I know lots of friends who might not have gone on a given adventure because of having small children, and/or family obligations.
Traveling with kids, especially when they're young, can be a bit intimidating, but I feel like it's important to share my love for flying, nature, and adventure with my whole family.... and the airplane has been the perfect way to get "out there", to more remote KAVU days.
My Mom recently came out to Utah to visit for two weeks, to spend some time with the kids this summer. I had a few days off from flying with clients, and she had never been camping before (crazy right?!). So.... we motivated to take the kids for an overnight adventure up and into the Idaho back country.
After leaving our home in Utah, we flew to Sun Valley, where we stopped to top off with gas before heading direct to Johnson Creek (3U2).
Johnson Creek is a beautiful, grass airstrip close to the mountain town of Yellow Pine, which is a typical "put in" point for Rafters and Kayakers. Aviators from all over the country like to use this strip as a "home base" to access many of the more remote strips in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It's always fun to meet people, to see their planes, and to hear the inevitable aviation stories around the camp fires which tend to line the strip when the sun goes down.
We had to dodge a few storms on the way, but overall.... flying conditions were nice.
There were about 10 other planes at Johnson Creek when we arrived, which is actually pretty "light" compared to many days of the summer, when there can be 50+ airplanes lining the strip.
I set up two tents.... one for my Mom and Walter, and one for Gemma and me.
Gemma sleeps good when we go camping, but sometimes fusses a bit before she actually settles into a deep sleep, so giving her quiet space tends to benefit everyone;-)
I made a cobbler for desert using a dutch oven for the first time, which was fun. Gemma stayed up until the sun went down, but the settled into a good nights sleep under stars with the gentle background sounds of the creek flowing through the rocks.
In the morning... some of the other pilots took off to explore other airstrips, and we packed up camp to fly for breakfast at Smiley Creek. A few of the other strips (like Smiley Cr) have seasonal lodges that create favorite stopping points for pilots to get food, and to spend time during the hottest part of the day.
The kids ate like they were starving.... and then slept the entire way home.
My Mom had a blast and it was a really special way to get 3 generations all up in the back country together as a family. She says she wants to go airplane camping in Idaho every summer when she visits from now on.
Mission accomplished!
Neil Amonson
IG
FB
Absolute Flight Training
© 2026 KAVU
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