29 Hours Story (Photos 3-11)

Adam called the Monday before Thanksgiving and proposed a one day trip last Sunday to Moab to do cliff launches in Horse Thief Canyon. I was in Philly for most of the week, but the prospect of hucking off the cliff one last time with the boys from Salt Lake was just too enticing to turn down. Jo got off work at 5:00 pm on Sat night so we planned on leaving shortly after. She thought I was crazy for wanting to drive 6 hours each way for a 5 minute flight, but just being in the desert is sacred to me. Plus every time Adam, Jeff, and I do the cliff launch at Horse Thief I'm stoked for months after.

After loading up new friends, Molly Dog and Deogie, fueling up on Starbucks and 17 gallons of 87 octane Jo and I were on the road by 7:00 pm. We were at the campsite by 1:15 am and managed to avoid the tomfoolery Adam and Jeff had planned for us (see yesterday's post). Even though it's in the desert, the elevation at the cliff launch is over 4000 feet which means extremely cold temps in the winter. It was just below freezing when we arrived. Adam and Jeff had the fire stoked for us in no time.

Adam Stoking the Fire



Adam woke me up at dawn, but the temp had dropped significantly so getting out of my sleeping bag was going to take a while. I opted to stay in my bag and inch-wormed over to the fire while we planned our flying for the day. A strong winter storm (which had dumped a foot of snow at my house this morning) was headed our way meaning strong winds by the afternoon. We decided to cliff launch in the morning and tow behind Jeff's jeep in the afternoon.

Planning our Day



Against my will Jeff stripped me of the warm cocoon that was my sleeping bag and we started the 1/4 mile scramble over boulders and cracks out to the launch site. Deogie and Molly are polar opposites when it comes to heights. The normally timid Molly has no qualms about being inches from the cliff edge while the more aggressive Deogie took one look at the first ravine we had to cross and aborted running straight back to the truck. Jeff and Adam rigged my glider while kept tabs on Deogie and woke Jo up. Not only did she brave the freezing cold to come watch, but also she agreed to photograph us and wanted to fly herself. My girlfriend is hardcore!

Jeff and Jo with Camera 1



The wind was crossing slightly from the left but it was launchable. The order would be Jeff, Adam, and me. Jeff had a great launch and flew in his quintessential style buzzing a mesa above the landing area before a perfect landing. Adam would be next. Molly freaks out when I fly, so I tied her up so she wouldn't get in the way while I gave him a hang-check. She barked non-stop the whole time. "Nothing compliments my anxiety more than Molly's panic-stricken barking." were his words. I couldn't agree more, no cliff launch would be the same without her! Adam had a textbook launch and made a couple passes against the far canyon wall before a great landing.

Jeff Launching



Adam Against the Canyon



Our normal no-wind technique at this site is to run a couple steps, so the glider has some airspeed (i.e. controllability), before reaching the edge. Jeff had talked about doing a tip-toe launch by just stepping off into the abyss as we walked out to launch. I was a little apprehensive about such a technique in my high performance glider, but today was my day. Jo gave me a hang-check as I listened to the voice of reason in my head ask "Why are we about to just step off a 1000 foot cliff again?" Sometimes it's best not to overthink things. I walked out to about 6 inches from the edge, took a deep breath and stepped off.

Jeff said he heard me say "I'm gonna go now..." rather apathetically from below, but I have no memory of that. I just remember the sinking feeling as I stepped off and the priority of keeping the nose of the glider down to get the wing flying as soon as possible. It always fascinates me how time slows down in those situations. I was 100 feet below the cliff and flying within 2 seconds, but it felt like hours. When I was a kid and I would stand on the edge of a cliff and dream about flying off (never realizing it was possible). The eternity of those 2 seconds was sheer bliss!

2 Seconds of Biss



After pulling out of my dive I did a couple wingovers and headed to the mesa Jeff and Adam had landed behind. I pulled in as much speed as possible, came over the top of the mesa at 6 feet. After clearing the mesa I went right into a wing over in each direction rolling out of the last one into my landing. It was the best flight I've had all year!

After breaking down we all had lunch at the campsite. Jo needed to study and wanted to go for a ride while Shela was content to enjoy the peace and quiet of the desert. The SLC boys and I headed out to the dirt road to tow. I drove the jeep for Jeff first who had a 30 minute flight in soarable conditions. Adam went next, but I got a little fast misreading the towline pressure gauge. He pinned off early, but the conditions had changed to mostly sink so he didn't get up. After forgiving me we broke the gliders down and headed back to the campsite for a sunset walk out to the cliff.

