‘Should I Not Return’ author to lecture at Mat-Su College April 25

Frontiersman Archive Apr 24, 2013

Bill Babcock, left, and brother Jeff on McKinley’s South Summit after locating some of the lost members of the Wilcox Party. Earlier, they had found another frozen body in a wind-shredded tent at the party’s 17,900-foot camp. Photo courtesy Gayle Nienhueser

MAT-SU — Former Mat-Su resident and author Jeff Babcock is back in the Valley for two weeks and has arranged a pair of book signing events and a public presentation on the book.

Babcock will sign copies of his book “Should I Not Return” from 1 to 6 p.m., April 25 at Fred Meyer’s in Palmer, and from 1 to 6 p.m., April 26 at the CARRS/Safeway store in Palmer.

He will give a multimedia presentation about the 1967 climbing disaster from 7 to 8:30 p.m., April 25 at Mat-Su College in the Fred and Sara Machantanz Building, Room 202.

The book is Babcock’s take on North American mountaineering’s worst climbing disaster, which took place on Denali. Jeff and his brother were on the rescue team that searched for seven missing climbers from the Joseph Wilcox Expedition, all of whom died on the mountain during a horrific nine-day storm.

Released in 2012, Babcock said the book is preparing for a second printing.

For more information, contact Babcock at jmbabcock@gci.net or (907) 232-4512, or visit shouldinotreturn.com.