A Long Day

XC flying on a paraglider isn't really like any other sport I know. It's much less predictable than rock climbing, ski mountaineering, cycling, tennis etc - you might fly 100 miles or sink out after 10 minutes. A good day can be spectacular and a bad day can involve a hospital visit or worse - it's not like going for a hike.

Going through to Pine Mtn from Portland for the day in midsummer just adds to the extremes. A 8 hour round drive (plus any retrieval time) makes for a long day. Conditions are sure to be demanding. All of this is worth it if you get a great flight and a bit frustrating if you sink out immediately.

So Sam, Tyler and I were excited as we headed through nice and early. We knew Brian Webb (who had broken the Oregon state record with a 136 mile flight from Pine almost exactly a year ago) was leading a party of Aussies out at Pine and (as we didn't have a driver) we were hoping for a little help with the logistics. We weren't disappointed - the whole party was very helpful and great company. When we met up with them we learned that Lindsay had taken a 100 mile flight the day before.

Up on the West launch the results of the wet spring were clear - wildflowers (lupin, indian paintbrush) were everywhere. Sam, after a low save, got off the hill efficiently and headed out with some of the Aussies. The rest of the Aussies, Tyler and I sank out and relaunched and headed down the highway.

Pine is a big-air site and you can go a long way between thermals. Once you are away from the mountain, there isn't much terrain to fly. I went from 12,800 ft to 5,300 ft without getting lift. From 500 ft above the ground I managed to climb 1,000 ft in really messy lift. At that point I was really pleased with myself and expected to get back high - but no, the lift was by then all above me and I had to land just before Brothers.

Communications weren't very good. Tyler and I were at Brothers, we knew where the Aussies had gone, but we didn't know where Sam was. Radio and cell-phone gave no result. Finally, Sam sent a text message he had a lift and was coming back. Sam had gone in a different direction to the Aussies and had a very nice 50 mile flight. We later learned that the Aussies had landed 75 miles out.

Since we were there, we took a brief evening flight with many of the Pine Mtn regulars before driving home. It was an 18 hour day for me, a little longer for the other two. Sam had a great flight, while Tyler and I had reasonable flights. The important thing is we were all on the positive side of the risk / reward divide. Trying to get XC flights from Portland in mid-summer is hard work!

My flight -> http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/228653

Sam's fight -> http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/228854