There can be clear blue skies overhead, and in a few minutes a rain squall will have taken over. Even pilots with several years of experience flying Southeast Alaska have been caught in unforecast weather. Some pilots have had to land on a beach and remain over a long, cold night. There was one pilot who spent the night, alone, physically holding his Cessna 185 floatplane off the rocks. If he had not, the airplane would have been destroyed and his survival chances would have been slim.
Weather is a large contributor towards the accident rate in Alaska.
Pilots flying to this area for the first time should make a special effort to check weather reports before beginning their trip and while enroute. If weather appears to be deteriorating, it probably is, and the smartest move is to make a 180 degree turn and return to a safe landing spot. Last year several experienced pilots had to make precautionary landings because of rapidly deteriorating weather. Regarding landings, there are those who, for the sake of the hunt, seem to forego common sense and land in the most remote places. A lot of people arrive each year to take part in some of the best hunting and fishing this world has to offer.