AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 44

BRIEFING
MUSINGS /
Find your mountain
How aviation changed my life's direction
BY DAVID DALE
WE WOKE UP in our little pup tent happy to have survived the night. It was our
second night in the Appalachian Mountains and a storm had blown through with
heavy winds buffeting the pine tree limbs over our tiny two-person tent. My wife
and I were camping with nine Boy Scouts on day two of a 50-mile Appalachian
Trail hike. Our goal was to finish 50 miles in five days, and we were setting out
for the third day with a 10-mile hike. After breaking down the tent and our camp,
we hoisted our 50-pound backpacks and set off on the trail. Karin later noticed
that every morning started with a steep uphill hike. It was now the middle of
summer, and we were at an elevation of 3,000 to 5,000 feet, hiking rugged terrain,
drinking filtered water from the streams.
The trails were often only three-feet wide with a sheer mountain ascending
to our left and a deadly cliff falling to our right. We were told these were Native
American trails from years gone by. We prepared ourselves for the hike by reading
Bill Bryson's book A Walk in the Woods. He talked of what to do when encountering
a bear. We were supposed to walk backwards away from the bear. But with a sheer
cliff to the left and the right of us I could only think we would have to back all the
way down the mountain! Although we smelled the musky scent of a bear, we never
came face to face with one.
44
AOPA PILOT / September 2024
Each day we hiked up the trail, Karin set the
pace for our group. She and I both wore brimmed
hats and carried a walking stick and as I walked, I
could only see her legs from the knees to her feet
while she ascended the rocky terrain ahead of us.
When she tired, she would plant her walking pole
in the ground and bend over, breathing heavily to
catch her breath. I would walk headlong right up
into her rear end. In those days there were young
girls who would wear sweatpants with something
written on the seat of their pants, such as PINK, or
CHEER. After a few days of stumbling into Karin's
stationary backside, I told her " I need to put a stop
sign on your butt! " We successfully completed our
50-mile hike in just four days, completing 17 miles
on the fourth and final day. It was a great adventure
for our family, but I remember the sensation of
following her up the mountain.
EOIN RYAN

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024

Contents
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Intro
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover1
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover2
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Contents
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 2
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 3
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 4
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 5
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 6
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 7
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 8
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 9
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 10
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 11
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 12
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 13
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 14
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 15
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 16
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 17
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 18
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 19
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 20
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 21
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 22
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 23
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 24
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 25
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 26
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 27
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 28
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 29
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 30
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 31
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 32
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 33
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 34
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 35
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 36
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 37
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 38
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 39
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 40
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 41
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 42
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 43
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 44
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 45
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 46
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 47
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 48
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-1
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-2
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-3
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-4
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-5
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-6
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-7
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-8
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-9
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-10
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-11
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-12
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-13
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-14
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-15
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - T-16
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 49
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 50
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 51
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 52
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 53
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 54
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 55
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 56
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 57
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 58
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 59
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 60
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 61
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 62
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 63
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 64
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 65
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 66
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 67
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 68
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 69
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 70
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 71
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 72
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 73
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 74
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 75
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 76
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 77
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 78
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 79
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 80
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 81
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 82
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 83
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 84
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 85
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 86
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 87
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 88
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 89
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 90
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 91
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 92
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 93
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 94
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 95
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 96
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 97
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 98
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 99
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 100
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 101
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 102
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 103
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 104
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 105
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 106
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 107
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 108
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 109
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 110
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 111
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - 112
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover3
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2024 - Cover4
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