I love this picture because it communicates perfectly an Alaskan Summer day in the Chugach mountains. You can see that the weather is not bad … but it really is not all that great either. I am speaking in terms of my profession as a pilot, and my desire for unobscured mountains. Flying day after day through cloud covered mountains gets old because of the uncertainty. We don’t push the weather, but we do have to deal with it, and when the clouds lay extensively over the hills it is difficult to know when to throw in the towel. There is nothing more frustrating than flying within a couple of miles of a desired location only to get turned around because of restricted visibility or un-passable mountain passes. We do not have weather reporting stations anywhere in the hills, so all we can do is try, and then turn around if foul conditions prevail. I am really good at the 180 degree turn because it’s what keeps me alive out there. Remember, they always haul the wreckage out when the weather gets better, be patient.