The great unknown

GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK, Alaska - As the pilot guided the single-engine Piper Cherokee closer to an unclimbed mountain known as 8290, passenger Kevin Mahoney's smile grew.

Mahoney gazed at the sharp, snowcapped peak, sizing it up for an attempt he and three partners will make to be the first to stand on its summit.

Even if they don't reach the top, they will achieve their other goal during the three-week expedition into unknown territory: helping a cancer research center raise awareness about what's needed to fight the disease that recently claimed Mahoney's mother.