Climbing Denali - Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America

Award winning adventure photographer, Sean Bagshaw describes climbing Denali ("The Great One"), Mt McKinley which has the highest peak in North America. Sean Bagshaw will be making a presentaion in Mt. Shasta with videos and photographs.
By: Sean Bagshaw
 
March 3, 2009 - PRLog -- (Mt. Shasta, CA) Veteran mountaineer and world renown adventure photographer, Sean Bagshaw will present his multi-media program, "Above The Shadow Lands" on Wednesday evening, March 4th, at The Stage Door Coffee House in Mt. Shasta. He’ll describe the preparations he and his partner made before their last Denali climb, which required two weeks for the ascent and 20 hours for the non-stop descent while towing a 100-lb gear sled..

"In 1998 I climbed Denali as part of a six person team. It was a great adventure, but we had a few difficulties. The size of the group was a challenge and the weather kept us on the mountain for three weeks. In 2005 I went back with my climbing partner, Brock. Better conditions, more experience and an efficient two person team made for smoother ascent. However, I still almost didn't make it," says Bagshaw.

"Climbing Denali is one of the hardest things I have ever done twice. The route we climbed isn't particularly technical and I'm not a great climber. However, the mountain is big and cold. Setting the goal and then preparing for and experiencing everything it takes to live, survive and reach the summit in that harsh environment made it an enormously powerful and rewarding experience, both times."

Gripped perpetually by subfreezing temperatures and cloaked by five massive glaciers, the world famous mountain known as Denali ("the Great One") beckons intrepid mountaineers from around the world. With a summit peak that is 20,320 feet above sea level, Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) is the highest peak in North America. An aspect that is painfully evident to climbers is that the peak rises 18,000 feet from its base (which is 6,000 feet more than Everest rises above its base, the Tibetan Plateau). There is also a higher risk of altitude illness for climbers than its altitude would otherwise suggest, due to its high latitude. It all adds up to a long and merciless climb to reach the summit, where climbers can encounter temperatures as low as -100 degrees below freezing.

The first ascent of the main summit of McKinley came on June 7, 1913 by a party led by Hudson Stuck. The first man to reach the summit was Walter Harper, an Alaska Native. Harry Karstens and Robert Tatum also made the summit. Tatum later commented, "The view from the top of Mount McKinley is like looking out the windows of Heaven!"

The mountain is regularly climbed today, with just over 50% of the expeditions successful, although it is still a dangerous undertaking. By 2003, the mountain had claimed the lives of nearly 100 mountaineers.

Says Sean of his outdoor endeavors, "I have spent a good portion of my life pursuing adventure in the wilderness and experiencing as much of the world as I can through travel. Even as a kid, climbing and backpacking in the Sierras and Cascades, and traveling to the West Indies and China instilled in me a passion for exploring the world not just as a spectator but as a participant. I began taking photographs about 15 years ago to document my adventures. I seem to have a need for artistic outlet, but I can't sit still long enough to complete a painting and the process of creative writing is painful for me.

"I capture my images with digital SLR cameras. To maintain my experience as a participant in my adventures I often only bring along a single camera body and one lens secured in a chest harness allowing me the freedom to hike, mountain bike, climb and ski.

"The more I learn to recognize unique moments and patterns through the lens the more I am able to produce images that are not merely documentary, but have the added qualities of being compelling to the mind and pleasing to the eye. One goal that I have for my photographs is to include unexpected and yet natural elements that surprise and perhaps even confuse.

Award winning Ashland, OR photographer, Sean Bagshaw's vivid adventure and nature photographs can be viewed at his website: http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com, where information on his adventures can be obtained along with directions for ordering custom color prints(http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/photoblog/events/244/).

This program is presented by the Mt. Shasta Trail Association. Admission is by donation at the door, and guests are encouraged to have dinner at The Stage Door previous to the program.

Stage Door Coffee House, 414 N. Mt. Shasta Blvd.
Wednesday evening, March 4th, 7pm.
More information: 926-5966
Outdoor Exposure Photo Blog - http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/photoblog/

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In 2001 Sean Bagshaw started Outdoor Exposure Photography (http://www,outdoorexposurephotography.com) so he could share his images with a much broader audience. Outdoor Exposure Photography now provides a range of photographic services including selling fine art prints(http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/photoblog/category/newest-fine-art-prints/), image licensing, architectural and assignment photography(http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/Posters_and_More/). Sean’s prints are featured in a growing number of private and commercial collections, art shows and galleries.
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