Letter from a 6-Day Student to Denali National Park

July 19, 2002

re: Alaska 6-Day Mountaineering School, May 21-31, 2002

Dear Gentlemen:

For our Honeymoon, my wife and I attended the Alpine Ascents International Alaska 6-Day basic mountaineering course held on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier May 24-May 31, 2002.  I wanted to write to let you know our thoughts regarding our guides, Jon Holz and Jesse Williams.  I also wanted you folks at the National Park Service to know our thought on Alpine Ascents.

Coming from Alabama, where the only mountains are the Southern Appalachians, to the Alaska Range, was somewhat daunting in itself.  The sheer magnitude of the environment was incredible.  When you couple that with the daily challenges of living in that environment for six days, it can be tough.  Jon and Jesse recognized this.

Jon and Jesse were simply terrific.  They were exactly what good teachers should be - they taught a wealth of skills in a compressed time frame, without cramming it down our throats with insufficient explanation.  They took the time to explain the "why" behind the way to do things, and then patiently helped us as we tried to do it ourselves.  This combination of theory with patient hands-on explanation can, unfortunately, be lacking in some professionals.  Above all, they stressed safely climbing at one's own level.

What I mean is this: when you have clearly advanced folks like these two teaching the bare-boned fundamentals of something, followed by what most surely is a kindergarten-level climb for them up 8600' Control Tower, I would imagine that some guides could become disinterested.  These two were the polar opposite.  They were passionate about this, and it came through to all of us.  I remember both of them commenting that, in climbing, you have to climb at your own level, whether that be in the Himalaya or the Cascades or whatever.

Jon and Jesse emphasized to us the pristine nature of the environment up there and how the Leave No Trace philosophy should be an integral part of climbing.  They explained to us the need to minimize our impact, thus protecting the fragile environment.  We were reminded that climbers coming behind us would enjoy the experience so much more if we were careful to follow Leave No Trace.

I overheard a pilot for one of the air services in Talkeetna describe guiding in the Alaska Range as "babysittin' and bulls**tin'," which is probably an accurate assessment of the guiding experience at times.  I would imagine that holding clients' hands and continuing to repeat the same phrases ("Put on more sunscreen" "there's too much tail in that knot" or my personal favorite - "Henry, the gate on your biner isn't locked") might get old and be reflected in the guides' attitudes.  Not so with Jon and Jesse.

This last paragraph is so important, because it illustrates the main point I want to get across with this letter.  Without such accomplished, patient and thorough guides, folks like us simply would not have been able to earn an experience like this.  For my wife and I, being able to do this simply would not have been possible without this guiding staff.  Without Alpine Ascents, we would not have been able to experience the wonder and splendor of the Alaska Range.  More important, we would not have discovered within ourselves the ability to do it.

I used the word "earn" deliberately.  For those taxpayers who simply want to see the wonder of our national treasures through a window - fine - I want them to experience these wonders at their own level.  Others, like us, desire an experience inside these magnificent places, where the challenge, and, ultimately, the reward is so much greater.  We would not have been able to earn this experience, doing so safely, and with the proper respect for this fragile environment, without the guiding staff of Alpine Ascents International.

My sincere thanks goes to the National Park Service for enabling us to have this chance to truly experience this awe-inspiring and special place in the manner we did, rather than through a window.  It would not have been possible for us without your partnership with Alpine Ascents.  Finally, thanks to Alpine Ascents for having guides like Jesse and Jon.  Without their kind and patient encouragement, we would not have made it.

Very truly yours,

Henry C.