Today in 1913, Hudson Stuck successfully climbs Mt. McKinley with three other people. McKinley stands at a great 20,320 feet, making it the largest in North America. Located in Alaska, McKinley often challenges climbers with harsh temperatures. Stuck, along with three friends, left from Fairbanks, Alaska in 1913 to tackle the mountain. Harry Karstens, Walter Harper, and Robert Tatum all joined Stuck on the journey. The group suffered through harsh weather as well as a fire that destroyed supplies. However, the group survived, and on June 7th Stuck, followed by the rest of the group, reached the summit. Stuck referred to the mountain as Denali, its Athabascan Indian name, meaning “The High One”. In 1917 Mount McKinley National Park was created as a wildlife refuge. By 1980, the area was renamed to Denali National park and took up over six million acres.
