On this day in 1910, Alaska's Mt. McKinley ~ also known by its Athabascan Native name Denali, meaning "High One" ~ the highest mountain in North America, was climbed for the first time. The expedition made its way up the 20,320 mountain, reaching the top of the North Peak.

No Mountain is an Island. Mt. McKinley is the highest mountain in North America. Unlike higher peaks in the greater Himalayas or in the Andes, which are part of huge mountain ranges, Mt. McKinley rises almost alone, 16,000 feet above the snowline. Only nearby Mt. Foraker comes close to its height.

Colder Than the Coldest Mountain... McKinley is also perhaps the coldest mountain in the world outside of Antarctica. Its height, latitude, and weather contribute to its climate. The summit is almost always below zero degrees; winds whip the peak constantly.

The Denali Legend. The Athabascans tell a story passed down from ancient ancestral hunters who believed they had discovered the secret of Denali. One summer evening, a group of hunters saw the sun as it dropped behind Denali's western slopes. A few hours later, the sun magically reappeared from the eastern sides of the mountain.

What They Said... The hunters returned to their village, where they told their chief, "Surely we found the home of the sun, as we saw with our own eyes the sun go into the mountain, and saw it leave its home in the morning."

A Geology Moment. Mt. McKinley is part of the Alaska Range. It was formed when the 600 mile-long Denali fault began to buckle and rise. Magma below the surface cooled into hard, crystalline granite. The granite was forced higher and higher, until Mt. McKinley peaked in North America. The peaks in the Alaska Range are not particularly high (between 7,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation) ~ less than half of McKinley's height.