Summit Murder Mystery Series

After decades of controversy, the name of Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, has been changed back to its original native Alaskan, Denali. The 20,237ft (6,168m) peak was named by a gold prospector in 1896 after he heard that William McKinley had been nominated to become the US president. US President Barack Obama announced the change ahead of a three-day visit to Alaska to highlight climate change. But Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner has denounced the move. The new name Denali translates as High One or Great One and is used widely by locals. "With our own sense of reverence for this place, we are officially renaming the mountain Denali in recognition of the traditions of Alaska Natives and the strong support of the people of Alaska," US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement announcing the change. The statement went on to note that McKinley had never set foot in Alaska. Image caption The mountain was named in hono...

After seven days and six nights at 17,200 feet, spent mostly inside a 3x3x6 foot snow trench, Lonnie Dupre was depleted of his strength and was forced to turn back from being the first person to summit Mt. McKinley in January alone. Extreme weather was the reason Dupre found himself trapped in a snow trench and forced to turn back. With winds up to 100 mph, temperatures reaching -50 degrees and a 5.4 magnitude earthquake, the weather was too uncontrollable and dangerous for Dupre to continue to the summit. Dupre has been on numerous polar adventures, including several to Alaska. If he had been successful, Dupre would have been the first person to summit Mt. McKinley alone in January. In Alaska during the month of January, there is very limited sunlight. The first successful winter climb of Mt. McKinley came in 1967. Ray Genet, Dave Johnston and Art Davidson reached the summit in February of 1967.

Mount McKinley towers about Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, USA. It is the highest mountain peak in North America and in the United States. Its summit reaches the elevation of 20,320 above sea level. Currently, the name of Mt McKinley is under dispute. The Koyukon Athabaskan people, who inhabit the area around the mountain, refer to the peak as Dinale or Denali, meaning "The High One". In the 1890s, a gold prospector named it "McKinley" as political support for the then presidential candidate William McKinley of Ohio. According to the Alaska Board of Geographic Names, the name is Denali, but the United States Board of Geographic Names has it listed as McKinley. The first successful summit of Mt. McKinley was in 1913 and was led by Hudson Stuck. The first recorded attempt took place in 1903 by James Wickersham. The route he attempted was Perters Glacier and the North Face, which is now known as the Wickersham Wall. The route has tremendous avalanc...