Day 13, June 17, 2010 (Thursday)
McCathy -- May Creek -- Valdez
Wrangell St. Elias National Park. These are the routes I put on the Chart, plan to fly around today, but Wx prohibited, So after I have flown over Root Glacier and kennicott Glacier, I went South East to Nizina Glacier and Chitistonre Canyon. I plotted the coordinates on the GPS, just in case I got lost in the ice field. Got to be careful when flying alone, and to the first time in the area. An inch long is about 10 miles on this Chart.
10 years old kid is getting paid to pick up some one at McCarthy Airport, he came from McCarthy village, a mile away from the airport, I was taking a short cut walking from the south end of the runway to the villiage, with the pepper spray in my pocket of course. I carried my shot gun to the woods to go to the bathroom early this morning.
Seasonal flower on the trail to McCarthy village
Root Glacier
Root Glacier
Kennicott Glacier
Nizina Glacier
Air is warm, compare with the glacier down below
Gates Glacier
May Creek Airport, a public use cabin at the end of the runway, nice Airport to camp over night, because there is no body there. Not far from McCarthy, 3500 feet grass runway. Yellow flowers are all over the runway, very pretty. I landed toward the hill (up hill) and take off down hill toward the river, don't mind which direction the wind is blowing.
incompleted bridge
Another view of the bridge
Glacier Creek Airport, big rocks on the runway, don't land there unless you have Tundra tires, this is mid way up the Chitistone Canyon, amazing mile high cliff, magnificent view. See pictures below....
Wrangell St. Elias National park, a mile high cliff
Wrangell, Chitistone Canyoon, mile high cliff, Wangell St. Elias National Park
Wrangell St. Elias National Park
On the way back from McCarthy, I made a turn to the south at Chitina Airport, that's another way to go to Valdez, I figured out from the Chart myself. I followed the copper river, flying between these beautiful mountains, then went through Marshal Pass and Key Stone Pass to Valdez ( bypassed Thompson Pass). The scenery is much more beautiful than the Thompson Pass route. I highly recommand this route to go to Valdez if you are coming from the east.
I took the same route on the way back, I went down to check the sandbars and played for a good long distance, I saw fishing boat catching salmon. There is a narrow pass where river running through with steep canyon and sharp cliff on either side, very pretty. You don't see these details unless you fly low, and it's fun to fly low (sorry Michael), you feel the speed, feel the adrenalin pumping in your body, and best of all, it makes you feel 20 years younger.
VIA Marshal Canyon to Valdez
Approaching Valdez airpoert, Airport is to the right
Valdez Airport. Feel so easy on a paved runway after so many gravel strip landing.
Paul took the picture of me, he invided me to stay over night at his home, he asks me try not to go outside during the night (it never turn dark), there is a couple years old black bear wondering around in his yard for the last two days, if I hear a gun shot during the nignt, don't be surprised, he is trying to shoot it. Paul has a Cessna 185 on tundra tire and two big floats hanging on the ceiling in his hangar.
