Local Resident Barbara Washburn: First Woman to Climb Mount McKinley Dies at 99

Barbara Washburn, the first woman to climb Mount McKinley, has died at the age of 99.

The Boston Globe reported she died Thursday at her home in Lexington.

Washburn and her husband, Brad, were pioneering explorers. They traveled the globe, producing maps of the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest in the 1970s that were the most detailed for their time.

In 1947, Washburn became the first woman to climb Mount McKinley. She wrote a book about the experience, titled “ The Accidental Adventurer.”

A film crew documented Washburn’s historic climb in the documentary “Operation White Tower.”

Washburn grew up in the Boston and area. She and her husband worked for the Museum of Science, helping to improve its collections. They raised three children.

Photo credit: Museum of Science, Boston