Blue Ice Aviation

Exposing Real Alaska

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Photo of the Day — A Photo Never Does it Justice

I took this photo last week on my way home from a late night flight. I was returning from a glacier flight and the clouds were building into towering cumulous all around. The clouds would occasionally fall from the sky in the form of slushy white rain. The weather had been deteriorating through the evening, and I struggled to get back down the glacier from 8000′. It was one of those nights where the fog was appearing out of thin air, while I watched… so I was anxious to get out of the mountains. As the vegetation of lower elevations came into view this hole formed in the clouds, and shown on the toe of the glacier. It was strikingly beautiful because it was like flying down a dark tunnel towards the light at the end. I wish I could have captured the feel, but I guess this picture will have to do.

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Photo of the Day — Land of the Midnight Sun

It’s bed time so this is gonna be short. I just wanted to say that I liked the way the shadows laid on the Tazlina bowl this evening. It was sort of weird weather and I was happy to get out of there. I know its all blue sky in the picture, but there was a lot of fog forming out of thin air all around … and that makes me want to be elsewhere.

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Photo of the Day — Marshmallo Mountain

I love the snow covered peaks in the Chugach Mountain Range.  This is one of hundreds of no-name ridges in the heart of the Chugach.  I took this picture yesterday on the 6th of June and as you can see it is far from summer.  My elevation here is only 7000′ but the snow and ice cling to the rock as if it were winter.  This ridge is on the North side of the range so it is influenced more by the interior weather patterns than the costal moisture.   On the South side of the range, facing Prince William Sound, there are similar ridges that show absolutely no rock as the snow and ice have completely blanketed the area 12 months out of the year.  God created something unfathomable when he carved this out, and it’s no wonder we never get tired of looking at it.

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Photo of the Day — The More I Look at it, The More I Like it

Did I mention that I could have made a snow angel in my front yard yesterday morning?  I woke up at 0530 am for the morning flight and when I looked out the window I laughed out loud.  Visibility was about 14 feet, and it was dumping snow.  The weather had been so nice for so long that I was relieved to see some truthful Alaskan weather.  Bad weather in the morning is not necessarily a bad thing.  Sheep Mt. Lodge is right next door and they have this breakfast called the, “Full Curl Combo” … it’s worth, a little slush, sleet, and fog now and then.

It was a cool enough day yesterday that the snow never really melted above 3500′.  I took this picture just before 9 pm on my way home and the more I look at it the more I like it.  The snow on the green grass and leaves is always a beautiful thing and yesterday was no exception.  

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Photo of the Day — Reflections Aloft

This picture is 2 hours old. I took it while en-route to check a landing site tonight. The turquoise water struck my eye as I was flying by, and the dense cloud cover seemed to enhance the colors. I love the reflection of the blue water in the window. I think this picture makes me happy, thanks for looking at it.

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Photo of the Day — NOLS Camp

This is one of the NOLS courses currently camped out on the ice field 20 miles from our house. I took this at 9 pm on my way home the other night. You can see how the warm temperatures have begun to melt the snow. It has been so warm that it has not been freezing at night even though it’s nearly 10,000 feet! This weather cannot last forever but I guess we can enjoy it for the moment.

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Photo of the Day — Just Another Good View

I snapped this yesterday on a little flight up onto the glacier. I was only 15 minutes from my house and it was the sort of day that needed to be experienced to be believed. It was 55 degrees at 6000′ and the snow was melting like an ice cream cone on the side walk. The air was still and the sun was hot. Honestly the weather has been so nice for so long I am ready for a little bit of nasty foul clouds and rain. Too much sun is not good because the smoke from the forest fires will shut us down. But … I guess for now, I better just grin and bear it :o)

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Photo of the Day — Unstable Air

The past week has brought a cycle of afternoon thunderstorms to the Talkeetna Mountains. The hot afternoon air is unstable and by 1 PM it is so rough, that it is really not fun to be flying. This is a weather pattern common in the lower 48 but relatively new territory for us Alaskans.

I was returning from a trip to a local gold mine when I took this picture today. I loved the blue sky and the way that it changed to a darker shade as it got closer. It was only 44 degrees at this elevation but the moderate turbulence was consistent and annoying. I don’t like up and down drafts that exceed 1500 feet per minute. I think I really like this picture though.

