Dave, Julie, Rodger, and I gathered in the parking lot at Morningside at 8am and we headed south. We took 3 separate vehicles since Rodger and I were most likely going to head home after our flights while Dave and Julie would head back to Morningside. Since Dave and Julie were not familiar with the drive or Mount Greylock, I played tour guide on the radio while we drove. I also noticed the familiar signs of a good day; an east wind at Greenfield and at the Mohawk Trail launch, cummies forming, and birds circling.
We pulled into the LZ about the same time that Pete showed up. Mark gave us a detailed update on the new landing procedures since the field is now a driving range for golfers. I threw my glider on Julie's truck and we headed up. Greylock is somewhat different from most of the other sites in New England since the general public has full access to the launch. As usual, I answered many questions from curious bystanders while I hastily set up. I helped Dave sign in, gulped down a sandwich from the cafe in the AMC lodge, and with Gary's help cleared the crowd and moved to launch a little bit before noon.
Its time for a confession. I have trouble keeping the nose of my glider down when I launch at Greylock. I got the basebar caught on a rock years ago and always want to keep the basebar away from the ground when I launch there. Although I try otherwise, I always seem to launch with the nose too high. The last thing I said to myself before launching was "nose down". I still let the nose come up on my run. Julie even got a picture to prove the point. My wings were level and I ran hard but I do need to polish my launch skills.
I launched in a good cycle, the crowd cheered the first launch, I turned right, found a thermal over the powerlines, started circling, and didn't stop until I reached cloudbase. I left that cloud for a newly forming cloud out front while Rodger, Dave, and Pete launched. I played around awhile and joined them back over the mountain as they climbed through 5000 feet. The four of us headed back out front. I headed northeast to Ragged Mountain since I saw several cummies form and dissipate there earlier. Dave headed my way while Pete and Rodger faded to the south. Dave and I found a nice climb while Pete and Rodger retreated back to Greylock for a refill.Dave and I took another climb that we really didn't need over North Adams before heading to the high ground north of the airport and the gap. I wanted to get to the nice clouds that always form over the Green Mountains to the northwest. I also wanted to "cut the corner" by going directly over the high ground and get into the next valley. Since Dave's glider doesn't have the glide that my glider does, I wanted to stay high and not force either of us to dive off of course line into the gap or the valley beyond. We safely crossed the high ground when Dave charged off into some strong sink and then turned around and flew right back through it. Ouch. I decided to stay closer to the high ground, but made the same move. I was also "treated" to strong sink but was "rewarded" with a good climb on the other side. This put me a climb ahead of Dave. We were both comfortable with the situation and so I moved on. I told Dave that if we could just get to the clouds ahead we could "do some damage". After a couple of climbs we managed to catch the retreating clouds and found the stronger lift we expected.
The wind was from the southeast around 6 mph so we were flying on the lee side of the valley. Dave was staying at the of edge the valley while I was traveling along the peaks further east. Things were going great until I took a glide 90 degrees off course line further into the mountains for a climb I really didn't need. I missed the climb and then had to fly through the sink from the collapsing cloud. Crap. Now I was on the lee side of a mountain below its top sinking like a stone with another smaller mountain between me and my shrinking landing options. I was now stuck with the exit ramps on Route 7 as my "bail out". I radioed Dave to let him know that I was in an uncomfortable position. It rarely happens to me and I don't like it. I found a turbulent and trashy climb that finally turned into something useful once I got above the mountain upwind of me. Whew.
Meanwhile, Dave caught up and passed me by working the climbs over the valley. Dave flew over to Mount Equinox, a favorite flying site that was closed before I started flying. I decided to continue along the lee side since the clouds looked better ahead. Dave ended up landing in Manchester Vermont (38 miles) when he tried to cross back over the valley. The valley north of there gets narrow and the LZs are further apart. I was entering a field of clouds at the right time. I relayed messages for Dave, said farewell, and moved on.Although there was cirrus moving in from the south, the climbs were getting better since it was only 3pm. The trip from Manchester to Rutland was classic cloudbase flying. I didn't race hard since I wanted to check out the new terrain below me. I saw a white marble quarry where they created a pillar island in the center that was at least 300 feet tall and covered in trees. I could easily see Mount Okemo and Mount Ascutney. I could have easily reached Mount Okemo and gave a passing thought to turning right and trying to land at Morningside. However, I choose to continue to the north and explore some more.
The day was drying up by the time I passed Rutland. The climbs were getting weaker and the wind shifted to the southwest. I also spent more time flying down out of the mountains since there were tree covered foothills instead of valley fields at the bases. I lost some precious time when I got low back in a valley and had to glide back along my course to stay close to a safe LZ. Dave and Julie called me on the radio and said they were approaching Rutland. I told them I would land close to Route 7 if possible. I connected with a few clouds that were forming over the valley and got back to a now lower cloudbase. I was treated to a gorgeous view of the sun shining on Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks to the northwest. I continued northwest into the blue and setting sun. The fields below me were either corn or unmowed hay. I picked a field that looked mowed, but had two sets of powerlines running through it. A local amateur radio operator stepped in and wanted to know if everything was ok. I said everything was fine and that I was just shopping for a nice landing field. He laughed, warned me about the mosquitoes, and wished me a good evening.
About that time I noticed an airfield to the north. I needed more altitude but the day was just about done. Dave and Julie were right below me as I try to gain altitude 5 and 10 feet at a time. After a lot of work I finally had enough altitude to glide into the Middlebury State Airport. Dave got on the Unicom radio and announced my arrival. What service! I landed next to the runway and then walked over to the shade of a couple large pine trees to break down. We had a pleasant conversation with the airport manager while I zipped up the glider. A quick check of the GPS showed we were 93.4 miles from Greylock.
I want to thank Greg, Dan, and Jon who saved me many hours of driving my truck back to Morningside. I want to thank Pete for some great pictures of the gang and the shot of me after launch. I can't thank Julie enough for chasing Dave and I across the state of Vermont, giving up a good day of flying, and taking such nice photos. Thanks Julie!
Several people have told me this might be a new record for Greylock. I hope others will try this course in the future as it is very scenic.
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