Imaginary Peaks: Katie Ives in conversation with Ken Wilcox (in-person)

In 1962 Summit magazine readers were astonished to see a photo of an allegedly unknown range: the “Riesenstein” peaks of British Columbia. The main summit, the mysterious author claimed, remained tantalizingly unclimbed. The editors printed the article, as if missing the clues that its creators (one of whom was later revealed to be influential Northwest conservationist and guidebook author Harvey Manning) had planted to hint that the story was a hoax. During this talk, based on the new book Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams, author Katie Ives will be exploring some of the richly varied tales behind the Riesenstein, from the long history of climbers’ obsessions with supposed blanks on maps to the complex motivations of the local pranksters who plotted the hoax—and the collective fascination with wild places and mythic mountains that the Riesenstein reveals.

"Though better known as the guru of hiking guides, Harvey's passion for wilderness preservation runs through all of his work. He nearly pleaded with readers to understand what's been lost, how the trails and parks and wilderness areas actually came about, and how they remain threatened. I was especially captivated by his own brand of plain-spoken eloquence--the wordplay and cerebral detours, the witty notions and, of course, as Katie Ives's great new book reveals, a measure of mischief as well." --Ken Wilcox

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KATIE IVES is editor in chief at Alpinist magazine, and her writing has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Outside, The Rumpus, and Adventure Journal, as well as the anthologies Rock, Paper, Fire: The Best of Mountain and Wilderness Writing and Waymaking: An Anthology of Women’s Adventure Writing, Poetry, and Art. In 2016 she received the H. Adams Carter Literary Award from the American Alpine Club. She has participated in the Banff Mountain and Wilderness Writing Program and served as a judge for the Boardman-Tasker Award, and a jury member, panelist, and panel moderator at the Banff Mountain Book Festival. She lives in Cambridge, Vermont. Imaginary Peaks is her first book.

KEN WILCOX is a long-time Bellingham resident, co-founder of the Bellingham Mountaineers, and author of several regional trail guides, including Hiking Whatcom County. He served with Harvey Manning and other Northwest conservation greats on the board of the North Cascades Conservation Council (northcascades.org) for more than 25 years. Ken was also the editor and publisher of Manning's Wilderness Alps: Conservation and Conflict in Washington's North Cascades (2007).