In 1913, four men made a months-long journey by dog sled to the base of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, hoping to succeed where every other expedition had failed. Braving subzero temperatures and hurricane-force winds, 50-year-old Episcopal priest Hudson Stuck led divinity student Robert Tatum, veteran wilderness guide Harry Karstens, and Walter Harper of the Koyukon people, on a determined quest to be the first to set foot on top of Denali. It is a story that spans the continent, and here Patrick Dean brings to life the spellbinding feat of this first ascent and paints a rich portrait of the frontier at the turn of the 20th century.