Bush Flying/Camping in Wrangell St. Elias National Park

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This week I flew over to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. I left Merrill Field in Anchorage, Alaska and flew up the Matanuska river and then towards Gulkana, Alaska. I refueled my plane in Gulkana and then headed towards the National Park. Instead of landing in McCarthy, I headed straight to one of the Public Use cabins. The cabins are called the Peavine cabins, they have their own airstrip. It was a really beautiful view here, the mountains seemed much different than in the Chugach and Talkeetna ranges that I'm used to flying in. The next day I flew over to McCarthy, Alaska and viewed the Kennecott glacier and mine from the air. First class views. I refueled there prior to heading back towards Gulkana. About 30 miles out of Gulkana I started running into heavy wildfire smoke and also thunderstorms, which made the trip pretty sketchy. Once in Gulkana I really thought about whether or not I wanted to proceed onward towards Anchorage or sit it out. I got a good look at the weather, using Foreflight, I was able to see the locations of the storm cells. My main concerns were first being able to make it to the Eureka Roadhouse area and second that the pass through the Matanuska area was going to be safe. I played everything really slow and safe, always giving myself an out. I hope you enjoyed our video, thank you for watching!
7:11-11:15 song 'Alaska And Me' by John Denver, covered by @TheSongery
#Alaska #BushFlying #BushPilot #Pilot #BushPlane

[@littlebear7018]

"There are bold pilots and there are old pilots; but there are no old, bold pilots!" This adage came to mind when you desribed your return flight 🛩to Anchorage

[@BushPilot]

Indeed, this saying sticks with me. Always better to be able to fly another day.

[@rachaelreints1037]

So awesome, baby! ❤️❤️❤️

[@BushPilot]

Thank you!!

[@elbywest5977]

I just discovered your channel, this is awesome

[@DL-kr3ir]

Mate this is such a great channel 👍 keep up the great work

[@BushPilot]

Thank you so much for the kind words! We'll try to keep the content coming

[@catharsis21]

Truly beautiful area, especially seen from the air.

[@BushPilot]

I couldn't agree more, such a beautiful spot to fly!

[@pi.actual]

That was a great video, thanks. You know I put an AV-30 in my plane and you should check it out. You get a lot for the money. I was up there about ten years ago and yes, the glaciers were bigger back then.

[@BushPilot]

Thank you Pi! I really do need to get one of the AV-30's, that'd surely make life a lot easier.

[@kevingrosshandler5308]

Legendary!!! Just sealed the deal on a -12 with a 160hp up in the valley. Came with edo 2000s. Hopin to get my TW and ASES this season if I don’t run out of time. If not it’s gettin skis! Would be sick to cruise around some time!

[@BushPilot]

That's awesome Kevin, congratulations! We'll definitely have to go fly around.

[@joeoconnell732]

Jacob forwarded this to me.
This is living your life. Cogradulations. Some never figure it out.

[@gregwatruba4541]

Who takes care of the airstrips in the back woods?? I'm sure the grass needs to be cut sometimes and holes filled.

[@BushPilot]

Hey Greg! Thank you for watching. These backcountry strips are maintained by the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve park service.

[@kylem6647]

Where did you get the hat with your N #? - Great content and love the bulldog!!
McCarthy “self serve” takes it to the next level!

[@BushPilot]

Thank you very much! My wife had the hat made for me, she found a vendor off of Etsy somewhere. And yes, getting fuel in McCarthy was a bit of an adventure in itself. I'm sure an entire video could've been dedicated to that process Haha

[@kylem6647]

@@BushPilot could you send me the link of the Etsy source for the hats?? Thanks!!

[@BushPilot]

@@kylem6647 Hey Kyle, the Etsy Shop name is VividCustomStickers, it’s the “Customized Tail Number Leather Pilot Hat”.

[@tonyfranks9551]

A tad hairy but excellent...

[@hollybell9587]

I really enjoyed your video! I sure miss Alaska. What was the name of the artist and song about alaska sung during the video? Thanks

[@BushPilot]

Hi Holly, the song 7:11-11:15 is 'Alaska And Me' by John Denver, covered here by @TheSongery. It's an awesome song, definitely John Denver's most underrated in my opinion.