Reservoir Dogs



Jo, Alex, and Molly Dogs



Shela and Adam are off to South Africa on the 8th for good. Adam will be back in the states for work occasionally, but not until next year at the earliest. When Jeff, Adam, and I get together we feed each others creativity, flying, and photography. It's truly a relationship where the whole is greater than the parts. I couldn't think of a more fitting way for us to end Adam's chapter in the States.

Photo 2 of 29

I'm still recovering from my lack of sleep this weekend. Flying around the Rockies all day in a blizzard hasn't helped either. So you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the full story of our 29 hour trip. Until then here's photo number 2. This was taken right after Jo and I got to the campsite at 1:14 am. Jeff and Adam had already gone to sleep, but Adam had set his alarm for 1:15 am. They were going to get up, hide in the juniper trees along the road to the campsite and jump out and scare us. Lucky for us my speeding got us there 15 minutes early!

29 Hours - 29 Photos

Jo and I left for a 29 hour trip to Moab Saturday night to meet Jeff and Adam for one last go off the Cliff in Horse Thief Canyon. We got back at 1:00 am this morning. I'm too tired to tell the story of our epic right now, but my plan is to post a photo for each hour of our trip. Any guesses about photo number 1?

Horse Thief Sunday

Adam was in Moab last week cleaning up his field site and got the bug to do the Horse Thief Canyon cliff launch one more time before he leaves for ZA. Jeff and I couldn't miss out on the film and video opportunity, plus the trill of hucking off a 1000 foot cliff. The plan is to meet there Saturday night, do cliff launches and tow all day Sunday. He's me hucking the pink panther (my old glider) off Horse Thief 2 years ago.

Hooked on a Feeling

This is a real music video Andrew showed me.



My side hurts from laughing too hard!!

Australian Pilots

Laura sent me this hilarious video of Australian Pilots flying the sim.



I love the "Each stripe is for a passenger I killed" comment!

Sunday at Look Out

The winter weather pattern in Colorado has arrived early this year shutting down the hang gliding on the front range. In December (not October) the jet stream moves south from Canada bringing with it the full brunt of winter storm systems. On the ground this can be felt with strong westerly surface winds. Soaring on the front range requires light or east winds, which have been rare lately as a result. Below is a graph of the wind speed and direction for the past 30 days in Boulder. There are many days with peak gusts above 30mph and a gust as high of 65mph 25 days ago (highlighted). Look Out mountain in Golden requires light east/southeast winds to be soarable (also highlighted) of which there is a noticeable dirth. Any window of light east winds is like a gold nugget this time of year.



The forecast for Sunday showed light winds out of the southeast. Jo had never seen me fly before so after sleeping in we grabbed 3 of the 7 dogs at her house that day and headed to Golden. I met Jo in July when her dog Deogie attacked Molly at the pet store. The two dogs have not met formally since, we have been waiting for the right moment. Today would be the day.



When we arrived at the LZ the sun was already falling towards the horizon. Steve Ford had flown a sled run in his Finsterwalder glider and was breaking down in the LZ. Time was short, so I made good time weaving past all the tourists on Look Out road. Molly was riding in the front with Deogie and Sugar (the 3rd dog) in the back of the truck. We let Molly out first so she could have a head start and then Deogie. Launch is an open area so Molly could get away if she needed to. We watched the two dogs as I hiked the glider up from the road and they seemed to be fine. Deogie sniped at Molly once as I was about to hook into my glider, but that was it. Left to right; Sugar, Deogie, and Molly.



The wind was starting to blow from the west (not good) by the time I had the glider set up, but there were lulls with no wind at all. I was determined to wait for a lull and run like hell to get off the ground. The launch at Look Out is steep enough to get off in no wind, but a fair amount of running is required. Look at that windsock!



Jo wrangled all three dogs (Molly freaks out when I pick up the glider) and I waited on launch for a lull cycle. There is a tree with a wind sock down the hill and left of launch. My plan was to run all the way down the hill to the road if I needed to. I could clear the tree by turning right.

