Several Hillside Flying Rotarians put thier flying and chainsaw skills to work.
The second annual IFFR/RAF/EAA chapter 42 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park fly-in and maintenance party concluded successfully over the weekend of July 13-15, 2018. A total of 12 airplanes participated including Cessnas, Pipers, and more exotics like a Stinson, Helio-Courier and a Glastar. Another 15 vehicles made the long trip overland including the last 60 miles of gravel road which follows the old right of way for the historic Copper River and Northwestern Railway, which went from tidewater in Cordova, Alaska to the company town of Kennicott where miners worked to extract the world’s richest deposit of copper ore from 1910 to 1938.
On Saturday, six suitable planes shuttled 16 volunteers to remote and rugged Peavine airstrip, on National Park Service land, approximately 20 miles SE of McCarthy, Alaska. With chainsaws, weed whackers, and limb nippers, we cleared brush and trees which had encroached on both sides and the ends of the landing surface, improving safety and accessibility of this beautiful airstrip at the base of snow-capped mile high cliffs. Meanwhile, a separate community service work crew moved in land vehicles across the Kennicott River and cleaned up the historic McCarthy Cemetery.