The day started out with perfect July flying weather in Washington State. I convinced my girlfriend to fly with me to Stehekin State Airport (6S9), located at the end of the beautiful, 50-mile-long Lake Chelan, where millions of years ago, glaciers scooped out the valley. I was well-prepared for the flight and even put a life vest on my friend before we departed. I knew there were available bicycles at the landing strip, so I looked forward to riding through the beautiful Douglas fir forest, across a bridge over the Stehekin River to Rainbow Falls and then to the famous Stehekin Bakery. I had flown there three times before, so I felt confident, especially after recently practicing my short- and soft-field landings. I remembered to pack the emergency beacon, bear spray and snacks.
OUR LADY OF MAGENTA LINES
Stehekin’s dirt strip can be difficult to locate, since it is sandwiched in between Douglas fir trees over 100 feet tall and wedged behind a cliff at the end of the runway. The plan was to fly slow and low for the short/soft-field landing. In addition to my memory, I had my Garmin GNS 430 with its magenta line to lead me to the airport.
