Chasing Denali: The Sourdoughs, Cheechakos, and Frauds behind the Most Unbelievable Feat in Mountaineering

by Jonathan Waterman

The history of mountaineering began on Denali with the legendary story of four gold miners (called "Sourdoughs" because they carried sourdough starter with them at all times) who claimed to have summited after climbing more than 8,000 feet of steep snow and ice, then back down again--all in a single and incredibly dangerous day in 1910. Lugging a 25-pound, 14-foot flagpole to mark their success, they took on North America's highest peak using sheet metal crampons, coal shovels, hatchets, and alpenstocks to balance their way up the mountain. Was the expedition a success or a hoax? Denali climber Jon Waterman brings this colorful mountaineering mystery to life.

Genres: History, Adventure

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2018

Reviews

[Roxie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not simply that I enjoyed meeting Jon Waterman at a reading at the Tattered Cover Aspen Grove, hearing him discuss what urged him to begin his trek up Denali in the footsteps of the four men (called Sourdoughs for reasons you will read in the book) who said they completed the climb in 1910 wearing home sewn, mattress ticking coats, fur moccasins, carrying hand axes, and no ropes, but it is also that the book's cover with its luminous picture of the mountain grabs you by the eyes, the sub title twangs your curiosity, and the smooth, well laid out, almost casual writing style, which reads more like a private conversation about family legends, true and untrue, rather than a highly detailed, deeply researched, sterile reportage of personal and historic events, weave a completely satisfying read, with two unsolved mysteries for the price of one!

Jon's broad knowledge of the history of Alaska, his personal experience in mountaineering, and his intimate knowledge of treading the snow and breathing the air of Denali itself, combined with his wondering whether he himself could make yet another climb to the peak as he neared his sixtieth birthday, color and parallel the puzzling tale of the four Sourdough climbers. The skepticism about both achievements is ripe and full throughout the read, both in Jon's writing, and in the reader's mind. The almost hilarious details about the rivelries among other early climbers wanting to debunk any claim the Sourdoughs had for reaching the peak are a riot to read. Egos abounded, as did ridiculous plans on mastering the mountain by age old, time wasting, cumbersome methods. The Sourdoughs offered advice, and even some sourdough starter to some who doubted them. Fools, all...ignoring the advice, spilling the sourdough, failing to find their way. Who knew so many would want a piece of the glory? The Alaskans always came out ahead, it would seem.

READ THIS! It will resolve any questions you might have about a one hundred eight year old mystery, and it will clarify how far one man was able to go to prove himself to himself. You will not regret you picked up this book! You may even find yourself, as I did, pulling on your boots, and hiking down the street, imagining yourself atop your biggest challenge - fist up, heart pumping, one with the air you breathe!

*** ***

P.S. I still call it Mt. McKinley...climbing it was once the goal of those of us who worked at McKinley Mortgage Co (named for the mountain, and now long defunct) back in the 80s, well before my own 60th birthday. Now, I'll simply enjoy Jon Waterman's viewpoint.

[Miles Rasmussen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting description of a legendary tale. I found the plot to lose my interest and it left a lot to be desired. I did like however, the author's descriptions of the landscapes and journey's in the Alaskan tundra. A good example of this style of description comes in the form of this quote “This sluggish, thirty-four-mile-long, frozen river of ice groaned and cracked and bulldozed against its shoreline of towering peaks. It had done so, they knew, since long before humankind had seen the mountain.” Pg.44. It helps to paint the picture of grandeur and beauty of the setting. I also like the figurative language used to describe the scenery.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

For those of us interested in adventure, but not very knowledgeable about climbers or the mountains they climb, this book seems a bit hard to follow. Maps of the climbing routes would have been very helpful. I tried to find online maps of Denali to help me follow the stories, but they were impossible for me to find - in enough detail to be able to understand the climbs. The lack of maps ruined this reading experience for me.

[Jean Dupenloup · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, well-researched account of one of mountaineering’s most stunning feats.
The book tells the story of the Sourdoughs, four gold miners who, with no prior climbing experience, managed to haul a 14-foot flagpole to Denali’s unclimbed second summit (and lesser of the two.)
The reason? To win a bet with the locals.
This tale of daring-do and optimism verging on the naïve is a fine addition to the written history of North America’s highest peak.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the information was interesting, I think the author could have presented it in a more compelling way. He spent most of the book harboring doubt on the early climbs up Denali but did not present his evidence "proving" that one of the disputed climbs actually happened until the last few pages of the book.

[Jeff Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great quick read, and it really delved into some of the myths surrounding the first ascents of Denali. There was a good balance of looking at everything that could have been possible, and still not simply accepting the stories as fact.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was interesting but got lost and bored (frankly) with some of the details and history. I sped read the historical parts - too many names. And annoyingly I had to look up a few words - just use ‘nickname’…

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but a little hard to follow.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult read--all over the place.

[Carol Pryanovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much more to this story

[SJC · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was confusing at points- i thought several times he proclaimed that they did climb it, or, did not, only to realize a page later that he was still building a mystery. I think this is one of those examples where someone has a compelling magazine article and they have written full length books in the past that have done fairly well and so they pitch it for a full length book but there isn’t much more to the story and the characters were never developed enough (because they didn’t climb for glory or notoriety so we just don’t know that much about them), so then he decided to climb Denali which was interesting but again he tried to create more mystery then there likely actually was and it seemed like he just wanted to go up Denali again rather than solve a mystery. why didn’t he attempt to follow their route to look for any signs of the 14’ log they carried up? In the end, the takeaway seems to be that people were just more hearty back then than people today who only deal with hardship and toil recreationally.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good book by Waterman, but not quite the page turner that I experienced with “In the Shadow of Denali”. This book was a bit confusing with peoples names, dates, different expeditions, and mountain route references I had no knowledge of. I found myself wanting a map and an org chart to decipher. From a historical perspective I did learn some new things!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter is interesting, but the writing is only ok. I am, however, inspired to bring donuts along on my next adventure.