Taking Off with Zeal: Flying High and Stylish in the Colorado Backcountry ⛰️
Chris Morgan - August 2023
When: This Summer
Where: Somewhere in the mountains of the western US
Laurie and I couldn’t see the landing strip as we committed to
flying up the canyon leading towards the distant wilderness
peaks. The forested hills gradually squeezed in on us as a wild
river tumbled through the forest below our small airplane. We
knew where the grass strip should be located, but the dense fir
trees obscured any chance of a view. We were both a bit anxious
since this was our first short field landing at a real backcountry
airstrip.
A few minutes later we overflew the grassy meadow with the ends
of the airstrip protruding outwards between gaps in the trees. The
approach end nearly touched the winding river. We knew the
airstrip was short, but it looked even shorter than we had
imagined it to be. After confirming the wind direction I banked the
airplane as close as I could to the mountainside and flew away
from the meadow to set up for a turn to my final approach. Laurie,
nervous about the trees just fifty feet off her wing, distracted
herself by trying to shoot a video with her iPhone. The screen of
the iPhone lent a distance to the reality that she was flying in the
mountains in an underpowered airplane built when she was in
elementary school. Another tight turn and we made our way back
upriver. Our dog Zoe yawned and sat up from her nap in the
backseat. She leisurely peered out the side window.
I did the final landing checks: Flaps - 40 degrees. Propeller - Full
Forward. Mixture - Full Rich. We crossed the river one more time
and gently descended through the gap in the towering trees. A
slight turn to the right and we were lined up for landing. Seconds
later the large tundra tires absorbed the soft impact. The tailwheel
settled onto the grass and we quickly came to stop between
another parked airplane and an ancient barn. We were both
happy to be on the ground at a place that is only accessible by
airplane or by a long hike up and into the valley.
I turned to Laurie and we smiled at one another. I gave my
standard post-landing assessment, “It looks like we cheated death
yet again.” She smiled at me knowing the truth is that I try to be
as safe as possible. While flying in the mountains is inherently not
the safest option, there are many ways to minimize the dangers
and ensure we make it back home with wonderful memories.
Aviation had been a big part of my life, but when my career as a
military pilot ended, so did my desire to fly. Having to pay to fly
for fun didn’t appeal to me, so I turned the page and moved on to
other pursuits. Strangely, it ended up being my wife who
convinced me to get an airplane.
Fast forward one decade after my retirement from the Air Force.
We had finished a wonderful weeklong fishing adventure in the
Alaskan bush. As we flew towards Anchorage in the back of a
vintage bush plane, Laurie turned to me and told me we should
get an airplane. Not just any airplane, but one we can fly into the
backcountry. She thought that sounded like a grand adventure for
this phase of our lives.
First, I was shocked. Over the years she had shown no real
interest in aviation other than wanting me to always return home
safe. It was a quality I loved about her — she loved me despite
me being a fighter pilot, not because of it. Second, I told her all
the reasons that owning an airplane wasn’t a good idea; time,
cost, maintenance, etc. From an empirical viewpoint it just didn’t
make sense. She smiled and told me I’d come around.
It took me a whole year of pondering, but eventually I did come
around. I did already have my commercial license, so all I really
needed was to get my currency back - not really thinking that it
had been thirty years since I had last flown anything that didn’t
have an afterburner, carried missiles, and flew supersonic.
Eventually, we became the owners of a 1974 taildragger airplane
with big tires, a strong engine, and room for our dog and plenty of
adventure gear. The learning curve was steep and there was a
lot to learn, but it didn’t take long before I was safely (but maybe
not beautifully) landing on short gravel strips.
Summer is the time to get out and explore in the airplane. It’s a
wonderful way to get to remote areas of this beautiful country, but
the best part has been all the amazing, outgoing people we have
met along the way. The flying is fun, but it really is the flying
community that makes the trips so special.
Our Zeal Optics aviator sunglasses fit perfectly under our noise
cancelling headsets, and the progressive prescriptions work
flawlessly so we can spot other aircraft a few miles away and
quickly glance inside and accurately read the cockpit instruments.
The copper Ellume Polarized lens has been our favorite for years, and it is our favorite in our aviator style sunglasses, too. Laurie’s choice is
the Skyway and mine is the Hawker.
Here in the United States, we are blessed with a supportive
aviation community, a vast network of airports, and a plethora of
backcountry airstrips. We look forward to continuing our
explorations, as well as supporting the organizations and nonprofits that are so critical in keeping civil aviation and backcountry
flying alive and well.
We hope to see you out there recreating in the mountains whether it’s on the trail, at the climbing crag, on the snow, or on a grass airstrip in the middle of nowhere. Explore More!
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A huge thank you to Chris and Laurie for the adventure packed story! Learn more about our Metals Collection and the meaning behind them via the link below.
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Georgetown, Colorado
⛰️The descent into Georgetown 🪂
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➢ Credit 👉🏆📸 @ryan_immerfall
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➢ Alliance @america_states @enjoy_la_ @latinbrazil
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To be featured, tag #conexaoamerica or @conexao.america
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#georgetown #colorado
#rockymountains #sunrise #alpinephotography #alpinelake #colorado_creative #outtherecolorado #colorfulcolorado #viewcolorado #colorado_travel #colorado_daily #coloradophotography #coloradoskies #exploreincolorado #coloradotrail #coloradolife #hikingbangers #coloradogram #coloradogrammers #puresouthwest #colorfulcoloradocollective #dronephotography #coloradoadventures
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Humpday! Midweek and the garden is looking beautiful.
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#coloradomade #coloradodispensaries #coloradosfinest #coloradogram #coloradoskiing #gardening #localflorist #localflowers
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These kid pictures popped-up on my FB memories today and made me realize that I am ready for skiing again ~ Skinning and finding my own lines brought me tremendous peace and strength last Winter ~ Really grateful that I followed my instincts to give it a go ~ . . #skiing #skinupskidown #skinning #coloradoskiing #letitsnow (at Vail, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTP_1tJP_FV/?utm_medium=tumblr
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Humpday! Midweek and the garden is looking beautiful.
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#coloradomade #coloradodispensaries #coloradosfinest #coloradogram #coloradoskiing #gardening #localflorist #localflowers
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