As the day approached when we would rendezvous in Fairbanks, Alaska, we all carefully made plans for what would most certainly be an arduous trek into a very remote region.
Brooks Range Passage by David Cooper was must-read prep.
Mr. Cooper took on legendary proportions among our crew as a living symbol of “Perimeter Man” – rugged individuals who lived on the very edge of civilization. The two peaks on the left we called “The Twin Sisters” or even “The Twisted Sisters” when the mood was struck us. They are also called The Maidens by some. On August 24th Dave, Craig and I climbed the left, or East Maiden and Dave and I climbed the right, or West Maiden. Click to enlarge.
As the hour loomed when I was to hop on the Alaska Air flight to Fairbanks from LAX, I could feel the gravity of what we were attempting to do gather in my mind:
“I had no idea what the climbing [would be] like. As I sipped a Beck’s in the [airport] cafe, I could hardly read “The Hollow Hills.” I had been day-dreaming about this for some time. I had bought 2 new duffles to carry all the excese [sic] gear. I wondered how we could carry it all – especially the dreaded 1st day (11 miles no trail)“. Journal August 15, 1986
