lol, Mark, as I said most of the guys I worked with went to chest waders for the sole purpose of changeover day, unloading a group of new clients and their gear and then loading the group that had just finished up.
most of our flying was done by Freshwater Adventures. Phil Bingham, his son Lester the pilots and Lester's wife Jill running the office and dispatch.
admittedly both guys accomplished bush pilots and they flew 2 Grumann Goose and sometimes a Widgeon
but the son Lester NEVER acquired the deft touch of landing near the beach that his dad Phil did.
if Phil did the flying, you could pretty well count on using hippers. If Lester did the flying, you could pretty well count on getting wet in hippers or having to get the airplane unstuck for him. Although admittedly we did have to get Phil unstuck as well at least once that I recall.
Lester was an ornery sob, but I liked him anyway.
it was common for us to piggy back the new clients to the beach, each of them were told to bring hip waders, but Lester would tell them in town, naaaah you don't need to put on your hip waders, just your boots, we'll get you close enough you won't get wet.
the batage, what he failed to tell them is the reason they wouldn't get wet is cause us sorry azzed guides would have to piggy back their fat azzes!
one particular load of new hunters we were piggy backing them to the beach and one of the guys I worked with stepped up to the plane door to offload the last hunter of our new group.
Lester waived him off and pointed at me, and directed me to come get the guy. Guy weighed 275 lbs. naked (according to him)
my pard's eyes got big and said "should we try and fireman carry him?" Nope I sez we'll all end up wet, hop on up here big boy and I'll try not to go so fast it blows your hat off!
oh that Lester took perversion making us work harder, but damn those were some fun times.
helluva site to see a rope tied to the tail of a Goose and 12-13 guys pulling on the rope up on the beach to get it turned so they could get outa there.
and Art is correct, if there's a guide out there that's gotten rich doing it, he's keeping it a damn good secret.
