Plan for Climbing Mt McKinley 



33 



the base could be reached from either 

 Cook Inlet or from the Yukon from 

 near the mouth of the Tanana. 



If the Cook Inlet route were chosen, 

 the party should land at Tyonek be- 

 tween the 15th of May and the 1st of 

 June, equipped and provisioned for a 

 three and a half months' journey. The 

 journey from Seattle to Cook Inlet 

 takes about ten days by ocean steamer. 

 For a party of seven men twenty 

 horses would be needed, and every ad- 

 ditional man would require about three 

 additional horses. From Tyonek a 

 • boat would be dispatched with a part 

 of the provisions to meet the party at 

 the Skwentna, so as to lighten the bur- 

 den of the horses and to aid in crossing 

 the river. From this point the boat 

 would be sent to the Keechatno, a 

 central fork of the Yentna, and here 

 again would be used for crossing. The 

 pack-train would take a northerly 

 course from Tyonek, crossing the Be- 

 luga near the head of tide w r ater, and 

 thence heading directly for the lower 

 canyon on the Skwentna ; then after 

 crossing the Keechatna would follow 

 our trail across the Alaskan Range by 

 way of Rainy Pass at the head of 

 Happ)^ River. After reaching the 

 Kuskokwim waters it would turn to 

 the northeast and follow the base of 

 the range, the route being identical 

 with that followed by our party. If 

 such a party had exceptionally good 

 luck fand season were an early one), it 

 might reach the base of the mountain 

 by the first of July. Here a camp 

 would be established at the upper limit 

 of timber, where good grass would be 

 found for the horses. Climatic condi- 

 tions permitting, a month could then 

 be spent in exploring and ascending 

 the mountain. The quickest w r ay out 

 of the country would probably be to 

 the northward, either to the mouth of 

 the Cantwell or to the mouth of the 

 Toklat, from which point a boat could 

 probably be secured to the Yukon. In 



the absence of any boat, a raft would 

 be constructed and in a few days the 

 current would carry the party to the 

 Yukon. The cost of such an expedi- 

 tion could be approximated at $15,000 

 for a party of ten men. 



The second plan is to go to Dawson 

 by rail and steamer and thence down 

 the Yukon to the mouth of the Tanana 

 by steamer. In the event of an early 

 season, the party would leave Skagway 

 on Lynn Canal about June 1st, which 

 can be reached by steamer from Seattle 

 in four days, and the mouth of the 

 Tanana could be reached by the middle 

 of June. From this point, if possible, 

 a steamer should be secured to take the 

 party, outfit, and several horses one or 

 two hundred miles up the Toklat to the 

 head of steamboat navigation. The 

 continuation of the journey would be 

 by canoes or small boats, which would 

 carry the supplies, while the horses 

 would be sent across country. When 

 the river became too shallow for canoe 

 transportation the horses would be 

 utilized to portage the outfit to the base 

 of the mountain. It is expected that 

 the expedition would be ready to 

 begin the ascent of the mountain by 

 the middle of July. The cost of an ex- 

 pedition by the Yukon route can be 

 estimated at about $12,000. 



As an introduction to the third plan 

 it may be said that in an expedition of 

 this kind the party is liable to be worn 

 out by the difficulties incident to the 

 journey to the base of the mountain. 

 The necessity of carrying provisions for 

 the entire trip limits the size of the 

 party, and hence the daily tasks must 

 be shared by all its members. Under 

 even the best conditions, the matter of 

 chopping trails, building bridges, cross- 

 ing rivers, the incessant annoyance by 

 mosquitoes, has a telling effect on the 

 strength of the men, in the. course of 

 even a few weeks. It would, there- 

 fore, be advisable, if possible, to fur- 

 nish each man with a saddle horse if 



