Jake's Back Country Flight

So that little strip of gravel and turf going up the hill just the other side of the creek is the runway at Thomas Creek.....the picture doesn't do it justice. After crossing over the ridge at 9,000 feet the valley opens up and you can turn back towards the runway while descending and follow the creek back to the airstrip. The tricky part is that you are making a "blind approach" and don't see the runway until you come around the last bend in the creek where suddenly you have to drop the plane in over the creek and some tree tops just at the approach end of the runway. Needless to say this was the start to an exciting morning!

This is a picture of the airstrip at Indian Creek, we flew over this on our way to Thomas Creek.

The view at the end of the runway at Big Creek. This is a great place to get breakfast, the Big Creek Lodge & Outfitters is a short walk from the runway. It is June 23rd and it is still to early in the season to make it through the pass in a car or truck. Everything is brought in by plane. I can't believe I get paid to fly into places like this!

On approach into Stanley, not a big deal, it is pretty wide open and the strip is in good shape. Our windshield is filthy and these pictures were taken with my camera phone so not really good quality.

This is not in the back country but on a day that I have to actually work for a living. This is the view out of my office window on a corporate flight at 19,000 feet on the way back to Boise dodging developing thunderstorms.......

and this is the inside of my office! Not very spacious, maybe someday I will have a corner office.