Keen, Dora (b. 1871)
Keen, Dora (b. 1871)
American traveler, mountain climber, and writer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1871.
Following her graduation from Bryn Mawr College in 1896, Dora Keen held consequential positions in Philadelphia, helping to bring about reforms. After traveling in various parts of the world, she made eight ascents of first-class peaks in the Alps in 1909–10. In 1911, her under-equipped expedition failed to make the ascent of Mount Blackburn (16,523 feet) in Alaska. But returning early in 1912, she battled snowstorms to accomplish in 33 days the first ascent of this sub-Arctic peak without Swiss guides, and the first by way of the avalanche-prone southeast face via a direct route on the Kennicott glacier. One storm forced her eight-person team to shelter in a cave for 13 days. This expedition was followed by a journey of 300 miles on foot and by open, camp-built boat over the Alaskan wilderness to the Yukon River, by way of Skolai Pass, which Keen was the first woman to ever cross. In 1914, with three men, she made scientific observations of various glaciers in Alaska, contributed numerous articles to popular and geographical magazines, and lectured on her experiences. She became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London, the same year.