A Wilderness Ordeal
Copyright© 2005 by Luckier Dog
Introduction
Alaska is a popular destination for vacationers. Tourists, hunters, fishermen, backpackers, white water enthusiasts, and other eco-tourists visit the 49th state every year. North of Anchorage, the largest city, and to the north and west of Fairbanks, lie vast areas that are mostly unexplored and uninhabited by man. It is a harsh unforgiving land far from the comforts of civilized life we have evolved into. It is beautiful country, and a well-educated outdoorsman can do well there. By doing well, if he has a commercial pilot's license, the necessary ratings and permits, and a reliable plane equipped to fly sportsmen and women around the state; he can make a decent living during the summer months. Of course it is dangerous work. Some have called it the third most dangerous job in Alaska!
Griffin Walker was a former A-1D Skyraider pilot with the Air Force in Viet Nam. He knew about dangerous work, as the A-1D was used for Close Air Support and as escorts for the Jolly Green Giant helicopters sent to rescue downed fliers. When the war ended, Gary came home to find a country that had no appreciation for the military, and the men who served their country.
He found work with Northwest Airlines, then Delta Airlines as a commuter pilot flying the twin-engine prop planes that shuttled passengers to and from the bigger airports. Eventually a career change brought him to Seattle where he was a co-pilot on an Alaska Airlines 727 that flew from SeaTac to Anchorage International on a shared American Airlines route from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
It was after one of these flights in mid September that he met Rudy Smith in the Airport lounge. Rudy had also been in the Air Force, but as an aircraft mechanic. After getting his private then commercial pilot's licenses, he flew in the winter for Ryan Air on their flights from Anchorage to the outlying villages of King Salmon, Bethel, and Unalakleet on the Bering Sea. In the warmer months Rudy had flown for one or the other of the many fishing lodges that dot remote Alaska. He flew a DeHavilland Beaver of World War Two vintage, a Cessna 185 on floats, and a Piper Super Cub for landing on the volcanic soil or on the tundra.