August 4, 2024 - Alaska Flight
Knik Glacier

I arrived in Alaska last Thursday and today is the first good flying day.  So let's go explore Alaska!  I decided to pick the low hanging fruit first and go for the nearby Knik Glacier, only about 15nm southeast of Wolf Lake Airport.

I can see the glacier as soon as I'm at pattern altitude.   (Wolf Lake elevation is 540 feet).
   
Palmer Airport is between Wolf Lake and Knik Glacier.  It's always busy so I circle to Palmer's southern side.  That's Palmer, at center, just to the left of the Matanuska River.
   
Flying up the Knik River valley.
   
David told me to stay high when traveling up a glacier.  (You can fly low when heading down glacier.)
 
Knik Glacier is a high traffic area and has it's own CTAF frequency 122.7 which I was monitoring.  There is also a little map in the Alaska Air Supplement for Knik Glacier showing all the reporting points.  You self-announce the reporting point, direction of flight, and altitude.
   
Passing by some 6,000 foot mountains.   We don't have these on the east coast.
   
A great shot of Knik Glacier.   That's 10,610-foot Mount Goode, just right of center.
   
But I turn right and fly over Inner Lake George.
   
 
   
I'm heading for that relatively low pass just right of center.  That's Mount Gannett just left of center -- another ten thousand footer:  10,050 feet to be exact.
   
Look at all that snow!  In August!
   
Top of the world.  The mountain tops are in the 6,000-7,500 foot range.
   
 
   
A close-up of Mount Gannett.
   
Prince William Sounds comes into view in the distance.
   
Over the pass, Mount Gannett at left.
   
Words cannot describe.
   
Looking southwest.
   
Looking northeast.
   
 
   
The snow-covered mountains drop away from me and I'm over Harriman Fjord.
   
Looking down at the snow, ice and dirt.
   
 
   
Harriman Fiord joins Point Wells which joins Prince William Sound.
   
I start the turn southeast.
   
 
   
I'm making a clock-wise circle towards Lake George Glacier.
   
A glacier plunges towards the Fiord.
   
Inner Lake George visible dead ahead.
   
 
   
Turnagain Arm is visible at upper left.
   
Eagle Glacier at center.
   
Following Lake George Glacier down to Lake George.
   
I'm pretty high so I made a couple big lazy 360 turns in this big snow-covered amphitheater to come down low over the ice.
   
Looking uphill.
   
And downhill.
   
The glacier ice is jagged here.
   
That's the way I had gone earlier.
   
That strip of dirt in the glacier leading to the lake is interesting.
   
A dirt strip just to the northwest of Inner Lake George.  You can see a high-wing parked down there.
   
Now I'm back at Knik Glacier.
   
I decide to check it out down low for a bit.
   
Talk about jagged!
   
I flew up the glacier maybe a mile, turned around and am now heading downhill.
   
Check out that bright cyan-blue color.
   
Knik Glacier also has the dirt-swath running through it.
   
Not a good landing area.
   
 
   
Flying alongside the dirt swath.
   
About to run out of glacier.
   
 
   
The glacier peters out.
   
Now over previously glacier-covered dirt.  Doesn't take long for vegetation to begin.
   
And there's the Knik River.
   
Knik River.
   
Civilization!
   
A bush plane enjoying some solitude.
   
I'm coming to understand the rivers in Alaska and western Canada are not well-defined like most of the continental U.S. rivers.
   
The fun in this area isn't limited to airplanes and helicopters.  Ground vehicles like ATVs and dirt bikes also have fun here.
   
Crossing the Knik!
   
I encounter pretty green muskeg area.
   
 
   
Coming out of the Knik Glacier valley.
   
Passing a public airstrip -- Butte Muni -- and the Alaska Raceway Park.
   
I pass a place I know.  It's the Reindeer Farm!  At right is the Bodenburg Butte.  Lynnette and I would hike to the top in a couple of weeks.
   
Close-up of the Reindeer Farm.  We would also visit here in a week or so.
   
Back down low on the Knik River.
   
People camping on the riverside.
   
Following the Knik River southwest.
   
 
   
I come to Highway One (Glenn Highway) which runs to Anchorage.
   
I turn to the north and head back towards Palmer.
   
Looking down the Knik Arm.
   
My, they do fly low around here.
   
I passed Palmer and headed up the Matanuska River -- the way I had come in on last Thursday, but at higher altitude.
   
 
   
Checking out the Matanuska.
   
 
   
Granite Creek heads north.
   
Glenn Highway (Highway One) runs along the north side of the Matanuska.
   
 
   
 
   
North 40, a private turf strip.
   
Flying west back to Wolf Lake I pass over this prison complex.
   
Looking down at Maggie's house where we were staying.
   
Close-up.  Looks like Parker is down there looking up.
   
Ray's hangar home where I'm keeping my plane tied down is at lower center, with the open hangar door.
   
Back at Wolf Lake parked next to Ray's Super Cub on floats.
 
It's pretty amazing to have world-class scenery only 20 minutes away by RV.  What a flight!
   
SPOT Track for today.
   
 
   
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