The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-08-03
PLANS TO SCALE
MT. M'K|NLEY
Miss Keen, Of Philadelphia, viii
Attempt The Feat.
pER|LOUS PEAK TO ASCEND,

Many Explorers Have Been Baff|ed by
the Climb to Be Undertaken by Wo-
man-Said to Have Found New
Route to the Summit.
Miss Dora Keen, daughter of DR.. w.
W. Keen of Philadelphia, who has
won the reputation Of being one Of
the greatest women mountain climbers
Of the world, is preparing an expedi-
lion for the attempt at the scaling Of
Mount Mckinley, Alaska. which is
universally recognized as one of the
hardest peaks in the world to climb.
If Miss Keen accomplishes this feat
she will have greatly added to her rep
utation as a mountain climber and
will be probably rated as the equal Of
Miss Anna Peck, now regarded as the
premier woman mountain scaler
Many Attempts Made.
Mount Mckinley is the peak which
DR.. Cook declared he had surmounted,
but whose claims were disallowed.
The attempt to climb it has been made
many scores Of times by the best Of
mountaineers, but so far only one
party has been credited with having
reached the top.
A party Of the most expert climbers
that made the attempt last year climb
ed more than 1900 feet with the great
est difficulty, and then found above
them still 1000 feet Of the peak ex-
tending upward in what they describ-
ed as an almost perpendicular wall Of
ice.
All Of this, however, offers no. dis
enlargement to Miss Keen, but makes
her the more determined to accomplish
the feat. She will have to carry a
large amount Of supplies of all kinds
with which to establish stations along
the route which can be used as safe
retreats in case of necessity She
is said to have in her party three Of
the most reliable and expert of the
Swiss guides whom she brought to-
America with her to assist in this. ex-
petition and also Il number of Alas
kans who have taken part in previous,
attempts to climb this peak and know
much of its surface and character
istics.
Friends Of Miss Keen say that the
young woman has so thoroughly mas
tered the art of mountain climbing
and goes at her tasks in such mas
terly manner that she will scale Mount
Mckinley, if the feat is possible. Of
accomplishment.
Has Reputation.
For many summers past Miss Keen
has nsade her headquarters in Switzer-
land, attacking and conquering the
most lofty and dangerous peaks of the
Swiss ranges. She has scaled; Mont.
Blanc number of times and has sue
ceeded in ascending the Matter1orn
from practically every side. 4 feat
rarely accomplished by one climber
She has become such an expert in her
work., and is so well known in Switzer-
land that the very best and most ex-
perienced of the guides invariably
make her one Of their party when
there are strange slopes to explore or
new paths to be discovered She has
the reputation of being most quick Of
perception in discovering a possible
passage, and has several times foundt
an available climbing route when the
professional guides were about to, de-
clare further search and effort useless.
She climbs for the sheer love Of it,
which possibly accounts largely for
her great success.
If she succeeds in reaching the top
Of Mount Mckinley it will be a feat
Of mountain climbing which probably
has never been surpassed and will al
once attract the attention of the entire
world. It is said that in her: prelinri-
nary explorations Of the peak she and
her companions have discovered new
route apparently leading to che sum-
NIT which has never yet been tried.
and that it is by this new and un-
known route the effort to reachL the
top Of the world will be made.