Flight 4422 : Alaska or Bust Traditional Geocache
Flight 4422 : Alaska or Bust
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Five part series put out for COAP 2011-12.
On 12 March 1948 a DC-4 carrying 30 souls crashed into Mt Sanford AK USA killing all onboard. This is a tribute to those men who lost their lives that tragic night. You are looking for camo’d container loaded w/the usual goodies.
After a decade of waiting for the body part to be identified, it was time to visit Alaska. The irony of my visit was that I was the third generation Haslett to visit/work in Alaska. My Grandfather Jimmy Haslett came from Ireland to work in the gold mines, and his son, my father, Robert James, worked in the fishing camps along the Alaskan coast to earn his tuition money to attend the University of Washington in Seattle, affectionately known as the Gateway to Alaska!!
For the longest time, we believed the human remains to be that of my father, as he could not be eliminated by fingerprints. It took nine years & countless hours of DNA testing to finally identify the remains of one of the merchant seaman, Van Zandt. During the period from July 1999 till 2009, I was in constant contact w/Kevin McGregor & Marc Millican as we decided on a fitting way to honour the victims of Flight 4422. They even offered to take me to the crash site & exam the wreckage of the DC 4 if I made it to Alaska!
So after a summer of water falling, hiking, and Geocaching, I was ready to go! Since I had to go to the West Coast to make the connection to Anchorage, it didn’t make a difference in price if I went through Seattle or Vancouver. It was a no-brainer as I was born in Seattle & Groundspeak HQ was there! So I flew YFC to YYZ & then direct to SEA. My flight was late leaving T.O. so I was late for my appointment w/Groundspeak!! The next day I drove 4 hours one way to get to the Original Plaque & in the afternoon I did the Tunnel of Light GC300N0 to complete the Trifecta!
Anchorage AK is a pilot’s paradise! There are more planes there than cars in Fredericton! After two days of getting supplies & equipment ready, & waiting on Mother Nature, we headed to Gulkana Airport to fly in to Mt Sanford. Marc flew us in & Kevin & I did the hike. We spent two nights in the mountains & one night on the glacier. I immediately connected to the victims of Flight 4422 & felt their presence. I got the sense that they were happy I had made the trip 63 years after that fateful night. We were treated to awesome avalanches, good weather and delightful discoveries. It was truly a moving experience and very content that I was able to make the trip representing all the families of the men on board.
This was truly an amazing place for a final resting place. Flight 4422: R.I.P.
Congrats to Madpuck & Tag Along 2 for FTF!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)