The Accidental Adventurer: Memoirs of the First Woman to Climb Mount McKinley

Barbara and Bradford Washburn are icons of American mountaineering. In 1940 Barbara married Brad Washburn, who was the director of the New England Museum of Natural History and the youngest museum director in the country. They were inseparable ever since. Although Barbara was not a mountaineer prior to meeting Brad she quickly developed the skills under his tutelage. She participated in the first ascents of Alaska’s Mount Hayes and Mount Bertha. Then came her first woman’s ascent of Mount McKinley. Her ability to balance her many roles, as wife, mother, teacher, climber, surveyor, and world traveler are inspiring. This is her story. The first printing hardcovers disappeared quite quickly!