inlet up the Yentna River, with the 

 idea that a pack train might be taken through a pass at its head and 



