Book Review | A Window to Heaven

BOOK REVIEW A Window to Heaven By Patrick Dean

Reviewed by Aimee Newsom Alumni Relations Coordinator

Hudson Stuck’s photo of his team prior to the ascent. A Window to Heaven

There is something about mountaineering that catches the imagination of experienced climbers and armchair travelers alike. As a casual backpacker, I found Patrick Dean’s A Window to Heaven to be an enjoyable escape into high elevation without the real-life fuss of crampons and ice axes. Hardcore explorers and history fans will also find plenty to enjoy in this impressively researched story of the first ascent of Denali.

Part adventure tale, part historical narrative, A Window to Heaven describes the lives and journeys of the first four men to successfully scale North America’s high point in 1913. Despite reading numerous mountaineering memoirs and history books in the past, I was not familiar with expedition leader Hudson Stuck’s name or background, but I was glad to learn more about this 50-year-old Episcopal priest and his unlikely crew.

The backstory leading to an actual dayby-day account of the Denali expedition takes up nearly half the book, with several brief flash-forwards interjected to keep us looking forward to the climb itself. All but the most enthusiastic history buffs and biography lovers may find this lead-in a bit arduous, but it is worth a reader’s perseverance. It provides important context, as well as a glimpse behind the cultural curtain of Hudson Stuck’s tumultuous era.

Though not without his faults, Stuck stands out as a man ahead of his early 20th century time. With the help of personal journals and letters quoted throughout the book, we learn about Stuck’s equal passion for nature and Native Alaskan culture. Before setting foot on Denali, Stuck spent years hard at work building weather stations, hospitals, and libraries as the Episcopal Archdeacon of the Yukon and the Arctic.

Traveling thousands of miles by dogsled to visit remote outposts, he was known for combatting the mistreatment of Alaskan tribes by white prospectors, settlers, and fellow church members. Reading about his unusual commitment to multiculturalism and the preservation of Native Alaskan ways of life was both inspiring and surprising. The fact that his ideals made him highly unpopular in white circles but beloved by many tribespeople was also an interesting twist.

Striking out against popular exploration narratives of the time, which “glorified the heroic, solitary, white explorer—sometimes with a faithful Native assistant by his side,” British-born Hudson Stuck intentionally chose three Alaskan Natives as teammates for the climb. As Patrick Dean points out, “it is entirely possible that Hudson Stuck was the first to do what is commonplace today: seeking to climb a mountain or reach a pole specifically to draw attention to a cause.” That cause, in Stuck’s case, was the protection of indigenous traditions, language, and dignity at a time when all three were threatened.

There is real anticipation written into the description of Stuck’s team climbing higher into thin air, struggling with interpersonal tension and near-tragic mishaps on the flanks of Denali. It’s impossible not to love the descriptions of the archaic gear they carried and the unusual foods they ate. Graduates reading through a NOLS lens will also have plenty to consider about the dubious Leave No Trace habits of the time, Stuck’s sometimes-questionable leadership skills, and the often-shaky expedition behavior displayed by the entire team.

With A Window to Heaven, NOLS Outdoor Educator graduate and author Patrick Dean offers a rich and detailed look at Alaskan life, early mountaineering, and cultural complexities still present over 100 years later.

Aimee Newsom always chooses tea over coffee and never leaves home without a book. She loves exploring Wyoming with her husband and their Great Dane, Dunkin.

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