August 30, 2007, Tok, AK

Today we did what we had planned and looked forward to for weeks. We had scheduled a flight with Forty-Mile Air out of Tok to deliver the mail to Chisana, a remote village about one hour from Tok by air. The mail is delivered there every Monday and Thursday. The plane also carries in some supplies. This is a village which can only be reached by air. On the flight to and from Chisana we flew over some very rugged terrain. We were able to see several herds of Dahl Sheep. We were so far away from them that the pictures of them are not too good. We passed a number of glaciers and just before landing in Chisana the pilot flew us over the Chisana glacier. We were just a few hundred feet above it. It was a real thrill. A number of the local people came to meet the plane. They are expecting it and this must be a big event for them. A few of them have ATVs which have been brought in by a larger plane. The young fellow carrying what looks like an ice chest was our pilot. The older lady sorting the mail is the unofficial postmistress. She and her husband live in Chisana year round. The rest of the population leaves for the winter. Some just fly in for the hunting season. The mail was sorted into the big box, which had dividers for mailboxes. When everyone present had gotten their mail, the box was closed with a tarp. After returning to Tok we drove to Chicken, AK.