| Nathen has acquired one of my idiosyncrasies, and that is an affinity for airplane crashes. |
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So, the weekend of Sept 24, we hiked to the crash of a single engine fighter on Mt. Lemon. I was about a 3 to 3½ mile hike (one way). According to my GPS, the starting elevation was 7,939 feet and the elevation of the engine was 6,988 feet. Over all, we climbed 1,918 feet. |
| Nathen, Terra, Karren (plus canine companions), Ethan, Kyle, and I made the trek. |
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This must have been a good year for rain, as I don't think I have ever seen this much lush undergrowth on the mountain slopes. |
| The trail was almost overgrown in some areas. I attribute that to the fact that the Forest Service closed the forest for about two months, because of fires burning 250 miles to the north. (No, that doesn't make sense to me either, but when you are the government, you don't have to make sense). |
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I misjudged the amount of water I would need, but not by too much. I carried ½ gallon, and could have used about a pint more. I attribute that to the increased humidity created by the overabundance of underbrush. |
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Just about the time we had decided to call it quits, we came to the crash site. The engine has coordinates of about 32° 25,455 N, 110° 43.132 W. and the wings and other debris are on the top of a ridge perhaps 50 yards due west of there. |
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If I understood the report Nathen gave me of his research into this crash, it involved a collision between two single engine fighters from Davis Monthen A.F.B. Both pilots bailed out safely. One jet crashed here, and the other continued flying and made it all the way to New Mexico before falling out of the sky. That suggests to me, that if the pilot had stayed with his plane, he could have probably landed it in one piece, but then I don't know all the facts (and Air Force courts of inquiries are not, and do not become, public records). |
| Every time I see one of these jets up close, I am again amazed that something that heavy can actually become airborne. It's just not intuitive... |
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We ate afterward, and I think all enjoyed the food. |
| Terra had the foresight to reserve the church cabin. Barbara handled the logistics of setting up camp, and kept tabs on Jim Smith, Rachel, and Landon for the six hours we were hiking. I'm not sure whether She or I was more tired when it was over. The Clairage's, pictured here, take care of the cabin as a mission calling, and were nice enough to help us out. All things considered, it was a fun time. |
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