Scott Garrett photo.

In my four years of flying in Bristol Bay, I have flown to Togiak eight times. I have never been able to memorize this mountain pass. The one time I did fly through the pass I followed Tucker Aviation (at a safe distance) in hopes of plotting crucial points on my GPS. I could not figure out how to save the waypoints on my Garmin 195.

Normally when flying to Togiak I wait for a clear day and climb to 4,500 feet and fly over the top of the Ahklun Mountains. The highest point in the range is 5,000 feet. Other times I follow the coast around and hope my brief cut through the mountains won't dead end into an impossible turn-around situation.

No more. I finally have the GPS coordinates through the mountain pass safely saved on my new Garmin 550 touch screen GPS.

I took my new Garmin 550 to Robert. Robert is a Alaska Native who grew up in Manokotak. He has the most seniority of any PenAir pilot stationed in Dillingham, and has flown over 20 years in this area.

Robert plotted out the points on my GPS on Jan. 14, 2010, on his daily run through the Togiak Pass. He marked seven waypoints from Dillingham to Togiak. These waypoints are invaluable to VFR pilots who fly regularly in this area.
Click here to read the rest of Garrett's post, and to see the waypoints.

Father Scott Garrett is the Pastor of the Holy Rosary Mission in Dillingham. His unique mode of transportation is a 160 Cherokee Warrior which he uses to fly to the many remote areas within his parish. With the unpredictable weather of southwest Alaska, Father Scott's schedule is always written lightly in pencil.