To celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, my friends and I tried to summit our nation’s highest peak, Mount Logan, in the Yukon. At 19,551 feet, it’s the second-highest summit in North America. Only 759 feet shorter than Denali, Logan is the largest mountain on the planet by circumference and is protected by the world’s largest nonpolar ice fields. Best of all, it’s remote and crowd-free compared to Denali: Parks Canada listed only 53 climbers in the permit system for 2017.
Six of these climbers—our group, plus one solo Argentine—were on the mountain when a large earthquake and an even bigger storm hit the area on May 1, forcing a rescue of the Argentine climber, destroying part of our camp, and nearly thwarting our own summit dreams.
Due to the cold, altitude, and wicked weather, only half of those who attempt Mount Logan make it to the summit. We were fortunate enough to reach the top via the standard King’s Trench route after 15 days on the mountain.
Photo: Pro skier Chad Sayers, 38, braced against gale-force winds while trying to dig out the tent.