Mary's Gash, Mineral Bottom Hang Gliding Cliff Launch with Base Jumpers

The pursuit of human flight has been a path forged in dreams and cemented in blood.  If not for the greats, Da Vinci, Lilienthal, and Rogallo to name a few, chance happenings like the one below would continue to exist only in dreams.  The fact that I live in an age where I can safely and repeatedly drive to a launch and experience flight in its most organic form is not lost on me.  It is exactly why when I had the opportunity to work with photographer Krystle Wright I didn't hesitate to drive 14 hours roundtrip for less than 5 minutes of flying.  The resulting image below, an instant in time artfully captured forever, is the realization of that dream.  Read on for the full story.

Photo Courtesy of Krystle Wright

Mineral Bottom cliff launches have long been a staple of autumn for OB, Dr. West, and myself.  Last year I had to opportunity to huck off Mary's Gash over Mineral Bottom for outdoor photographer extraordinaire Krystle Wright.  Krystle and I had been talking through the internet for months, but finally converged in Moab last October.  That's no small task considering Krystle hops continents more often than most people leave their hometown.

For me it was a typical speed run to make it to Moab in time for a sunset cliff launch.  I met Krystle at the giant conestoga wagon north of town and we headed west into the desert.  The first day of shooting was hampered by a persistent cirrus layer that flattened the light, muting the red rock walls of the basin.  We set up on opposite sides of the canyon and, quite comically, coordinated the launch by yelling at each other.  We were so far apart that our echos took over a second to reverberate.  Only the piercing quiet of the desert would allow such analog communication.  Our hope was that the sun would peak below the cloud layer on its way to the horizon and ignite a short explosion of golden-hour colors, but sadly our patience was not rewarded.

A Roadside Toyota Camry Rendition of Lightning McQueen

The Mystery Machine

Mary's Gash and Mineral Bottom

After it became apparent the sun was not going to break through the clouds I launched.  It was the first no stepper cliff launch I've done in the Wills Wing T2C.  It handled the fully-stalled exit beautifully. I kept the initial dive shallow which allowed an extended tour of the valley.  Good lighting or not, launching Mineral Bottom is a spiritual experience.  After a superb flight I touched down on the soft sand of the flood plain with my soul recharged.  Late that night Richard and Kresta met us just in time to enjoy the last embers of our fire.  Late that evening the clouds gave way to brilliant stars that only the high desert can offer.

Cloudy Solo Launch





Launch Photos Courtesy of Krystle Wright

The Sweet Smell of Burning Juniper

We woke up in the dark to stage for a dawn launch.  As first light broke over the red cliffs it was obvious the day would reward us with a good light.  Richard and Kresta were going to exit in their base rigs as I launched so we would all be in the air at the same time.   On Krystle's cue Richard and I planned a staged exit with with Kresta to follow.  I would run off so I could capture Richard exiting just ahead of me.  It went off perfectly, except that my helmet mounted Go Pro died.  That was unfortunate because watching him fall away as I dove off the cliff was a view worth sharing.  After we all exited I was tempted to swoop their canopies, but I didn't want to add any surprises to the mix.  Instead, I swooped the hill on the west side of the LZ then tested my glide to the Green River for a future river swoop.  I never zipped up harness, but with full VG I reached the river with tons of energy to spare.

Dawn Launch
Photos Courtesy of Krystle Wright







Rigged



Richard and Kresta



Launch
Photos Courtesy of Krystle Wright

Screen Shots

Video

After celebratory hugs all around it we headed back up the hill to pack up camp and part ways.  On the drive home I opted to follow the Colorado River through the canyon it carves upstream of town.  The E30 sliced up the varying radius and camber turns with ease.  Even a eighty pounds of dead weight on the roof could not unsettle the original Ultimate Driving Machine.  On the way I scoped the next project.  I had to ford a few creeks on the way, but it looks doable.  I won't hold my breath for the next time four transient souls meet on a random piece of rock in the desert, but when it happens, it'll be worth the wait.

Fording Creeks in the E30

Time Lapse of the Colorado River Canyon