By Earl Scott

Scott and Maggie Buccambuso prepare for a trip to Beaver Mountain. The USU students plan to climb Denali in a few months. / Photo by Thad Stott

Native Americans who hunted and lived around North America's highest peak called it Denali -- the High One. In 1896 prospector William Dickey did a rough survey of the mountain and renamed it Mt. McKinley, to support presidential candidate William McKinley of Ohio. Today most Alaskan natives, residents and the climbing community prefer the Native name.

In Jonathan Waterman's book, In The Shadow of Denali, he stated legendary explorer Brad Washburn did the first detailed survey of Denali throughout the mid-to-late 1930s. In 1947 Washburn accomplished his second summit of the geologic marvel with his wife, Barbara, making her the first woman to reach the highest point of the great mountain.

After returning from the trip, Barbara, who was not particularly enamored with climbing, was asked by a reporter why she climbed.

"I like to be with my husband," she said.

It was a simple response, not uncommon during that era when the wife often would give up her interest to follow her husband's.

Times have changed though, and at the beginning of May, Utah State University students Scott and Maggie Buccambuso plan a summit trip to Denali of their own, because it is something they both want to do.

"We want to have a family and it will be harder for me to do once we start to have children," Maggie said. "It's something we want to do together while we are young and healthy."

Married just over a year, Scott and Maggie, both 24, have been climbing together for the last few years. He is a soft-spoken, baby-faced finance major with sinewy forearms honed from years of climbing. Maggie is a petite graduate student in biology, who looks more like she has trained for a marathon rather than a trip to the frozen world of Denali. While both defy the picture of the stereotypical, square-jawed, 6-foot, deep-voiced mountaineer, they each have about 12 years of climbing experience.

It was on a climbing trip to Mt. Rainier that Scott and Maggie had their inspiration to climb to the summit of the 20,320-foot glacier-covered mountain.

"We were thinking, what else could we do now that we have climbed Rainier; how could we challenge ourselves," Scott said. "We decided, why not climb the highest peak in North America?"

In the 1930s Washburn established it was safer to climb Denali alpine-style, rather than the large expeditions that climb the Himalayan Mountains. Alpine climbers use small parties with lightweight gear that make the ascent quickly. Scott and Maggie's friend and climbing partner, Aaron Marshal of Star Valley, Wyo., will round out the team for their alpine expedition.

"It's safer to have a few people climb the mountain together. Especially when you're traversing across a glacier full of crevasses," Scott said. "It's preferable to have an even number of climbers so there are two to a tent and you can split the tent poles and some of the other things up, but we have it worked out."

Temperatures in June have been recorded as low as 95 F below zero, with wind speeds hitting 150 miles per hour on the High One. For some climbers, overcoming fear or the taste of danger is what drives them to face unpredictable weather, altitude and isolation. Scott and Maggie have their own unique reasons for wanting to climb what is known as the world's coldest mountain.

"The experience you have of being in this remote place is something different than you can experience anywhere else," Maggie said. "When you come back down off the mountain you see all these green trees and beautiful wild flowers. It makes your senses realize what everything is about. It's great up at the summit, but for me the highlight is coming off the mountain."

Although Maggie is his favorite climbing partner, Scott like any other climber, has reasons for climbing that are solely his.

"I'm not out to collect mountains as trophies," he said. "For me it's about the focus and being centered. I'm not a professional climber or anything, but it's a feeling like you were meant to do it."

Married couples climbing together are not solely the province of the United States. Guillaume Dargaud, an electrical engineer from Jura, France, and his wife, Jennifer, of Rome, have been married almost three years and they both have been climbing since the late 1980s. They have climbed together around the world including the United States and Europe,and have attempted the world's sixth highest peak, 26,906 foot Cho-Oyu in the Himalayas. Guillaume was able to make the summit without the aid of oxygen and Sherpa, while Jennifer made it to about 24,000 feet before she had to turn back, because of headaches brought on by the extreme altitude.

Like the Buccambusos, Guillaume and Jennifer enjoy climbing together and feel climbing has built additional faith and mutual esteem in their relationship, Jennifer said.

"It's good to have a climbing partner always handy and it's a good way to strengthen a relationship," Guillaume said. "The kind of stresses you may have to face while climbing is different from what you face in normal life, but the way people face it is the same. It's a good test for the many other challenges you have to face in life as a couple."

Guillaume, who made it to the summit of Denali his fifth year of climbing, said the mountain is not technically difficult, but is unforgiving. A climber has to be prepared for the challenges the mountain brings. While Guillaume and Jennifer enjoy climbing together, their individual reasons for climbing fit with their personalities. They both have a sense of humor, as well as a lighthearted approach to life with a zest to live every moment to the fullest.

"I climb because it's fun," Guillaume said. "And because it's healthier than sitting on my ass and watching baseball like everyone else."

Jennifer's response was even more simple: "Because it's easier than a diet."

Although they live in separate parts of the world and do not know one another, Scott and Maggie share a bond with Guillaume and Jennifer and that is to live life as an adventure.

In 2003, according to the Denali Park Service Web site, 1,179 adventurous souls attempted to reach the summit of Denali; 688 succeeded.

Scott and Maggie will not be taking the most common West Buttress route, which saw 952 climbers attempt the summit and 173 succeed. Instead they will climb the West Rib route that is considered moderate-to-heavy in difficulty and is traveled by fewer climbers. Last year 65 climbers attempted the route and 10 made it to the summit.

It costs $8,000-10,000 for an expedition to Denali and a climber has to send a resumé to the Denali Park service to receive permission to climb the great mountain. About 30 percent of Denali climbers use a guide service, which increases the chances of reaching the summit, but Scott, Maggie and Aaron will be using their own resources to reach North America's highest point.

"We want to do it on our own, without support," Scott said. "We don't think using a guide is a justifiable expense; it still doesn't guarantee you'll reach the top."

Training has been an important part of their preparation for Denali. Telemark backcountry skiing, rock and ice climbing, running, snowshoeing and yoga are part of the ritual. A winter ascent of Mt. Rainier in Washington is also planned, to help them prepare for the unforgiving temperatures of Denali.

"I've been doing extra training, especially with strength, because I'm not very big," Maggie said. "I don't want Scott pulling extra for me."

Life will not end for them if they don't reach the ultimate goal of the summit; they are already planning another trip back to Denali next year, Scott said.

"If we don't reach the summit it's just incentive to reach it next time," he said. "We're doing this because it's something we want to attempt together."

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