Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters » (1st Edition)

James M. Tabor, a former contributing editor to Outside, attempted Mount McKinley and summitted Mount Sanford. He hosted the PBS series The Great Outdoors and cocreated the History Channel series Journey to the Center of the World. He lives in Waitsfield, Vermont.

Winner of the 2007 Banff Mountain Festival Book Awards Grand Prize (The Phyllis & Don Munday Award): "A riveting account of a long-ago mountaineering disaster."—Time

Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction     xv
Cast of Characters     xxi
Prologue: Sharp End of the Dream     3
Approach
Realms of Myth     11
For Want of a Wrist     21
Fool's Gold     25
Ire of the Mountain King     37
Clash at Cougar Rock     48
Ascent
The Long Road North     63
Lone Man Walking     76
Divided We Falter     86
Friktion     94
Pictures of an Expedition     108
Terras Incognitas     113
Summit Conference     125
Blowup     134
Odd Man Up     141
Accident
Just One More Wand     163
Last Words     179
We Will Live to Tell Stories     188
Where Is the Cavalry?     193
A Most Unusual Storm     205
Where Death Has No Meaning     213
Mixed Messages     222
Some Will Die     241
Hard Men Indeed     244
Crossing the River     251
Far Too Little, Way Too Late     258
We Cannot Look at Him     263
And Two Make Three     282
One Hell of a Good Story     289
Aftermath
Hanging Jury     297
Memorable Quotes     313
Summit and ANAM     318
Just a Publicity Stunt     327
Crossing the Line     334
Remaking History     338
Twisting in the Wind     344
Survivors     350
Author's Note     371
Recommended Reading     373
Photograph Credits     375
Index     377
Maps
Alaska & Mt. McKinley / Denali     8-9
Mount McKinley, Alaska / Route of the Wilcox Expedition     84-85
1967 Tragedy Area: Camp VII to Summit     233