Alpinist, Adventurer, Social Reformer. She became the first woman to mountain climb in Alaska and was the first person to climb Mount Blackburn in Alaska. It later turned out to be the eastern summit of Mount Blackburn, now referred to as Kennedy Peak or East Blackburn, which is about 100 feet shorter than the highest point of Mount Blackburn. Born into a high social status, she was the daughter of Dr. William Williams Keen, who performed the first brain surgery in the US. She attended Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and after graduating in 1896, she held various positions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's philanthropic organizations, including the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the American Society for Labor Legislation, and the Society for Organizing Charity, helping to achieve important reforms. In 1909 she began her adventure as an alpinist, travelling to Zermatt, Switzerland where until 1910 she made eight ascents of first-class peaks in the Alps, including the Zinal Rothorn, the Monte Rosa, the Weisshorn, and the Matterhorn. In the summer of 1911 she attempted to climb Mount Blackburn in Alaska. Her expedition was inadequately outfitted and hastily organized, and after spending over four days trying to climb two different glaciers at the mountain base, her party abandoned the effort as avalanches had rendered the glaciers impassable. The following year she returned with George Handy and a few local prospectors for companions, and accomplished the record first ascent of the mountain on May 19, 1912. Out of 33 days which the party spent entirely on glaciers, they were without tents for 20 of those days, sleeping in snow caves at low temperatures in extreme storms, and for 10 days they had only candles for fuel. This was immediately followed by a journey of 300 miles on foot and by open, camp-built boat across the Alaskan wilderness to the Yukon River. During this journey she became the first woman to cross the Skolai Pass. In 1914, with three men, she made scientific observations of the glaciers of Harriman Fjord and College Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska, and made the first explorations of the Harvard Glacier. That same year, she became a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society in London, England and contributed numerous articles to popular and geographical magazines and lectured on her experiences. Her travels took her over the North American continent from Alaska to Panama, both coasts of South America and the interior of the southern portion, eastern, western, southern Asia and northern Africa, as well as Europe. In July 1916 she married Handy in McCarthy, Alaska and they settled in West Hartford, Vermont where they operated a farm. After 16 years of marriage they divorced and she became an insurance agent and continued her world travels. In 1962 she embarked on a world tour and while in Hong Kong she died from heart disease at the age of 91.