Love Affair with Mountains

Mt. Saint Helens

It was while on The Great Adventure that I stopped fearing mountains. Crossing the Cascades and several sections of the Rockies twice, provided some familiarity.

Mt. Adams

But it was when I attended the Mountain Flying Clinic held out of the Wenatchee (EAT) airport that my obsession with peaks began. M and I flew our Cessna’s over for the 2005 weekend clinic. Me in my172, M in her 206. We were the only women at the event and enjoyed the rare pleasure of watching men line up for a bathroom while we walked right on in. Sweet!
I went up with Al, a CFI and mountain search and rescue pilot. He had a lot to teach me and I paid attention and soaked it up.
“First we are going to get a practical introduction to density altitude”, he announced. “Take off, but you can only use 1800 rpm’s. This will simulate a hot day at high altitude.” It did. Poor Isabo waddled down the runway eating up three-quarters of it before finally finding the air. Lesson clear.
We flew south following the Columbia river, which lies low among rising terrain on both sides. Pointing to the hill/mountain ahead and towering above, Al said, “Can you make it over that hill?” I assured him I could not. He instructed me to turn into a cleft in the hill saying “Well, then. Let’s see.” As we started up, Al instructed on several important facets of flying into rising terrain, ravines and blind canyons.

“Fly close to one side”, he urged. “No, get way over, close.” Feeling like the wing was already about to scrape rock I hesitated, so taking the controls he demonstrated getting in next to terrain. Whoa. That close. It turned out that a 172 didn’t have the power to make it over directly, but there were solutions. Al instructed on flying with 10 degrees of flaps, thus keeping it slow so turns in tight spaces could be made while avoiding getting too steep and stalling the wing. I learned how to seek the uplift from rising air above sun drenched rocks, how to approach a ridge, how to avoid downdrafts and how to avoid flying into mountains my plane could not surmount or canyons too narrow to turn around in. The challenge was exhilarating, resulting in my earning a lot of respect for mountains, while increasing my comfort with flying among them.

Sawtooth range, Redfish Lake, Idaho

Later in the year, I flew over to McCall Idaho for their fly-in and mountain flying clinics. Here I learned about landing on high mountain strips.

Mountains became and still are, my friends. When I’ve had a bad day, I go and play with my friends, soaring along their sides, skimming their trees, exploring their hidden places. And always, taking pictures of their beauty so during times when I cannot fly, I can relive the peace they bring.