Hiking the High Line

Some of Bill Hurst’s earliest photos in the collection are from a climbing expedition in the Yukon in 1958. The Kluane region was largely unexplored at the time. The Alaska Highway had opened access to the Yukon. The term “highway”, was a bit of a stretch as much of the road was still unpaved.

Bill would join famed Yukon mountaineer and fellow hydrographer Monty Alford for an ascent of Mount Hoge, a 9,760 ft. peak located between the Donjeck and Duke Rivers. The mountain was named after Brigadier General William Hoge who oversaw the construction of the Yukon portion of the Alaska Highway in 1942 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Their 1958 ascent has been incorrectly listed as the 1st ascent. This would be the second ascent made by the pair. Bill and Monty had previously summited Hoge in 1956. The summit features spectacular views of the Donjeck Glacier and the surrounding peaks of the St. Elias Mountains.