Following Dora Keen up Alaska's Mount Blackburn.

In 1911, Dora Keen traveled alone to Alaska and, in a lonely prospector's cabin, discovered a United States Geological Survey report that revealed something she found remarkable: a peak no one had ever climbed. That same year, a mining company owned by some of the U.S.'s most powerful businessmen had finished a railroad to a new mine near its base. Mount Blackburn, and the possibility that she could be first to reach its top, drew her, a few months later, to the Wrangell mountain range.

Keen convinced miners to join her first attempt. Like many first attempts, it failed. But Keen persisted, returning the next year and gathering a few more miners and townsfolk as climbing companions. This time—conquering crevasses, avalanches, steep snow, and constant danger—she and just one remaining companion made it to the top.

In her day, Keen was celebrated. But in 2026, few people know her name, have heard of her exploration, or know how intertwined that exploration was with the mining enterprise beneath Blackburn. No One Climbs Mountains Except for Gold aims to bring her story—and Blackburn's story—to readers, braiding three threads: Keen's ascent, the extractive history of the Copper River region, and a present-day expedition retracing her steps. This site supports the climb that the book is built around.

Four climbers, one guide service, and a mountain whose peak has been reached fewer than 50 times since Dora Keen arrived at the summit in 1912. The expedition is the spine of the book, with extensive archival research; historical scholarship; and interviews with Keen's descendants forming the rest of its anatomy.

Team Keen will be led by Moxie Mountain Guides, a company owned by two of the just 18 women who are certified with the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (Keen would be proud).

Expeditions like this are expensive in unglamorous ways: bush flights onto the glacier, dehydrated food, permits, taxes, guide fees, gear vans. The fundraising below lets you back a specific, real piece of it.

For brands, gear companies, and organizations: The expedition offers genuine visibility across reporting, talks, and the book's publicity — an all-women team retracing a historic Alaskan first ascent is a story people want to follow.

We're open to partnerships and sponsorship. Logo placement, content collaboration, and named funding of expedition components are all on the table, as are creative ideas you may have.