Thursday, June 6, 2013 If our good luck holds out, this is our last night on Denali. It's just a little bitter sweet. This place has been on our thoughts and in our dreams for so long, and has given us an experience that will forever hold a special place in our hearts. But now our thoughts turn to home, family and loved ones. Oh, and perhaps to a great meal and beer too. To get to where we are now, back at our 11,200' camp, we've just descended 6000' feet of steep terrain with heavy loads. Everyone did well getting down the technical part of the Buttress and fixed ropes, then came time to tether the sleds and load up the stuff we cached at 14,200' camp. And now, finally, we're back at 11,200' camp. A hastily set up camp followed by a quick dinner and we're horizontal. The chores have all been done and even the guides are in bed by 10:00pm. And just as well because we'll be up at 1:30am to get on a night time schedule to travel on snow that's hard and frozen, thereby insuring us safe travels over the crevassed glacier of the lower Kahiltna that warm and melt incredibly fast in the Alaskan summer. But the best part of the trip is yet to come. Walking down the Kahiltna while the sun is just below the horizon has given me some of the most beautiful vistas I've ever witnessed, with the rosy tint of dawn hitting these hugely majestic Alaskan peaks all around us. We're hoping to get to the airstrip by mid morning, so with luck we'll be back in Takkeetna tomorrow. A little closer to you, but a world away from the mountain that has been our focus and challenge for the past couple of weeks. We'll miss her, but will carry with us a treasure of fond memories of our life spent here. Your guides, RMI Guides Brent, Logan and Leah

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