Stuff You Missed In History Class

Episode: Walter Harper and the Summiting of Denali, Part 2

Release Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Holly Frey & Tracy V. Wilson
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode, the second part on Walter Harper and the 1913 expedition to summit Denali (then known as Mount McKinley), delivers a richly detailed retelling of the expedition led by Hudson Stuck, with a spotlight on Walter Harper—the first person to reach Denali’s summit. The hosts, Tracy and Holly, cover the grueling challenges, unexpected disasters, personal dynamics, and Harper’s later tragic end, while giving historical perspective to the Alaskan wilderness, early mountaineering, and the lives/legacies of the expedition members.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Makeup and Method of the Expedition

• Expedition Members:
  • Walter Harper
  • Hudson Stuck (funded expedition, leader)
  • Harry Karstens (planner, field leader)
  • Robert Tatum
  • John Fredson
• Logistics: Each day, three men scouted and marked the trail with willow shoots, typically led by Harper and Karstens, while the other two moved gear with sled dogs.
  • Stuck credited Harper for his morale-boosting presence and endurance (03:30):

    “He took gleefully to high mountaineering, while his kindliness and invincible amiability endeared him to every member of the party.”

• Advance Warning: Tracy notes Harper’s death was “sudden and tragic and at a very early age," preparing listeners for an emotional turn (03:08).

2. Dangers and Hardships on Muldrow Glacier

• The terrain became increasingly hazardous; after sending a party member, Esayas George, back with a dog team, smaller sleds had to be maneuvered over or around obstacles.
• Crevasses were the major hidden danger—often only detected by subtle signs in the snow, and often completely invisible in poor light.
  • Stuck's chilling description (05:12):

    “Every step of the way up the glacier was sounded by a long pole... The open crevasses were not the dangerous ones. The whole glacier was crisscrossed by crevasses completely covered with snow... In the half light of cloudy and misty weather, these signs failed and there was no safety but in the ceaseless prodding of the pole.”

• Notable Incident: Lead dog Snowball fell through a snow bridge; Harper braved a rope descent for the rescue (06:12).

3. A Catastrophic Fire (07:27 - 10:12)

• Exhaustion led the team to camp at a cache; a discarded match set fire to precious supplies.
• Quote from Stuck (08:00):

  “All our sugar was gone, all our powdered milk, all our baking powder, our prunes, raisins and dried apples, most of our tobacco, a case of pilot bread, a sack of woolen socks and gloves, another sack full of photographic films—all were burned. Most fortunately, the food provided especially for the high mountain work had not yet been taken to the cache... But it was a great blow to us and involved considerable delay at a very unfortunate time.”

• They lost most food and their main camera—documentation would depend on Harper's simpler one.

4. Innovative Survival and Resourcefulness

• Adapted to discomfort by building a snow block supply structure, making tent floors from crate wood, covering with caribou/sheep hides (10:12–10:50).
• Makeshift gear repair and improvisation: Karstens made socks out of his sleeping bag lining; efforts to keep dry and protect from constant damp.

5. The Earthquake-Transformed Terrain (14:13–16:31)

• Previous expeditions’ reports turned out misleading; in 1912, a massive earthquake had shattered the Denali landscape, leaving a jumble of rocks and ice.
• Realization: Had the earlier party not turned back, they likely would have been killed (15:29).

6. Three Weeks of Stair-Carving and Endurance

• The party spent weeks carving “stairs” into miles of hazardous ice to bypass the earthquake's destruction—Harper and Karstens shouldered most of the load (16:31–17:36).
• Supplies dwindled: they ran out of sugar, affecting morale and diet; they ran low on wood for cooking and warmth (17:36).

7. The Final Push and Summit Day

• Reached a new high camp, occupying a tiny, crowded tent (“if one of them wanted to turn over, they all had to agree to do it at once”—20:10).
• Harper’s only criticized move: making undercooked flour noodles as a stew thickener, getting everyone but himself sick (23:16).
• Summit bid began June 7, 1913, at 3AM, amidst altitude sickness, pain, and extreme cold.
• Memorable moment (23:52–25:19):

  “Walter was the only one feeling entirely himself. So Walter was put in the lead and in the lead he remained all day.”

  “Walter, who had been in the lead all day, was the first to scramble up. A native Alaskan, he is the first human being to set foot upon the top of Alaska's great mountain, and he had well earned the lifelong distinction.”

