Aviation

I’ve had several incredible mentors in my life. From sports to schooling to accounting to business to dog mushing, there have been people who have helped me navigate each respective field and helping hands to raise me to the next level. They shared knowledge that took them years to compile, and for that I will be forever grateful. And what’s more, the knowledge was shared with no strings attached; there was no sense of possessiveness or underlying motive. When the time would come for me to pivot in a new direction, I was met with even more support, helping me find the next step even when that meant leaving. That has been one of my biggest takeaways over the last decade and something I strive to emulate- what makes a good leader and mentor. It’s a person who teaches and develops, yet when the time comes, they support the change and transition. I’m sure there was an initial frustration when after a few years of training, I approached Melody at the accounting firm and said, “Thanks for training me all these years, I want to go race sled dogs.” To which Melody’s response was for her accounting firm to provide a yearly sponsorship for many years. Or Aliy and Allen when I said, “thanks for the amazing Iditarod experience, I’d like to start my own kennel and directly compete against you.” They responded with allowing me to breed a few litters of puppies and teaching me to build a faster sled. This blog post is taking a rather philosophical turn, and I’m struggling to bring it back around, because while the discussion of what makes a good mentor/leader is important, what I really set out to write about is one of my most recent mentors- Derek.

The last couple years, I’ve been putting more effort into learning to fly. In 2012, I got my private pilot’s license, but I didn’t really utilize it until the last couple years. And just because I have my license, it doesn’t mean I know how to fly. It’s like getting six dogs and mushing a 5-mile loop then wondering, ok now how do I do the Iditarod? There are a million steps between the two, and once again, a mentor can make all the difference.

My goal is to become competent at remote flying, meaning landing and taking off on short strips, assessing weather, navigating through remote Alaska, judging length and suitability of potential landing strips, maintaining a plane in cold temperatures, etc. There’s not exactly a How to Be a Bush Pilot Guide, except that lucky me, I married one.

Derek and I met one afternoon when I was on a walk with Kaz’s son Sam and Ray Crowe. I later learned we tactfully strolled through Derek’s yard as he was prepping his plane for a flight.

Wow, that’s cool.

Would you like to go for a flight?

Yeah! That’d be awesome!

Where do you want to go?

How about the Yukon Quest trail and Eagle Summit?

And off we went. It wasn’t until dinner was suggested afterward that I realized, ah, this was a date! Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to accompany Derek on spectacular trips in the backcountry. And while the trips were amazing, it wasn’t until I started flying that I truly realized what a wealth of knowledge Derek possessed.

Now I jump at any chance to have him fly along, whether he’s sitting in my backseat or I’m trailing behind him in his plane. I pepper him with questions, and he points out specific landmarks.

Memorize that rock formation. That’s your cue to turn up this drainage for the low pass between these watersheds. And see that old cabin floor, that’s your next indication that you’re headed down the correct drainage. Stay right. That swath of braided riverbed is always overflowed, and once you see that you know you’re headed in the correct direction. If you go left it’ll dead end, and if the ceiling is low, it would be really hard to turn around in something so narrow.

camping last fall at one of the first Trickier-for-me strips

I’m pretty sure this man doesn’t need a GPS. Before my family panics reading this, I’m not flying in low ceilings or risky conditions, but this knowledge is invaluable anyway. Derek’s brain also holds wisdom from decades-worth of exploring as both a private pilot and a smokejumper. He knows of several strips that function as stepping stones as I ever so slowly start to improve. He knows the weather stations to follow and how to plan trips. I couldn’t ask for a better mentor.

Now being married to your mentor also brings its own challenges. Picture driving with your significant other- do you ever bicker about directions or where to park? Well, just because we’re talking over the radio doesn’t mean that doesn’t happen.

Why are you going that way? Go north around that peak.

But the south side sets you up for the next pass better. Don’t you think the south side of the peak would be faster?

No, that’s why I said go on the north side. Turn left. LEFT!

Camping at chickenstock

Or maybe your significant other is looking for something in the fridge. You know exactly where it is and are describing it, but your significant other insists it’s not there or they can’t see it.

Look down. See those rocks? The white rocks? That’s the edge of the strip.

I see lots of rocks.

Look down. See right there. The rocks. Do you see the rocks. They’re in a line.

I see so many rocks.

Ok do another pass. There! Right there! See the rocks?!

WHICH ROCKS??

I still have yet to land at the strip we were circling during this conversation.

Derek’s knowledge can also act as crutch when flying, so he regularly encourages me to fly places without him and test my own knowledge and assessment abilities. Earlier this summer, a friend Alyssa and my flying buddy Jess Panko (and Smoky’s sponsor!) flew to the Coal Creek airstrip and hiked down to Slaven’s Roadhouse. The conditions were PERFECT until we arrived at the Yukon River, where squalls were numerous. After dodging a couple squalls, we managed to land at Coal Creek. It didn’t rain again the entire time we were there. Being a Vet Stop on the Yukon Quest, Slaven’s Roadhouse is the place of many memories although all are in winter. It was pretty cool to add some summer experiences to the Slaven’s memory bank. Only one other time had I explored the gold dredge: several years ago with Deb Davis (Tobin’s sponsor!). Climbing around the gold dredge and checking out all the old tools takes you back in time to early gold mining days. I can’t imagine shipping all those parts up the Yukon then building the dredge and moving it up little Coal Creek.

Squalls over coal creek

Me, Alyssa, and Jess in front of the coal creek gold dredge

Cartel checking out Slavens Roadhouse

Ultimately, I’m beyond excited about this new opportunity, and I feel lucky to have one of the best mentors. Cartel doesn’t seem to mind traveling by plane either. And sorry this post wasn’t more about dogs.