Part One.
This has been the worst flying summer that I can recall in more than 40 years of flying in Alaska!We had uncharacteristic (and unusual for the Interior) rain starting in mid-May. The storms spared the upper Yukon Valley but formed daily over the White Mountains to the North of Fairbanks effectively blocking my usual path to the Hodzana and points North and East.
Then, another anomaly: late in July, as I was preparing to take groceries to my fiends Heimo and Edna in Ft. Yukon, thick smoke rolled in from Siberia! Visibility (shown in the first picture) was down to less than 5 miles and was much worse as I tried to pick my way to the North through the Whites. Had to turn back!
By August 1st the smoke had cleared enough to make my way North safely, and visibility improved as I approach Ft. Yukon so I was able to get the supplies to my friends.
Smoky conditions, visibility less than 5 mi
(Below, A few days later - better visibility)
The village of Beaver
The Hodzana River where the clear water of this beautiful stream enters the Yukon
My friends Heimo and Edna met me at the Ft. Yukon Airport
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