• Brief prayer and flag-raising on the summit: "so soon as wind was recovered, we shook hands all round, and a brief prayer of thanksgiving to Almighty God was that he had granted us our heart's desire and brought us safely to the top of his great mountain." (26:01–26:18)

8. The Descent and Aftermath

• Rushed down amid thawing conditions, risking new dangers to relieve a waiting John Fredson at base camp (29:26–31:33).
• Fredson’s loyalty: saved sugar for the returning team (31:33):

  “There are not many boys of 15 or 16 of any race who would voluntarily have done the like.”

• Reported their success from Chena; Stuck refused to sensationalize the expedition for the press (31:49–32:20).

The Later Life and Death of Walter Harper

9. Harper’s Short but Impactful Life (32:20–38:21)

• Attended Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts but struggled academically and felt homesick.
• Returned to Alaska for more missionary work and tutoring—long-term plan: attend medical school and serve his people.
• Met and became engaged to missionary nurse Frances Wells.
• Faced with the possibility of military service in WWI.
• Married Frances in 1918. Shortly after, the couple boarded the SS Princess Sophia for travel to Philadelphia.
• Tragedy: The Princess Sophia struck a reef and sank; both Walter and Frances died, along with all other passengers (38:21).
  • Only survivor: a dog who swam to shore (38:21).
• Grave marked by a moving Bible passage:

  “They were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in their death they were not divided. 2 Samuel 1:23.” (38:42–39:30)

10. The Legacy of the Expedition Members (39:30–42:34)

• Hudson Stuck deeply mourned Harper, dedicating his book A Winter Circuit of Our Arctic to him.
• Harper referenced far more in Stuck’s later works.
• Memorial fund honored Frances with a solarium for tubercular care.
• Stuck died in 1920; Karstens became Denali National Park’s first superintendent; Tatum became a priest; Fredson became a leader in Native political and linguistic work.
• Reflection on Harper’s lost potential for leadership among the Koyukon Athabaskan people.

11. 20th–21st Century Recognition

• In 2013, Talkeetna Ranger Station was renamed to honor Walter Harper.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Harper’s leadership and morale:

  “He took gleefully to high mountaineering, while his kindliness and invincible amiability endeared him to every member of the party.” —Hudson Stuck, quoted by Tracy (03:30)

• Describing glacier danger:

  “The open crevasses were not the dangerous ones... In the half light... there was no safety but in the ceaseless prodding of the pole.” —Stuck, read by Tracy (05:12)

• After the summit:

  "Walter, who had been in the lead all day, was the first to scramble up. A native Alaskan, he is the first human being to set foot upon the top of Alaska's great mountain, and he had well earned the lifelong distinction." —Stuck, quoted by Tracy (25:19)

• Solemn tribute on Harper and Frances’s grave:

  “They were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in their death they were not divided.” —Gravestone / 2 Samuel 1:23 (38:42)

• On John Fredson saving sugar:

  “There are not many boys of 15 or 16 of any race who would voluntarily have done the like.” —Stuck, quoted by Tracy (31:33)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:50–04:25]: Introduction; expedition structure; note on Harper’s impending tragic death
• [04:25–07:27]: Glacier travel, hazards, and rescue of Snowball the dog
• [07:27–10:12]: Fire destroys crucial supplies, consequences for documentation
• [14:13–16:31]: Earthquake-altered terrain, historic context
• [16:31–21:27]: Weeks of stair-carving, supply shortages
• [23:16–25:19]: Final ascent, summit reached, Harper leads and is first atop Denali
• [29:26–32:20]: Return to base, Fredson’s stewardship, expedition reporting
• [32:20–38:21]: Harper’s post-expedition life, marriage, Princess Sophia tragedy
• [39:30–42:34]: Legacies of Stuck, Fredson, Karstens, and Tatum
• [42:34–43:10]: 21st-century recognitions

Episode Tone & Style

• Language: Narrative, respectful, direct; blends quote-heavy history with warm commentary and asides.
• Hosts’ Tone: Alternately factual, admiring, and sometimes wry—especially when discussing discomforts, disasters, or the expectations of sensationalism in historical reporting.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode offers both a thrilling account of historical adventure and a moving homage to an under-remembered Alaskan Native explorer. Walter Harper’s story is personal, tragic, and inspirational—foregrounded by the achievements and difficulties faced by a diverse group of mountaineers in the face of one of the earth’s most formidable natural obstacles. The narrative adds dimension to early 20th-century exploration, Indigenous history, and the legacies rippling through the generations.

Note:
This summary excludes ad breaks, promotional material, and closing remarks unrelated to the main discussion.