At the first lull I walked, jogged, and ran, and ran, and ran. I was airborne sooner than I thought so I dove at the tree to show off a bit. Lift was non-existent giving me about 5 minutes airtime before I was on the ground. The LZ is tight, but slightly up hill so a no-wind landing there was a piece of cake.

Grapes and Juice at FL 250

What compliments grapes best at 25,000 feet (FL250)?



An Izzie of course!



(no photoshopping of either photo)

Camels Part 2

Not wanting to spend our last hang gliding trip this year trying to stay up in light conditions at the Point, Adam and I headed south to Jeff's house on our way to Camels. At Jeff's a look at the weather revealed soaring at Camels wasn't promising. So instead we decided to mount smoke and cameras on our gliders and take advantage of smooth air for a photo opportunity. At 3800 feet over the valley we would still get 15-20 minutes of airtime from Camels. The plan was for Adam and I to mount smoke canisters on our gliders and fly in formation while Jeff, with multiple cameras mounted, would fly around us getting shots from different angles. Jeff and Adam loaded up the gliders, harnesses, smoke canisters, cameras and mounts while I tried tape a plant I broke in the living room back together.

The Happy Valley



Heading south on I-15 reality set in, making this plan happen would require a lot of luck. It had just snowed and the road to up to launch would be well above the snow line. The 4X4 road to Camels is sketchy when dry with lots of steep drop offs, snow could make it impassable. As Camels came into view we could see the tops of the mountain where hidden in clouds. If the clouds didn't burn off it would be pointless to even brave the road up to launch. Even if the clouds did burn off we would need the winds from the right direction to give us a launch window long enough to get three gliders off simultaneously.

Loading up the Gliders in the LZ



Camels could not offer a better LZ. It's a large piano shaped field that is easy to find from the air and provides approaches from any direction. By the time we arrived the clouds were burning off and our spirits were high. Adam and I had been jamming to Matisyahu on the way there and Jeff got sucked in on the way up to launch. The snow wasn't too deep so we made good time to launch. The last 1/4 mile to launch is the worst. The road is rutted, narrow, very steep, and has a lot of exposure on one side. If a vehicle went off the side it would roll 3800 feet to valley below.

Last 1/4 Mile



Turning Around on launch
(There is only enough room for one vehicle on launch and turning it around requires help)



As we set up our gliders the wind was blowing straight into launch. It looked like luck was on our side. Jeff lent me a glider and I tried to ignore my cold as took forever to rig the unfamiliar glider. As I rigged I noticed the wind was shifting to the right. If it continued to cross from the right we wouldn't be able to launch, but it seemed to be holding at about 20 degrees right. After the gliders were rigged Jeff mounted cameras. Adam and I threaded string through our sails to the smoke canisters so we could blow them in flight.

My Borrowed Glider on Launch



Adam Rigging Smoke Canisters



The temperature was hovering around freezing and Jeff was worried the camera batteries wouldn't last. I would launch first, Jeff next, and then Adam so he could turn on the camera at the last minute, hopefully the batteries would last the duration of the flight. I hooked into my glider and Jeff gave me a hang check. As walked the glider over to launch I kept the right wing down so the wind wouldn't catch it and pop the wing. On launch the wind was still crossing from the right at about 7-10 mph, but there were lulls. I needed to wait for a lull long enough for all us get off. This was the only time I'd flown Camels since my crash as a new pilot 4 years earlier. It was in the back of my mind, but I was mainly focused on picking a lull cycle and launching in the cross wind.

Cold Jeff



After 5 minutes that seemed like an eternity a lull came and I decided that would be the best cycle we would have. I kept my right wing low and was off the ground after 3 steps. I flew straight away from launch, got into my harness and grabbed my smoke canister trigger string. I looked back and saw Jeff was off and Adam was in his launch run. We had agreed to rendevous above a ridgeline below launch. The glider I was flying was much slower than Jeff or Adam's and so we all got there at the same time. I pulled my smoke and looked back but nothing was happening. Adam flew into formation off my right and I could see Jeff following above and behind us.

The cold winter air was as smooth as glass, perfect for formation flying. Not having to focus on finding lift the three of us had a ball just flying around. Adam and I took turns flying lead in formation and Jeff snuck up on us and dive bombed us just a few feet above our sails. Over the LZ Jeff and I both gave the neighborhood kids below a show with some wingovers before landing. Adam set up his approach so that it would end in a spot landing for the crowd that had gathered. He came in a little hot and had to drag his feet to avoid hitting the crowd. He flared about 4 feet from a group of kids - who for some reason didn't move as he blazed towards them. I guess they never realized they were in danger. We all played it off like it was planned!

