1 March 2007: Fairbanks

Aerial Reconnaissance

Matthew Sturm

Dave Andersen and Matthew Sturm flew the first 200 miles of the trip back on March 16th. Our pilot was Dick Hatten, a veteran arctic traveler. We were checking out to mountain passes (Rose Bud and Eagle Summit) and the trail on the Yukon River between Circle and Ft. Yukon. Below are some photos from the route. The mountain passes looked O.K. The Yukon had a surprising amount of open water. Open water on a big river is scary....smart travelers stay away from it. Fortunately, there was a good trail in. The people who put it in know the river and the route. They mostly stayed along the sides of the river and on side sloughs.