Day 22, June 26, 2010 (Saturday)
from Whitehorse to Watson Lake
After Wx briefing and filed flight plan, I ask Randy to take off first, that give us some room for separation, since Wx is good, I cut short of a couple corners, fly high and direct toward Watson Lake, probably saved me a good half of an hour flight. I heard Randy asking the Watson Lake Control Tower if I have arrived and departed already, I took over the conversation and replied to Randy, I was about 25 miles from Watson Lake and descend for landing.
Randy has a small tank in his Cessna 152, but has a 20 gallons ferry tank installed in the baggage area, it's built by "Turtle" an Australian company built quality tanks. He was anxcious about not having enough fuel for Trench Crossing, he ask me to put as much fuel as possible into my tank and may need some from me down the road, I felt a little uncomfortable with his request, how would I have extra fuel for possible head wind down the road, and worry about myself not having enough fuel. Wind usually coming from the south, so, we will be beating by the head wind in most of the area.
I asked him twice and even make suggestion to take the highway instead, because he has only used the ferry tank a couple of times, and it's a long while back, I have the concern about his fuel system, what about if the fuel pump doesn't work, but he has made up his mind to go through the Trench with me, so I promised him that I won't leave him behind.
For all this long, I have been used to travel alone, now it becomes a burden to take care of some one.
I asked him to takeoff first, he flies slower than me, good for some lateral separation.
I didn't catch up with him until the entrance of Trench, he flew faster than I estimated. We start getting bad Wx when got closer to the narrow canyon 65 nautical miles north of Ft. Ware, then the clouds got lower and lower, canyon got tighter and tighter, I didn't feel comfortable flying in such a conditon and I told him if the condition become worse, I'm consider to turn around and head back to Watson Lake. There is no other airport we can go other than Watson Lake.
we proceeded with low clouds and flying a couple hundread feet over the ground, finally I told him that I'm heading back to Watson Lake. But he decide to try a little bit further.
We have gone almost half way down the Trench, near the "point of no return", if we continue to proceed then we will have to commit for the rest of trip. We won't have enough fuel to return if Wx block the path. I also noticed the Canyon looks different than what I had gone through before on the north bound, I have never gone through south before. I was worried if I have lead him to the wrong canyon. But the GPS still shows the right direction to Ft. Ware, the Canyon sure looked beyong my recognition.
Note: After I made the U-turn, Randy call me to look at the Chart to identify the canyon, he think it's the right Canyon, I said, I have to concentrate flying out of this tight canyon and clouds, I couldn't deviate my attention to anything else......After I got out of this narrow caynon, I compare the chart with GPS, it's the right canyon which I brought him in, I called him to confirm that. Not for long, we both are out of radio range, he become silent. From that moment he is by his own. The sad feeling arose, I didn't know if he can make it or not. But he is Alaska bush pilot, has more experience than I do. I didn't change the frequency, stays on the same frequency which we both agreed.
About 10 minutes later, another north bound aircraft got hold of me on 123.45Mhz, the frequency Randy and I used, he said, Randy has passed by him right before Fort Ware, Randy called him on Ft. Ware CTAF frequency and ask him to relay the message to me. So, Randy did get through the narrow canyon, I was relieved.
This young pilot who relayed the message also landed at Watson Lake. He flies 180 Hp Cessna 172, I asked him, if he would have known the wx condition ahead of time, would he be going through the Trench by himself again, he said, probably NOT. I said, just for this answer, I think I have made the right choice to return. Another RV-7 also went through the Trench, an older couple who I met at Whitehorse. They took off about the same time as Randy. I delayed my takeoff to add oil to my engine.
Lake at the north entrance of the Trench
(still couldn't figure out what creates this beautiful blue and green color around these islands, many lakes in the Trench are like that)
My only choice now is to take AlCan highway to go southeast bound, Wx suppose to be worse than the Trench per flight service briefing, but I have highway down bellow, I can land any time if I have to. But the highway is curving around in the Canyons, the distance might be double of tripple of the Trench, I hate to fly route like this, but now, I feel it's a blessing to be able to stay on top of something.
It was head wind most of the time, I cruise along, didn't mind how slow I go, as long as I'm making progress to the south, I'm happy with it. Each inch of going south is taking me closer to home, and the Wx down south in B.C. is better then the north, Wx only trapped in the Southern Yukon, Central and northern British Columbia, it suppose to be stationary for a few days.
There were a lot of Wx on this route, rains and clouds, usally low clouds when passing through the narrow passes, I was hoping to get out of the canyon sooner, because it's much flatter near Ft. Nelson. When I finally got out of this 150 miles long canyon, I was relieved, but then the real bad Wx was awaiting in front of me --- 28 miles NW from Ft. Nelson.
I called Edmonton radio 60 miles out for Wx advisory at Ft. Nelson, it's VFR at the airport, but the Wx has gotten worse and worse when I got closer and closer to Ft. Nelson, I got hold of Ft. Nelson tower and confirmed the Wx again, still VFR, but the Wx between us is deteriorating when 25 miles out, it starts to rain, this time it's not an isolated shower, it's a wide area shower and mist, I couldn't see the boundary of this system, it got so dense that the only reference I had was the highway down below, all surrounding trees and farms has mixed with the rain, so dark that it's no longer able to use it for ground reference. Highway is the only color I could see, is the only object I could distinguish. I stay right on the highway, dead-on the center line. I turned my head to look at the highway behind me for at least a dozen times, see if I'm still able to turn around, and I got deeper and deeper into the rain, I fianlly called Ft. Nelson, request to land at Gordon Field (CBL3) a grass runway 2.5 miles west of Ft. Nelson, but later I changed again to land at Ft. Nelson, for the sake of unfamiliar to that airport, and I didn't even know if I could see anything under this condition. The Wx suddenly clear up when I was 2 miles from Ft. Nelson runway. It was the most intense flight I have ever encountered in my life.
This is an example of Isolated rain shower, but not the one I described above, and when the rain is heavy, Hwy is the only object you could see.
After landed at Ft. Nelson, I went to the control tower to thank the lady who helped me and guided me in, two other ladies who happen to be there to chit-chat with her, took me in their car to Super 8 Hotel in the town, at least 10 minutes of ride on the highway. The tower lady also arranged the FBO to pick me up next morning at 7AM, bring me back to the airport and fuel up my plane.
I stayed in a smoking room, no other rooms were available, but later I found there is another motel near by, but with a "NO" vacancy sign. I had good dinner at a pizza place, I ordered a fresh vegitable plate with picons, this is what I needed for a long time.
I had a terriable night sleeping in a smoking room, woke up with light headaches. When I got back to the airplane, I could still smell the nicotine all over my cloth. The room cost me $168 a night. But I got something back though, I shaveld a muffin, a donut, 3 oranges and 1 apple into my backpack at the continantal breakfast, that took cared of my lunch and dinner during the long flight.