Alaska Climate and Aviation Podcast · Katie Writer

Denali Mountain Guide~Brian McCullough~Stories & Observations of Climate Change

·28 min·1 clip

Brian McCullough describes skiing 12 miles through a December storm to reach a crashed plane on Denali.

1. The Alaska Climate and Aviation Podcast examines Brian McCullough's climbing career and climate observations in Alaska's Alaska Range. 2. Host Katie interviews McCullough, a longtime Alaska Range mountain guide who also operates Out of the Wild Inn and has participated in Park Service rescues. 3. The conversation asks what four or five decades of climbing, guiding, flying, and living near Talkeetna reveal about environmental change. 4. McCullough began backpacking with his father, took a climbing class in Yosemite National Park at age 14, and climbed El Capitan's first pitch with prussic knots. 5. He moved to Talkeetna the day after graduating high school in 1977, after taking up ice climbing in California's Palisades at age 16. 6. At age 21, McCullough climbed Mount Huntington by the French Ridge and descended the east side in what he calls one of his most dangerous climbs. 7. McCullough names Arthur Mannix and Lance Leslie as early Alaska climbing companions and recalls flying with Jay Hudson or Cliff Hudson to remote glaciers. 8. A landing near Mount Russell exposed McCullough's group to unclimbed peaks, followed by their second ascent of Mount Russell's North Ridge. 9. On Ruth Glacier, McCullough observes extensive fresh rock and says Misho's Rock changed from a skiable peak into a vertical cliff after the glacier dropped over 100 feet. 10. McCullough says Talkeetna has fewer small songbirds than before, while eagles, ravens, and magpies remain prominent. 11. He reports that earlier spring snowmelt can make plants green before migrating birds arrive to eat seeds and other food. 12. McCullough recalls thousands or tens of thousands of ducks appearing in Alaska during a winter storm and frozen ducks being found beside a highway. 13. He says visitors to Out of the Wild Inn often seek Denali, the northern lights, moose, and dog sledding rather than conversations about climate change. 14. McCullough contrasts regulated cruise, train, and bus tourism with independent travelers who rent cars, fish, raft, fly, and visit Chena Hot Springs. 15. He explains that Talkeetna sits around 300 feet above sea level while Denali rises more than 20,000 feet nearby, creating a large elevation contrast. 16. McCullough bought a Mobile Dimension sawmill at age 21, brought it to Talkeetna, and used barter and remote milling to acquire property and building materials. 17. A December aircraft crash near Hilton Pass led McCullough and five others to ski 12 miles through deep snow toward a Cessna 185 at roughly 10,000 feet. 18. The rescue account includes improvised stove equipment, two people surviving the crash initially, and pilot Ed Homer later climbing Denali without feet. 19. Katie and McCullough use a conversational interview format that moves between mountaineering history, wildlife observations, tourism, construction, and rescue work. 20. Outdoor climbers, Alaska travelers, and listeners interested in field-based climate observations will find the episode most relevant.

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