1932 Lindley-Liek Expedition Featured in Denali's 1913 Centennial Speaker Series

Date: July 8, 2013
Contact: Kris Fister, [phone]

DENALI PARK, Alaska: On Friday, July 12 retired National Park Service cultural anthropologist Jane Bryant will introduce a 40-minute narrated film of the 1932 Lindley-Liek Expedition. While not as well-known as others, this expedition made significant accomplishments. Theirs was the second summit of the south peak, the first since the 1913 Stuck-Karstens expedition, and the first successful ascent of both summits in one expedition. The use of skis for climbing on the mountain was also pioneered during this expedition.

The film, which is also the first filmed footage of a Mt. McKinley climb, features expedition members Park Superintendent Harry Liek, Park Ranger Grant Pearson, AlfredLindley, who organized the climb, and ski enthusiast Erling Strom. Lindley produced a silent film from the footage, and the recorded narration by Grant Pearson was recently added.

It was through Bryant's initiative that the old film footage was digitally restored and Pearson'snarration paired to it. She has lived in the area and worked in a variety of positions for over 40 years. Her interest in collecting and preserving aspects of the park's history, and the desire to pass on this knowledge to others led to the development of Snapshots from the Past: A Roadside History of Denali National Park and Preserve. Her book captures the human history of sites along the park road, as well as changes in the landscape that have taken place over the years, through photographs, detailed maps, and engaging tales. It will be available at a book signing immediately after the presentation.

Upcoming presentations:

Friday, August 9 - Mountaineer and retired Denali State Park ranger Dave Johnston will do a slide presentation on his winter mountaineering experiences on Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker. Johnston made history by being part of the expedition to make the first winter ascent of Mt. McKinley on February 28, 1967. He, Art Davidson, and Ray Genet battled high winds, massive snowfall, and brutal temperatures to reach the summit. On the descent they endured additional hardships, as a storm with calculated wind-chill temperatures of -148 degrees kept the team trapped in an ice cave for six days.

Friday, August 23 - Dr. Terrence Cole, Professor of History and Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will speak about the Sourdough Expedition of 1910, which on April 3 became the first to reach the north peak of Mt. McKinley. This group of four gold miners challenged the peak with the most rudimentary gear and no technical climbing experience. They set out in order to disprove explorer Frederick Cook's claim of reaching the summit in 1906 and demonstrate that Alaskans could outdo the exploits of any "easterners".

The speaker series schedule and information about other components of the 1913 Centennial Celebration are on the park's website at www.nps.gov/dena.

Additional park information is also available on the web at www.nps.gov/dena or by calling 907-683-9532 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. Stay connected with "DenaliNPS" on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and iTunes – links to these social media sites are available at www.nps.gov/dena/connect.htm.

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