Garrett Fisher

Author, Pilot, & Adventurer

  • Flying Videos
  • Writings
  • Best of the Blog
  • Press
  • Maps
  • Economics
  • TEDx Talk: Forget Economics
  • About Me
  • Español

Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • YouTube

Powered by Genesis

Flight: Alpine, WY to Livingston, MT: Yellowstone, Madison Valley

June 30, 2015 by Garrett

This particular flight had its genesis in reading an article written by Jeff Greenwald. He took a multi-state trip in an Aircam, a unique, open cockpit, twin-engine airplane that requires a bush/utility mentality to enjoy, not all that different from mine in some respects. Both scream for adventure, flights where aggressive terrain is viewed low and slow. I emailed Jeff and offered him a ride, and this trip transpired.

One issue with general aviation is making schedules. The schedule fits, the weather may not. In our case, it was (and still is) a sweltering heat wave: 93 F in Alpine, WY and 100 F at our destination of Livingston, WY. Hot air makes airplanes perform terribly. Imagine the difference between a car driving with you alone, and then compare it to how it performs while towing a trailer at the maximum permissible weight. That is the difference between a cold winter day and a heat wave in most small airplanes. Spunky in the cold, lethargic in the heat.

We compensated by having me pick Jeff up in Jackson Hole, WY (my first landing at a control tower airport with this airplane!) so we could leave with full fuel and have greater range. We also took off from Jackson at about 8:45, while it was still about 68 degrees.

The route of flight was to the headwaters of the Snake River (it flows from Yellowstone to the Pacific), over the hill that is the Continental Divide, then down the Yellowstone River from a source close to its headwaters to Yellowstone Falls. Instead of making it to Livingston, MT on one tank, I opted to check out Grand Prismatic Spring, refuel at W Yellowstone MT and go from there. It was quite hazy, and I pretty much figured my photographs would be crap. Well, what can I say…. I guess I am good at this after all.

By the time we landed at W Yellowstone, it was getting hot. W Yellowstone is above 6,000’, so we were getting hotter and still high up. Departing with not quite full fuel, I opted to go down the Hegben River in Montana, then the Madison River, over to Bozeman MT, and then into Livingston. The whole trip followed a river drainage, and effectively had slowly descending terrain. The plan worked, though the propeller turns into a blast furnace with that kind of heat, and the airplane had the aeronautical performance of a brick.


Gros Ventre River – Jackson Hole – Grand Teton on left
IMG_8873 (10 of 604)

Grand Teton National Park – Does this view ever get old?
IMG_8913 (19 of 573) IMG_8944 (50 of 573)

Snake River a few miles from headwaters, Yellowstone. Mt. Sheridan (10,298′) on left. Heart Lake visible.
IMG_9016 (122 of 573)

Yellowstone River looking N. Absaroka Mountains on right. Continental Divide on left.
IMG_9088 (194 of 573)

Yellowstone River looking toward headwaters in Absaroka Mountains. Continental Divide on right.
IMG_9107 (213 of 573)

Yellowstone River delta entering Yellowstone Lake.
IMG_9149 (255 of 573)

Gibbon Falls (roughly 7,000′)
IMG_9244 (350 of 573)

A few hot springs. A rare instance where I think people actually accent the image instead of defile it.
IMG_9288 (394 of 573) IMG_9394 (500 of 573)

This would be Grand Prismatic Spring.
IMG_9448 (554 of 573)

Hegben Lake, Montana
IMG_9473 (6 of 371)

Quake Lake, MT – Formed by a giant landslide (the rocks on the bottom came off the mountain on the left) during a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in 1959. Madison Valley in the background.
IMG_9495 (28 of 371)

Madison Valley, MT – Gravelly Range in background.
IMG_9503 (36 of 371)

Madison Range
IMG_9528 (61 of 371)

Bozeman, MT with Bridger Range in background.
IMG_9555 (88 of 371)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Email subscription form header
Subscribe
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
Powered by FeedBlitz

Blog Posts

  • Book #30: Pobles de la Cerdanya December 31, 2020
  • Book #29: Cadí-Moixeró & El Pedraforca December 27, 2020
  • Art Manifesto: Book #28: My Struggle December 25, 2020
  • Flight: Switzerland: Quickie in the Sky December 15, 2020
  • Book #27: Abstractions of the Alps December 4, 2020
  • Flights: Switzerland: Old Town Bern & the Summit of the Jungfrau November 28, 2020
  • Book #26: Flight of a Lifetime: A Monument to an Epic Flight in the Alps November 25, 2020
  • Flight: Italy: Larches of Val Ferret November 16, 2020
  • Magna Opera: Book #25: Glaciers of the Bernese Alps November 6, 2020
  • Flight: Italy: Mons Silvius, Berg der Berge November 1, 2020
  • Book #24: Alps in Monochrome October 3, 2020
  • Flight: Italy: Glaciers That Weren’t There September 19, 2020
  • The 500,000th Photograph August 15, 2020
  • Flights: Switzerland: Coitus Interruptus July 20, 2020
  • Flight: Switzerland (BE, VD, VS): Of Clouds and Humans June 7, 2020
  • Podcast Interview: The Not So Straight and Level Podcast April 14, 2020
  • Book #23: Mountain Texture: Glaciers of the Alps March 21, 2020
  • Flight: Switzerland (BE, VS, VD): The Alps in the Dead of Winter March 16, 2020
  • Flight: Italy, France: Finding Virginity at 13,166 Feet February 21, 2020
  • Book #22: The 300 Hour Summer: Flying the Rockies in a Piper Cub February 4, 2020

Archives

  • December 2020 (5)
  • November 2020 (5)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • March 2020 (2)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (3)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (3)
  • July 2019 (2)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • May 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (3)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • October 2018 (2)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (3)
  • June 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (4)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (4)
  • November 2017 (4)
  • October 2017 (4)
  • September 2017 (4)
  • August 2017 (5)
  • July 2017 (3)
  • June 2017 (4)
  • May 2017 (5)
  • April 2017 (4)
  • March 2017 (5)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (4)
  • November 2016 (5)
  • October 2016 (4)
  • September 2016 (6)
  • August 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (4)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 (5)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (4)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (4)
  • November 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (8)
  • August 2015 (8)
  • July 2015 (8)
  • June 2015 (8)
  • May 2015 (4)
  • April 2015 (4)
  • March 2015 (5)
  • February 2015 (3)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (10)
  • November 2014 (4)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (3)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • July 2014 (6)
  • May 2014 (1)
  • March 2014 (1)
  • February 2014 (3)