Hi all,

This summer I plan to take my new 182 on its shakedown cruise; Pittsburgh PA to Alaska and back. I'll do this across two 1-month periods, leaving the aircraft in Anchorage for a month between them.

I'd really like to take advice on good places to visit and camp out!

For my outbound leg (I'll post about the return later) I intend to head from Pittsburgh across to Montana pretty quickly to attend the AOPA fly-in. I then want to fly around the Montana/Idaho region for a week visiting/camping in some back country strips before heading to Vancouver, and then making my way through Canada to Anchorage.

About the airplane/pilot;

C182 PPonk with Flint tip tanks. Standard wheels/tires, no wheel pants.
2,100hr CPL/IR with a fair amount of off-tarmac/backcountry experience (comfortable with curved, one-way-in/out strips, have done CC Pocock's bush flying course in South Africa)

I've attached a rough picture of my thoughts on a route so far, flown clockwise from PA.



https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GLTjX ... sp=sharing

You didn’t mention what months but if it is in the cards try and be on the Kenai Peninsula during July for an fishing experience. Send me a pm and we can arrange some flying and fishing!

Unfortunately I'll just miss July. Flight up is June (departing from Anchorage by commercial flight early morning of July 4th), then getting back to Anchorage to resume the trip on August 4th! It'd be great to meet up, I'll PM.

Stop at Kennycott mine in the Wrangles on the way up if you get the chance. We do a yearly fly out and one of the things that makes it possible is flexibility. Don't get to set on following a flight plan instead make several and chase good weather. Anickchak caldera and land of 10,000 smokes in SW are great but weather gets rough down that way. Fly between Kotz and Bettles staying on the Kobuck river until Ambler then hug the base of the brooks to Bornite and follow that vally East to Bettles one of the most beautiful flights in AK. PM me with a contact number and I can tell you some other great places.
DENNY

I'm a PA expat living in the Seattle area. Looks like we may cross paths in ID/MT and AK.

If you end up in King Salmon, give a shout. Looks like a fun trip.