Denali's Raven

Some time ago Anna and I met a lovely couple from Talkeetna - if you're a mountaineer reading the name of this place alone should give you a warm and fussy feeling. Anyway. Tucker is a lead-mountaineer with NPS and Leighan is not only a pilot but also a gifted artist. Recently I found her instagram account and there are some nice gems among it:

Memories of moonlit nights at Ama basecamp exactly one year ago. Pen/pencil on paper 11.5 by 7"

A post shared by Leighan Falley (@leighanfalley) on Nov 8, 2017 at 10:17am PST

"Half Asleep at High Camp," acrylic on canvas 24 by 30 inches. I'm a terrible sleeper at sea level, and during my Denali days I was pretty much a perpetual insomniac at high camp (17,500 feet). A climber sits in her harness, ropeless and partner-less, on the start of the summit ridge in the blackness of winter. It is an image that haunted my imagination in those days. As winter takes hold in my world, this painting feels important again. #blackfeathers

A post shared by Leighan Falley (@leighanfalley) on Jan 5, 2018 at 5:09am PST

"Solo on Peak 11,300," acrylic on canvas from 2011. An old favorite of mine based on a sublime climb with two good friends.

A post shared by Leighan Falley (@leighanfalley) on Nov 5, 2017 at 8:24am PST