The Seventymile Kid: The Lost Legacy Of Harry Karstens And The
First Ascent Of Mount McKinley  Turn-of-the-century Alaska was a
harsh, demanding, and yet exhilarating place, a landscape that
didn't suffer greenhorns. Nineteen-year-old Harry Karstens
thrust himself into this setting in 1897 to join the Gold Rush,
and went on to cast a long shadow in the state's history, and
not just because of his role in summiting Mount McKinley.
Though the book's title hones in on the story of Karstens and
his role in that first successful ascent of the 20,320-foot
mountain Alaskans refer to as Denali, author Tom Walker has
crafted an adventure story that reads a bit like a Jack London
novel. But this story isn't fiction.  Rather, it's a story of
how young Karstens, fleeing from a bitter fight with his older
brother in Chicago, wound up in Alaska to seek his fortune.
Fortune he did find, but not in golden ore. While Karstens spent
more than a little time prospecting, it was regular work driving
a dog sled hundreds of miles