We took a flight over Mt McKinley today. The flight exceeded our expectations. Before takeoff the pilot gave us a little safety talk. Where the transponder switch is so help can find us if we make a "hard landing." He showed us where the first aid kit, survival gear and rations are. And then he demonstrated how to use the combination parachute - super duper deluxe barf bag. If you get sick it allows you to hang the bag from your ears and continue taking photos while you barf. He looks pretty cool. Jim was lucky enough to get the right seat for the trip so he had great views! The DeHavilland Beaver we we flew in seats 7 with specially fitted windows for photography so everyone had a great view.

We flew through the Great Gorge of the Ruth Glacier, with mile high granite walls, filled with a 4,000 foot thick river of ice , it's the deepest canyon in North America.

After making several passes at Mt McKinley we headed back down the Great Gorge and landed on Ruth Glacier. The landing area is really uphill, since there are no brakes when landing on ice! Until you land, you really can't appreciate the enormity of the mountains that surround you.

After throwing a few snowballs, watching other planes land and taking a million more photos we hopped back in our trusty plane and headed back to Talkeetna.