Click Here to see our footage from the air.

The sun was kissing the horizon as we started to break down our gliders. With a 1.5 hour shuttle drive to launch and back we split up to conserve time. Adam and I drove up to fetch Adam's car while Jeff broke all 3 gliders down. Sunset from Launch was spectacular.

Utah Lake

Launch at Sunset

Driving Down

Adam leaves for South Africa in December. Although not the most spectacular trip we have put together I'm amazed at what we pulled off with such short notice, sickness, and weather stacked against us!

Camels Part 1

I spent the latter part of October and early November working non-stop so I could get time off for a late fall hang gliding trip to Utah with Jeff and Adam. When ever the three of us get together a great adventure always ensues. Adam is leaving for his home country of South Africa in December so this was our last chance at a flying adventure for a while. My plan was to head to Utah last Tuesday for 5 days of flying at the Point of the Mountain (the Point) and a possible trip to the Salt Flats or Southern Utah. Monday I woke up with a fever and a sore throat, the cost of working so much the weeks before. I adopted a strategy of ignoring my deteriorating condition and focus on making it until Tuesday morning when my flight to Utah left. By Monday night I was a prisoner in my own bed lacking enough energy to even pack up my hang gliding harness. I would not be going to Utah on Tuesday.



Tuesday turned out to be one of the best flying days at the Point in recent history with almost 20 hang glider pilots turning out to enjoy the epic flying conditions. Jeff and Adam got enough airtime for the three of us. Wednesday had similar favorable conditions, but a weather system packing multiple cold fronts was on the way. I spent both days resting so I might be able to salvage some of the trip. Thursday my energy level had recovered some and I felt like I could make the flight to UT. When I landed in Salt Lake the cold front had arrived and it was snowing, but the forecast showed conditions clearing for a 30 hour window before the next front. If we were to fly, Friday would be the day. Adam picked me up and we met Jeff for an evening of gyros and bluegrass.

Adam and I woke up at 6am on Friday with hopes of soaring the Point at dawn. The conditions were super light so we elected to sleep in so I could conserve energy for the afternoon. After a couple hours more sleep Adam woke me up and cooked me breakfast - what a host! They say garlic helps with a cold and maybe Adam's subconscious was thinking that when he accidentally dumped garlic powder in our eggs instead of salt. He tried to cover up the garlic with excessive amounts of salt, but it only made it worse. With no more eggs to cook we forced the them down. It was a symphony of garlic smelling burps as we loaded up the gliders. As we headed south on I-15 towards the Point the garlicy eggs headed south through my digestive system. Adam was in hell!



Jeff made plans to meet us at the Point. When we got there the winds were light and a few paragliders were struggling to stay aloft. Soaring the South Side of the Point requires winds from the south, but the post-frontal north winds were stopping the usual morning south winds from developing. It could get better as the next front approached, but it was a gamble and I didn't want to spend our last trip together scratching at the point. We hatched a plan to continue south to a site named Camels.

View from the Land Zone

View from Launch

The Camels Launch sits on a mountain about 3800 feet above the valley west of Utah Lake. I have a unique history with Camels. On my 5th day of hang gliding ever and my first mountain launch I crashed there 4 years ago. It has been the only unintended contact with the ground of my hang gliding career. A couple steps into my launch run I tripped over a dog that was chasing me. As I fell, I pushed out on the glider causing it to become airborne prematurely. The glider was stalled and because of the steep slope of the mountain I suddenly found myself 30 feet over the ground. I dove at the ground hoping to gain enough airspeed to maintain some level of control. It hit the ground on my feet in an area of waist deep bushes that actually helped by arresting my speed. Other than a few scratches on me and tears in the glider we were both fine and I walked away with a lesson learned - never stop flying the glider, even on the ground.

Stay tuned for Part 2...

SNL Terrorists Are Back!

For those of you who didn't see it the first time here's Robert DeNiro at his best. NBC made YouTube pull it, but not Google Video.

