This morning, we were back at the Watson Lake airport and starring at the weather reports and forecasts. The weather from Watson Lake to Hay River was still not good enough along the direct route over the mountains. Looking south towards Fort Nelson, the weather was a little better but still slightly marginal. We decide to wait to see if it would improve enough to allow us to exit the mountainous area and reach Hay River. By mid morning, it was a go.

We headed south-southeast towards Fort Nelson. As we progressed, the airplanes ahead announced on the rally frequency that the cloud cover was becoming overcast. We decided to descend to 3,500 feet to stay below the clouds while we could and follow the Liard River. Flying in the river canyon was a feast for the eyes. The rolling hills covered with trees were rushing by us as we raced the river.

After refueling in Fort Nelson, we got on our way to Hay River. We were told that the tour to the Alexandra Falls south of Hay River was still programmed. However, it was getting late and we suspected that it would be cancelled as other planned activities had been in the past when we arrived late at our destination airport. Most pilots decided to overfly the falls on the way to Hay River.

Hay River airport lays on the southern edge of the Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. We landed under bright blue skies. At the airport, a beautiful and well maintained DC3 watched our arrival. A few of us begged for a tour. Soon, we climbed up the stairs and stepped into the DC3. Checking out the cockpit, I noticed the handheld GPS.

After leaving the airport, we grabbed a quick dinner and checked in our rooms. Tomorrow will be a long day. We have been told that we will try to get back on schedule by flying from Hay River to Churchill. This means that we will travel nearly 900 NM over land with very sparse fuel and weather information availability. This will require some studying. However, we have to be at the briefing at 7 AM…