Ascutney (Down the River)

I almost didn’t go flying today due to work commitments and the threat of overdevelopment. However when Rodger called early this morning and I learned the rest of the gang would be there, I just couldn’t stay earthbound. Rodger and I drove the 2+ hours to Ascutney and met Julie at the base. Julie had just driven Dave and Mark to the top and was on her way back to Morningside Flight Park. We chatted while waiting on Greg and our driver. When our driver, Erik, pulled up we all wondered if he was old enough to have a license! Shortly after Greg showed up and loaded onto my truck, Jake, Jeff, John A, and John Z showed up in Jake’s truck. We pulled up to the ranger station to sign in. Jake was so eager to go flying, he forget John Z! To make matters worse, John’s picture id and VHGA membership card was in his harness which was in Jake’s truck. I couldn’t let an opportunity to harass a friend slip by so I called Jeff and Jake an implored them to turn around. Turning around definitely wasn’t in Jake’s plans; maybe the driver could bring the truck back down for John AFTER they unloaded. Meanwhile, we vouched for John and drove up the mountain with John all the time still tormenting Jake. (At times I think I get too much enjoyment from “yanking people’s chains”.)

The sky was quickly filling with clouds as we set up. By the time we were done the clouds were starting to tower and we began to worry about rain and maybe even thunderstorms. Mark, Jake, and Dave launched and had to work to stay at launch height. John Z was really concerned about all the shade and decided to back off of launch and wait for something better to appear. I noticed that all three pilots, although not high, were climbing in different places. That was enough encouragement for me so I launched and connected with a good climb right over launch. I then zipped over to join Dave at the northeast side of the mountain and beamed to cloud base with him and Jake.

The cloud was forming all around us, so I zipped to the edge and noticed that we were significantly higher than the base of the next cloud to the south. Cool! I flew along the east side of that next cloud far above its base; it’s nice when you can skip a climb and see just a cool sight at the same time. I moved on to the next cloud, found a climb, and reconnected with Jake. Dave, who must have taken a different line was now below us and moved out into the river valley before finding a climb. Jake and I continued to move along cloud to cloud until the sky shaded everything except the river valley to the east. However the river valley was shimmering like a disco mirror with all the water standing in the fields and not a single cloud was forming over it. So I dove for a spot of sunshine on the high ground to the south while Jake took off for a sunny patch to the west. I found some bubbly lift that was good for some altitude, but I was soon gliding into the dark again. I tried to get under some marginally good looking clouds to the west but ended up trapped in a high valley with no good way out. The air was buoyant but I couldn’t find a productive climb.

I leisurely cruised about the valley looking for a climb and a place to land. Everything looked wet and muddy. I finally noticed a “mound” in a barnyard. Um, that looks like a challenge; I’ll land on the top of that mound. I had to keep clear of a fence on my approach but flared about 2 feet from the top, landing like a bird on a perch. Although the landing was fun, walking through the mud and manure to the gate was not. My shoes and base bar will smell for the next 3 weeks! I guess I had spectators watching my landing. Clyde came out to help me through the gate and to make sure everything was ok. I attempted to call Erik but didn’t have any cell coverage, so I managed a static filled conversation with Greg on the radio. I told Greg I was on the ground and asked him to have Erik start driving towards Bellows Falls. After breaking down the glider, Clyde allowed me use the phone in the barn when he discovered I didn’t have any cell phone coverage. Erik showed up surprisingly quick and we were on our way to pick up Greg after talking with another person, Roger, who was rebuilding a hay wagon while he waited for the fields to dry.

Although the flight was too short, flying along the side of the clouds, zipping along west of the river valley, pulling off an atypical landing, and meeting some interesting people made the day rewarding.