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Airplane Camping at Mystery Mountain
By: Neil Amonson. Photos: Rocko Menzyk
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Mystery Mountain is a magical spot not far from Green River, UT. With no road access, the only way you can get to this "top secret location" is either on foot, or by airplane.
It’s nearly impossible to spot from the air... but there is actually a dirt runway down there! I have wanted to airplane camp at the Mystery Mountain strip ever since my first visit years ago. This past Fall, an all-star crew came together, and made it happen.
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The first step in airplane camping is similar to a road trip, but instead of loading up the car... you gotta load up the plane! A Cessna 170B is a great back country airplane, not just because of it’s flying abilities, but also because it has a ton of room inside! We brought just about everything... including the kitchen sink.
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After getting all our cargo secured, it was time to get in the air. On this adventure, we got OG KAVU athlete, and longtime friend, Jesse Hall to join us!
Jesse is a blast to have on any trip and he brings smiles (and parachutes) everywhere he goes. Rocking out in the back of the plane, we had Walter... my 3 year old son, and Heidi, our 6 year old German Shepard.
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Time to set up the Tent!
When we landed, we unpacked the plane and got our layout situated for where we would spend the night. I brought a different tent this time. My usual tent hangs from the wing, but we had sunlight and sunrise flights planned, and I didn’t want to have to take the tent down each time we flew.
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What a View!
Usually when I’m the pilot, I’m not jealous of the jumpers hopping out of the plane. But when I looked over and saw Jesse hanging out under the wing at sunset, I kind of wanted to trade places with him! I’m gonna have to help Jesse get his pilots license so he can start flying... and I can jump out.
After a tip-toe landing on our dusty desert runway, Jesse packed up his parachute. We were hoping to get another jump during the morning just after sunrise, and it’s always easier to get your rig packed when you are energized from a good jump.
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As the sun started to dip below the horizon, the red cliffs all around us exploded with color and it was time for us to light the fire. Jesse had stacked a healthy pile of wood and tinder, and in no time we had a roaring inferno to warm up the cold pizza we had brought for dinner.
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We eventually did manage to go to sleep and after what seemed like just a few hours, the sun was coming back up again. I’ve always had trouble sleeping-in when camping. Especially, if you like taking pictures. It’s just too temping to run around before sunrise and watch the always-stunning “golden hour” happen.
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The rest of the crew eventually got up and Rocko, Walter, and Heidi went on a firewood gathering mission. The coals were still hot from the previous night and we got the morning fire going.
Walter is only 3 years old, but we have already gone camping together more times that I can count. I can’t imagine going without him now! We use a two person sleeping bag so I always know that he is warm at night, because he is right next to me. He has a lot of freedom in places like this, because we are usually the only ones there and there isn’t much trouble to get into. He just gets to wander around exploring and be a little boy. It’s really cool to watch as his dad, and I feel so lucky to have these memories with him.
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What’s better than making a sunset skydive? Making another skydive at sunrise! Jesse styled out another jump after breakfast, and put his professional parachuting skills to work.
Once again, while watching him jump out... I kinda wanted to trade places. I’ve been flying airplanes so much lately I haven't gotten to skydive nearly enough.
I’m going to have to do something about that this next season!
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All too soon, it was time to break down camp and start thinking about our return to the real world. I think we all had a shared sense of gratitude that we got to spend time together in such a unique spot.
Mystery Mountain is a special place, and due to it’s remote location, it’s unlikely that this landscape is going to change anytime soon... if ever! That’s part of the draw of nature. If you go far enough away from civilization, it’s like stepping back in time.
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On the way home Walter took one of his usual flying power-naps. Something about the noise of the airplane, or just being tired from playing so much.
Either way, he slept the whole way home and it was great catching up with Jesse. We used to see each other almost every day. But as life sometimes happens, we have both become more caught up in our own little worlds. He moved to a different part of town, and we just don’t see each other as often. I’m glad we were able to hang out on this trip. I can’t wait for more back country flying, camping, parachuting, dancing, drinking, bonfire missions this year....
with more of the KAVU crew!
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