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Denali Flight

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Posted

I can't believe the amount of perfect flying days we have been having in the past better than a week!  I filled the tanks, threw the AR and coyote call in the plane along with my pack and other gear and headed out on Sat. to see what I could find.  First had to stop by the lodge and wish Julie a Happy Birthday, then headed up the Yehntna River to the glacier.  The skies were sever clear and the winds were light so I kept going several miles up the glacier.  The sights up there are really breathtaking; glacier potholes and lakes, vertical rock, huge rivers of ice, and with Denali and Foraker just dominant.  That dusky haze of those 20K mountains even on a clear day is almost eerie.

 

The real bummer is that when I got several miles up the Yehntna Glacier my camera battery decided to die.  Oh man, so many cool views and no camera.... It left me just shaking my head and apologizing out load.  So unfortunalely these pics end up in the Yehntna Glacier.  I then climbed up to about 6500' and slipped through a notch between two vertical towers of rock and over to the Kahiltna Glacier.  The Kahiltna Gl. is about 2 or 3 times larger; a huge valley of flowing ice.  It makes you feel pretty small up there.  Another strange sensation is when you are right up next to those vertical spires and cliffs, if gives you more of a sense that you could fall, like standing on the edge of a cliff.  Really strange that I don't get that at all just being in the airplane over regular terrain or at higher altitudes.

 

I flew down the Kahiltna Glacier and found a small overgrown strip below the glacier that might be useable in the summer.  Will have to get back there and check that out.  Then landed on the river about a mile below the glacier and did some coyote calling.  I need to get a better external speaker because my call was just not working well at high volume.  The the sun was intense and the snow was solid (could have landed on wheels).  I never saw or heard another soul, it was a blast.  Unfortunately I never saw a coyote either.  About 7:00 I packed it up and took off to start heading home; about a mile away I'm flying along this lake and here is a coyote trotting down lake.  Well I can't let that go so I flew to the end of the lake and quitely winged it around and set it down, pulled the AR out and sure enough, the coyote was about 1000 yds out there just sitting in the middle of the lake watching me.  So I did my dutiful 100 yd walk hoping the dog would continue to sit ther while I worked my way along the shoreline up the lake towards him.  He wasn't going for it so when he turned and started walking I thought I would give him a try at least.  I needed my range finder but doubt it would have changed the outcome.  Still was fun chasing him down the lake with a clip of ammo.

 

Awesome flight home skimming the swamps and popping up over the trees.  I definately need to do that one again with a fully charged camera.

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Posted

Un fricken real Randy, absolutely amazing! That would be so cool. Better luck next time with the coyote.

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Posted

Thanks for the write up Randy. I love seeing and hearing what it's like flying up there. Hope I can see it myself some time.

 

Luke D.

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Posted

I hope the snow holds for a couple more weeks and we can hook up when I get back home.  Sorry I missed you this hitch, but my play time ended up being my first week home and the slave driver worked me like a dog the second week home.  It was an AWESOME 2 weeks of the best weather I can remember for a full hitch at home.  Every day was severe clear and the days I was working my eyes would turn to the sky every time I walked outside.  40s during the day and in the low teens at night.

 

Great pictures (as usual) and a great flight report.

 

:BC:

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Posted

Another awesome flight report and pictures! Thanks for sharing them. Once again I find myself very jealous of the terrain and flying you get to do up there!

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Posted

I hate you Alaska guys...

 

 

(Please post more photos.)

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Posted

My wife hates the cold and snow - We have had a very long winter here and lots more snow than usual - I kept telling my wife that there was not enough snow in Alaska for the dogs to run the Iditarod - they had to run on gravel because it was so warm.

       Now, you post all those photos of snow and ice and mountains! 

Beautiful memories for me - but my move back just got cancelled!

EDMO

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Posted

Awesome pictures as usual, you guys must get some serious turbulance off them big rocks when its breezy,

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