THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees
by Robert Glenn Ketchum
~Robert Glenn Ketchum
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #200,
Tongass, #200: Krys and Jan Cianciarulo, my assistants for the first part of my second summer working on the Tongass rainforest commission, meet me in Ketchikan for a one-night gear check, and the next morning we fly out for Goat Lake in Misty Fjords National Monument. Last summer when I first saw Goat Lake on a flightsee, I was being flown by a pilot that suffered a tragic accident picking up hunters at the US Forest Service cabin on the lake. Although the lake is large with ample room to land, taking off can be trickier, as you need more running room to get airborne. That pilot was taking off after picking up the hunters from the cabin, so the plane was loaded down, and although he finally got airborne, he was very near the end of the lake (seen in this picture). Although he cleared the trees, he was quite low, and when he reached the edge of the fjord wall, he was down-drafted, crashing the plane and killing everyone but himself. On this day, I bring that tale up with our pilot, and he knows the entire incident. He adds that it was a weather related accident as well, because taking off in this direction seldom happens, given the direction the winds normally blow. When we reach the air above the fjord, there is no turbulence, he dips one wing, circles around, and gracefully drops in, to land on the lake. We are soon to be in our new “home” for the next three days, and we are all excited.
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #200,
Tongass, #200: Krys and Jan Cianciarulo, my assistants for the first part of my second summer working on the Tongass rainforest commission, meet me in Ketchikan for a one-night gear check, and the next morning we fly out for Goat Lake in Misty Fjords National Monument. Last summer when I first saw Goat Lake on a flightsee, I was being flown by a pilot that suffered a tragic accident picking up hunters at the US Forest Service cabin on the lake. Although the lake is large with ample room to land, taking off can be trickier, as you need more running room to get airborne. That pilot was taking off after picking up the hunters from the cabin, so the plane was loaded down, and although he finally got airborne, he was very near the end of the lake (seen in this picture). Although he cleared the trees, he was quite low, and when he reached the edge of the fjord wall, he was down-drafted, crashing the plane and killing everyone but himself. On this day, I bring that tale up with our pilot, and he knows the entire incident. He adds that it was a weather related accident as well, because taking off in this direction seldom happens, given the direction the winds normally blow. When we reach the air above the fjord, there is no turbulence, he dips one wing, circles around, and gracefully drops in, to land on the lake. We are soon to be in our new “home” for the next three days, and we are all excited.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2020, @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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