Baldy Better

After staying in Ellensburg overnight, we headed back to Baldy early in the morning. Conditions looked very similar to the day before, but at least we were there early. The S launch was the one to use and Dan and I took off before most of the locals. There was lift available almost immediately and it wasn't difficult to get up.

Dan seemed to head S before he had got much over launch, but I just kept working a thermal and got 3,300 over launch. The wind was basically SW but very weak; the real issue was avoiding overdevelopment. I decided to head with the wind towards junction 11 (basically NE); that route was free off the clouds - at least, up to junction 11. There was plenty of lift but there were also plenty of threatening clouds just beyond the junction. I ended up being chased from the sky by the overdevelopment and landing at the junction.

From the ground I could see rain falling in three different directions and was pretty comfortable with my decision making. Dan had landed down at the little air-field S of Baldy; he arrived with Mary-Beth and we headed to Yakima for some ice-cream.

Leonardo -> http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/216649

Pics -> http://picasaweb.google.com/DMMullin/Baldy13June2009Selected#