I've finally made it to Salt Lake City and have had a blast talking flying with Jeff and Adam. It was snowing today when I landed and the prospects for flying were nil. Tomorrow's prospects are a little better with clear sky's, forcast highs in the 50's, and south winds developing as the day progresses. Adam and I have decided to be at the "Point" by dawn in hopes of catching a soarable window. The sub-zero temps at dawn probably won't do my cold any good, but if I get some airtime I'll be stoked!

Wingsuit Speed Gliding

Here's another wingsuit video I stumbled upon. I've seen this shot before in a Warren Miller film. Although he is gliding by wearing a wingsuit the jumper is still basically free falling. You would have to have an exact knowledge of your glide ratio (the horizontal distance gained for the vertical distance lost) to get as close to the mountain as he does. It's not like a hang gilder or other aircraft that has instant pitch response, meaning if the base jumper came in too steep he would probably impact the ground before his pitch correction took effect. One of my favorite things about hang gliding is flying close to the ground as fast as possible. I think the speed of the wing suit would be a rush, but I would miss the control of a hang glider.

Front Yard

Today was a sad day...

The first day of my Utah hang gliding trip has been derailed by sickness. As I lay on the couch drowning in puddles of my own phlegm (that's the official spelling) I tried not to think about the epic soaring day Adam and Jeff were having on the South Side of the Point of the Mountain. So instead of breath taking hang gliding photos I present to you this photo essay from my front yard!

NCAR building at Sunrise, FlatIrons in Background



West from my Roof



Frosty Shingles at Dawn



Can you see what Rusty sees?



Now??



Up Close



Nana Enjoying the Sunset



Church Across the Street

Ipod Commercial

I think we pulled the Ipod commercial off pretty close to the real thing.

Alex and Jo

Bono

You would think carrying around a giant purple background would be the hardest part about this commercial. Wrong, it was getting the shoe polish out of my ears!

The Need for Speed

With no more deck to build I've been savoring the anticipation of getting some air time in Utah with Jeff and Adam next week. The hang gliding in Colorado seems to have shut down for the winter. There will be windows of soaring here, but there is no place like Utah for consistent winter flying. Now that I have a working computer I've been catching up on all the internet hang gliding buzz. The OZ Report (see link to the right) is like USA Today for the Hang Gliding community. On yesterday's OZ Report I stumbled on this link to a base jumping video featuring a wing suit.



Jeff has got a lot of exposure in the OZ Report lately for his photography and video work. The Point of the Mountain is going to be one of the first stops on our trip (as both Jeff and Adam live within 30 minutes of it). I learned to fly at the "Point" and logged many hours of air time there when I lived in Utah. As my flying progressed I eventually started to avoid flying at the Point because of the high volume of paraglider traffic. When I moved to Colorado I realized how much I had taken Utah for granted. My flying success rate (the % of times I actually fly when showing up at flying site) dropped to around 60%. There is no other inland hang gliding site more consistent or convenient to fly than the Point. My friend Lee (who got me into the sport) once described it as a skateboard park for hang gliding. Here's a video Jeff posted on YouTube of his flying there over the past 6 years:

I Can Soar Again

Over the past 10 weeks I've given up many days off to design and help build Doug's deck. When Doug said he wanted to build a deck I had no choice but to help. He's worked on my bikes for years, let a friend of mine (who he didn't get along with) live in his house, and helped me pull the motor out of my MG Midget. Needless to say I owed him. It was great brush off my carpentry skills, work with my hands and watch my design come to life. Doug solicited many people's help to finish the project. David brought lunch, Mark lent tools and helped along with Scott, Chris, and even (Doug's girlfriend) Nikki. My landlord James lent us a compound radial chop saw, which was crucial in getting things done quickly. Injuries were minor and mistakes were few, but costly (the Cross Timbers decking is more expensive than Trex). Highlights of the deck are inlaid lighting every 3 feet around the perimeter, herring bone decking patters on both levels, an integrated shed with outdoors speakers, and wrap around stairs with a hidden removable plug to access the crawl space below. Here are some pics Doug took of the final project. (to view pics during the construction scroll down to my 2 previous deck posts)

A composite View



The Shed on the Upper Deck

Herring Bone on the Upper level

Wrap-around stairs

With no more deck building to cut into my hang gliding I'm off to Utah next week for 4 days of flying with fellow pilot / photographers Jeff and Adam. We plan on flying Point of the Mountain Flight Park, mountain sites along the Watsach, and towing on the Bonneville Salt Flats.