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Photo of the Day — 2000 Flushes … Only Better

This time of year the water held on the surface of the glaciers is the most brilliant. It is stunning to see because the colors are so perfect. I took this on a short 30 minute sightseeing trip on Sunday. I had a young man on board who was celebrating his 11th birthday by going on an airplane ride. I thought it was a pretty awesome gift given by his Dad, and the day was utterly perfect.

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Photo of the Day — Green Lakes and iPhones

We recently moved from Palmer up to Sheep Mt. for our summer season. The internet was not yet turned on at our cabin so I have not been able to post my normal “Photo of the Day”. I’ve been posting from my fancy new iPhone, but its just not the same. I’ve been busy flying and the weather has been really nice. I took this picture yesterday as I was going to pickup a bear hunter in the Eastern Chugach.

Also see the new photo of the avalanche added to the Marcus Baker incident on May 11th.

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Photo of the Day — Blotchy Sun Spots

I took this last week and I don’t know where. I remember I liked the sun on the snow, and the little keyhole 10 miles ahead that allowed possible clearance over a ridge.

On this occasion I was not landing anywhere ahead but this is a common scene on the glaciers. I’ve mentioned in the past that it’s difficult to land on snow if there are no shadows. Often as we approach an area for landing it will look blotchy like this and we will simply wait for the sun to move to a desirable location and then land. I’ve circled overhead for some time waiting for the light to change or to move into the most useful position. When I was first learning to fly I remember being in a hurry to get on the ground, but the longer I fly the slower I am to commit. My worst mistakes have been made in haste, and as long as I have the gas to linger I take all the time I need to assure that conditions are truly in my favor before I commit.

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Photo of the Day — Heading South

I was following Mike and we were headed towards Prince William Sound. That flat area up ahead is the glacial flat between Marcus Baker and Mt. Goode. It is a massive smooth snowpack that you could land a 747 on if it had skis. It’s a popular place for mountaineers to begin an attempt on the tallest mountain in the Chugach, and I have also seen it used by kite skiers. There is only one spot that we fly in that is windier than this area, and that’s the Tazlina Glacier. A 70 mph breeze is nothing and almost guaranteed at some point if you spend a week up here.

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Photo of the Day — Good Coffee at 10,000′

I am a coffee snob. I don’t drink cappuccinos or mochas, I only drink straight coffee, really, really strong, straight black coffee. I was flying by College Fjord earlier this week sipping a cup of really, really, super strong, dark black coffee when I thought I should stick my arm out the window for a quick picture with my favorite coffee mug. My wife worked at the Coffee Company in Elizabethton Tennessee while I was finishing up aviation school. Our dear friends owned it and those years in Tennessee were great ones, I look at this picture and it makes me smile. Two of my favorite things, a beautiful view and good cup of coffee, I am blessed.

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Photo of the Day — 9500′ And Climbing

I took this picture of Mike a few hours ago and this weather was not as nice as it looks. The wind was cranking and those clouds were just pouring over from Prince William Sound. I was at 9500′ when I took this picture, and the performance of a fully loaded Super Cub at these altitudes is often less than desirable when dealing with powerful downdrafts. We were hauling in a couple of mountaineers who are going to attempt Marcus Baker.

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Photo of the Day — I Wish I Could Stick It In My Pocket

This is an amazing landscape when viewed from your tiny little computer screen. Imagine how much more impressive it is in real life. At times it is overwhelming, I wish I could take it with me in my pocket so I could show all my friends. All I can do is digitally capture it onto an electronic chip and then, minimize it, compress it, label it, and upload it. Something is lost in the process, but I hope it gives you a taste of the vastness of this unfathomable creation.

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Photo of the Day — I Heart the Chugach Mountains

I took this yesterday as I was crossing the Chugach Range at 9700′. I mentioned yesterday that the wind was blowing about 25 knots and you can see the snow kicking up off the ice in the picture above. This is the South Western Flank of Mt. Marcus Baker which is loaded with snow ice and horrible weather 12 months out of the year. Days like this are few and far between for this region. Every time I fly by I am impressed by it’s shear size and nastiness. This is a mere glimpse of the thousands of square miles of rock and ice found in the Chugach Range. I heart the Chugach.

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Photo of the Day — A Nice Picture

OK, so a good blogger would not admit that they are so tired that they grabbed the first picture they stumbled across, taken a couple of weeks ago, and just posted it … but that is the truth in this case. I am going to bed, it’s been a long day.

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