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Mile Hi is rated as the most difficult strip
in
“Fly Idaho.” I’m sure it has earned
that ranking, but like the old Curtis Mathes TV commercial said, "it's darn well
worth it." The grassy meadow at Mile Hi
is just a beautiful sight. It’s green and smooth on the side of a mountain top with pine trees next to the landing area. The biggest
concern to me was not the 540 foot length, nor the field elevation. It was the slope of the hillside. The first approach had me
stopped well short of the top and I had to use a lot of power to taxi to the top. On the second approach I thought it better to
land long and stop further up on the top. This strategy worked out well on the second flight. The King Katmai operated comfortably
from Mile Hi using about half the length for landing and take off while carrying about 60 gallons of fuel and a lot of camp gear.
It was incredibly relaxing just walking around and enjoying the scenery. A number of ground squirrels welcomed me by “chittering”
away as I sat under a pine tree enjoying the peaceful mountain top view.
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