Looking at this image Yesterday morning it reminded me of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Air Base at Trout Lake. In 1974 I transferred from the Naches Ranger District on the Wenatchee National Forest to the Wind River Ranger District on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. My wife Barbara had experience as an aerial observer and was offered a job flying on fire detection flights out of the Forest Service Trout Lake Air Base located at the Trout Lake Airport, a grass strip across the road from the Mount Adams Ranger Station. The Wind River Ranger Station was in Hemlock, WA and the forest service moved our trailer house to a trailer court in Carson, WA. The GPNF had very valuable old growth Timber Stands so contracted two Planes and a helicopter to base at Trout lake, WA . Back then the GPNF Stretched 70 miles from the Columbia River on the south, to Mount Rainier on the north and averaged 40 miles wide. Each plane flew two fire detection flights per day and each flight lasted about 3 hours so there was at least one fire detection plane over the Forest almost all day.
The Williams Mine Fire started August 5th by lightning. This infrared image was taken on August 10th at 0329 PDT. 7,293 acres.
Zoomed out to see the surrounding area.
The Trout lake Airport Across the road from the Mount Adams Ranger District Ranger Station.
Shoulder patch
Two Cessna 185s
Aerospatiale Aloette 3. The lady that lives in the house behind the helicopter still lives there. She said she loved watching the airplanes and helicopters taking off and landing.
Taking off with the water bucket.
41 Romeo on Final approach to landing
The helitack crew playing volleyball during lunch break.
Our trailer court in Carson.
Smoke in a timber sale crearcut
Link to Trout lake Airport on airnav.com
https://www.airnav.com/airport/66WA George Woodruff, the current airport manager owned the two 185 Cessnas shown above. Today his cousins cut and bail the grass on the airstrip and use it on their ranch.
