Denali's Howl

Having climbed North America’s highest peak 3 times, Denali’s Howl describes a horrific situation on a mountain I’m all too familiar with.

The weather patterns, distance, and size of Denali make it an unforgiving peak to climb. I couldn’t put this book down as Hall recounted the dire scenario the climbers went through resulting in tragedy.

No list like this would be complete without a great mountaineering book.

The story of North America’s deadliest climbing disaster, in 1967, serves as a reminder how quickly even well-planned adventure can turn into tragedy. Hall, the five-year-old son of the park's superintendent at the time of the events he describes, puts you squarely into the boots and onto the crampons of these mountaineers.

Having climbed Denali myself once, with a buddy, under atrocious conditions, this book again brought home the fact that small decisions can have unforseen, lethal consequences, especially on a mountain that brews its own weather.… show more.

Unlike my first pick, this book leans much more toward outright adventure. But because of the way the story unfolds, slowly at first and then building into an exciting crescendo, recounting the details of this terrible tragedy on North America’s tallest peak, it is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an exciting outdoor adventure. It is carefully researched, creating a thoroughly engrossing account of one of mountaineering's most controversial and heart-rendering tales. Hall’s narrative adeptly describes the leadup to what happened, and the fateful outcome, in all its excruciating detail.

I didn’t discover Denali’s Howl until after I’d written and published my book, and when I did, I was blown away. Hall is an impressive yet sensitive storyteller in his narration of the background leading up to, and the details of, this tragic mountain climbing incident. But what really grabbed me was the way this true story validated my fictional characters in terms of their behaviors, personalities, and decisions in the face of death and disaster. This book is a first-class introduction to the world of mountain climbing on Denali, and although climbing technology and practices have evolved since 1967,… show more.