Late Summer Flight to the Upper Yukon Valley

Thursday August 11th was a perfect day for flying. Left out of Peterson/Newby at 8:00 sharp and flew North,heading straight for Mt. Schwatka at the North end of the Whites, from there past Twin Lakes, the lower mouth of the Beaver Creek which for some reason is running green water, not clear as is usual and then onward to check my favorite landing spot on the Yukon. That bar had been considerably reduced in size and elevation over the past two summers of sustained high water levels in the Yukon, but just enough smooth and polished dry bar was present to allow a landing. From there I explored up the Hodzana, checking all my favorite bars and was happy to find two that were still landable.

On the return trip, I flew to Victoria Mountain, and followed the Beaver Creek up to the Promontory Rock, right at the edge of the creek, where a mature ram would often stand on the highest point back in the early 80's when I flew this route monthly to Ft. Yukon to support the Ft. Yukon Clinic. Landed with 5.5 hours on the tach.

Amazing Beauty of the Porcupine River and up to the Canada Border

 "I am a drinker of the wind

    I an the one who never tires

I love my freedom more than all these things.

    The Conquistador, Comanche and the Cowboy

I carried them to glory.

    I'm La Primara, Spanish mustang,

Hear my story."

La Primara, by Ian Tyson 

On September 15th, after a delayed start due to cold temps and frost on the wings, I took off from Peterson Field and flew North: 010 heading towards Ft. Yukon, through the White Mountains, past the Crazy Mountains and the Little Crazy Mountains, past Victoria Mountain and towards Burman Lake and Birch Creek Village. Burman Lake holds a special memory for me because it was here, on the frozen surface of this lake in 1983, that my old friend, now long deceased, Joe Firman demonstrated for me the secrets of ski flying, and this lake with its multiple channels and impressive length was the perfect place. As Joe said; "you could make 5 touch and goes in just one pass"!

My route of flight took me over Ft. Yukon and onward to the Porcupine River - that incredible river of clear water, long smooth gravel bars and The Ramparts, where the river cuts through a rocky gorge near the Canada Border.

When I reached my goal, Old Rampart, site of a Hudson Bay Trading Post in the 19th Century, I landed on the rocky shore and took pictures of a statuesque obelisk that arises at the mouth of the Salmon Trout River. This is wild Alaska at its most remote. beautiful, pristine and untouched by man. The great privilege of the Arctic Pilot!

At 7:00 a.m. frost covered the entire airplane.

                                                Wolf tracks preserved in the dried river mud.

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