Mount Denali, aka the Great One, is the highest summit in North America at 20,320 feet, above sea level, the third tallest mountain on Earth.

The real numbers to consider, though, are those related from base to summit.

Denali becomes the largest climb of any mountain on

earth when measured from its base. To be clear, it may not possess the highest altitude peak,

but when it comes to a pure climb, Denali earns its moniker of the Great One. Let's take a closer look

of the numbers. A Denali base camp would be situated at 2,000 feet above sea level, leaving a vertical climb

of 18,000 feet feet.

Mount Everest, say, may be 8,000 feet higher at its summit than Denali, but a base camp there

would be situated at around 17,000 feet above sea level, a massive head start that still

demands a climb of 12,000 feet, but is a third

shy of the total truck of 18,000 feet demanded to top, the Great One.

Our story takes place in the year 1967.

It's summertime in Alaska, but the mountain is above such seasons.

The Great One, often shrouded by clouds, is covered by glacial ice with small traces of vegetation.

100 mile per hour winds are common as are avalanches.

Visibility can be clear or zero, depending on conditions, which can fluctuate wildly.

All clear?

Well, then let's give it a go. Before this storm rolls in. Welcome to Maroon,

stories of the catastrophically lost. I'm Jack Luna. This is Aaron Hable.

24-year-old Joe Wilcox of Provo, Utah had plenty of snow, glacier, and crevasse training,

not to mention more than 50 a cent, above 10,000 feet, when he set his sights on the great one. His original plan was to form a team

of six, but he found that recruiting others to join his expedition wasn't easy. Several factors likely

...