Dear Friends and Family,

It’s been a pleasure sharing the journey up and down the West Buttress of Denali along with the team consisting of fellow guides Logan, Kakiko, and the climbers Linda, Mike, Katsuya and Mark, all returning safely with all fingers and toes. Denali never gets easier and is always a challenge with a lot of elevation to gain over many miles and over challenging conditions, earning every step of the way. However, we are also awarded with outstanding views when the sky opens up surrounded by the range and iconic peaks. Even some warm colors added to the landscape as the sun rise and sets against the cold tones.

I can imagine many simple pleasures and convenience that we take for granted within our daily lives are magnified as we re-adjust to life off the mountain.

In parting, I’d like to share a snapshot from the summit of Denali, and back at Anchorage enjoying the local ice cream we’ve been talking about for most of the trip. Sadly the highly spoken homemade waffle cone was sold out at the time until 2 days later, but there were smiles all around as sharing the experience exceeded the longing desire for ‘that special waffle cone’.

Congratulations to the whole team, and thanking all friends and family who have followed our progress and left messages. It means a lot to those on the mountain.

Best regards,

Yoshiko Miyazaki-Back