Can a complete mountaineering novice-a relatively in-shape guy or girl-start from scratch, take a field course, and determine whether their ten-year-long dream of climbing 20,320-foot Denali is in their future? To answer this question, Doug Fine enrolled in a seven-day Expedition Primer course with the Alaska Mountain Guides and Climbing School based in Haines, Alaska. The classroom? The gorgeous Chilkat Mountains that range between Southeast Alaska and Canada's Yukon territory.
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