Denali Tag

Alaska, Climate Change, Commentary, Denali, Destinations, Essays, National Geographic, National Parks, Public Land, The Arctic, Uncategorized, We are the Arctic / 24.07.2023

Just over 10 years since my first trip to Alaska’s Denali National Park, I stood near the Mountain Vista Trailhead searching through the clouds. I knew that somewhere in the distance stood a snow-covered peak whose summit stands as the highest point in North America. The horizon line loomed as a field of pale grey light behind a vast expanse of a deep green alpine tundra. The landscape was dotted with a few tall spruce trees scattered sporadically in a low-elevation taiga forest. Beautiful, but not what I...

Destinations, Diversity, Essays, Latino Conservation Week, Latino Outdoors, National Geographic, National Parks, Public Land, The Arctic, The Joy Trip Reading Project / 19.07.2023

After several days of exploring Alaska’s Denali National Park, we’re heading south toward Kenai Fjords. As the resident National Park Expert, I have the great privilege of accompanying a group of environmentally conscious travelers for National Geographic Expeditions. Over the last decade, I’ve enjoyed many other trips to this remarkable place in hopes of encouraging others to follow. By sharing ourtransformational experiences in nature, we aim to build a more diverse constituency of park advocates. Throughout this same period, a wonderful organization called Latino Outdoors has proven to...

#BlackLivesMatter, #ORShow, #ORSummer, An American Ascent, Art, Black Lives Matter, Commentary, Diversity, Expedition Denali, Outdoor Retailer, Special Events / 05.08.2021

One Day One of the first annual Big Gear Show in Park City Utah, I had the great privilege of presenting to the outdoor recreation industry a commemorative portrait of Charles Madison Crenchaw, the first Black climber to reach the summit of North America’s tallest mountain, Denali. This original painting by the artist Lamont Joesph White celebrates the enduring legacy of an American mountaineer. On July 9, 1964 Charles Madison Crenchaw ascended to the highest physical point on the continent of North America. Just seven days after the...

Alaska, Environmental Journalism, Expedition Denali, National Parks / 10.05.2017

[caption id="attachment_2064288" align="alignright" width="689"] Randy Luskey, Mark Berry, Tyhree Moore and Mick Wang[/caption] [dropcap]Y[/dropcap]oung mountaineer Tyrhee Moore is heading back to Alaska for another attempt to summit the highest peak in North America, Denali! After an unsuccessful bid in 2013 he’s returning to climb with a small team of avid adventurers in hopes of encouraging youth across the nation to ascend the heights of their most ambitious aspirations. “It’s just really important to me that I show kids like me that anything is possible,” Tyrhee said just before his departure....

5Point, Adventure Media Review, Film Review, mountainfilm / 09.06.2015

[caption id="attachment_2063083" align="aligncenter" width="610"] ©2015 Ben Moon collectionbenmoon.com[/caption] There is nothing in life more profound than the love of a dog. Without condition they give us more affection and devotion than we could ever return. They are empathic, compassionate, loyal and kind. And despite our less noble character they seem to derive their greatest joy just to be in our company. The mind of a dog is a curious thing. But if we could only imagine their thoughts and give voice to those behaviors we adore so much, we...

Adventure Media Review, Diversity, Environmental Justice, Expedition Denali, National Parks / 01.09.2014

Fifty years ago this summer in 1964 Charles Madison Crenchaw became the first African-American to climb to the summit of Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America. Also known as Denali this peak represents the highest physical point that anyone can achieve in this country. And as metaphor of freedom, this seminal moment in history beautifully illustrates the references to mountains alluded to in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. "This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to...