Talkeetna Ranger Station marks name change Wednesday

TALKEETNA — It took an act of Congress, but the Talkeetna Ranger Station will officially be renamed during a ceremony Wednesday in honor of Athabascan Walter Harper, the first person to reach the summit of Denali on June 7, 1913, as a member of the Stuck-Karstens Expedition.

Maureen Gualtieri, public information officer at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski sponsored multi-faceted legislation in 2013 called the “Denali National Park Improvement Act” that, among other things, changed the name of the Talkeetna Ranger Station to the “Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station” in his honor.

Sen. Murkowski, Denali National Park and Preserve Superintendent Don Striker and others are scheduled to attend a renaming ceremony at 2 p.m., Wednesday.

Also scheduled to participate are Harper’s great nephew, Mike Harper; Harper’s great grandnephew Dana Wright, who also summited Denali June 28, 2013, with other descendants of the 1913 Stuck-Karstens Expedition; and Bishop Mark Lattime, Episcopal Diocese of Alaska, who also took part in the centennial climb.

Supporting mountaineering operations

Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station’s primary purpose is to manage the south district of Denali National Park, primarily mountaineering operations, Gualtieri said.

In any given year, there are 10 to 15 rangers on staff, skilled in emergency medicine, technical rope skills, and aviation short haul rescues, she said. The rangers are staged at multiple altitudes and locations on the mountain. During the peak of the season, a ranger also is stationed at base camp.

There is a medical camp located at 14,000 feet, which includes volunteer climbers, doctors and paramedics. If there is a medical emergency, this is the tent where the sick or injured climber will receive first response treatment.

“We have a pretty amazing team here. The team is impressive in nature. Whether it’s aviation activities or strategic thinking on how to respond to a dangerous situation … it’s really impressive to watch, Gualtieri said. “We have a world-class team here. They are an honor to work with.”

Thus far this year, Rangers have responded to eight emergencies, including one fatality. She said Rangers respond to an average of 10 to 15 emergencies each climbing season.

The current facility was built in 1997 with mountaineering operations in mind. The Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station issues permits for all the climbers of Denali and conducts orientations for all climbers before they head out. Mountaineers are required to register two months in advance. This year there are 1,205.

“The vast majority … will come in late April and finish their climbs in mid-July. The last few teams of the season are checking in now,” Gualtieri said. “This will be the last wave of climbers going up.”

Records of attempts to summit Denali date back to 1903. It would be 10 years of failed attempts before the Stuck-Karstens Expedition tasted success.