Addiction

I laugh now when I read a definition of addiction: “Strong emotional and /or psychological dependence on a substance or behavior that has progressed beyond voluntary control”. I guess I might have one.

Winter was muscling its way into our neighborhood like a roguish thug, I spent one too many days hibernating in the pale light of the computer screen, and I couldn’t remember my glider’s colors anymore. I needed to fly! Oh, but I needed to drive to Rochester NY later. It really didn’t make sense to drive 5 hours for a sled ride just so I could get a late night start on the 6 hours of driving to Rochester. Well, it didn’t make sense unless you are addicted!

Pete J also wanted airtime, so us junkies loaded up on my truck and started the drive north to Ascutney. We both realized that just getting airborne in late October is a “good day”, but the BLIPMAPs hinted there might be enough wind to ridge soar and maybe, just maybe, some very weak thermals. The crystal blue sky provided a nice backdrop to the hillsides’ fading colors. That is until we entered the Keene valley. Dropping into the valley was like dropping into a witch’s misty brew. Moist, gray, no sun and frost covering everything. We were disappointed when it was still foggy on the other side of the valley. We remained in the fog right to the base of the mountain. Since the sun this time of the year produces about as much heat as a butane lighter, we wrote off encountering any thermals. However, the sun started to peek through and soon the fog was disappearing and we could see some wispy clouds forming over the mountain. Yes!

Jeff B showed up with some interesting reading that helped pass the time while we waited for Greg who was about 30 minutes behind the rest of the crew. Jake and Marshall rolled in after leaving a vehicle in the LZ out front. Once Greg arrived, we loaded up his monster van and drove to the top.

For some reason the hike into launch was very enjoyable. That doesn’t happen often, but just being outside with the smell of the leaves, the blue sky, and enthusiastic friends was enough to mask the usual chore of getting to launch. There was some wind blowing in when we got to launch but probably not enough to ridge soar. There were no birds in the air and the insects were long gone. Just as we finished rigging a couple ravens cruised by launch and then climbed out over the north side of the mountain. Time to fly!

Jake, who usually launches first, offered to launch last in order to help Marshall and the rest of us launch. (As someone who also likes to launch early I appreciate what he did.) Jeff went first and almost immediately started a slow climb. I launched next and slowly sank below launch. I wasn’t worried until I had trouble swiveling my neck looking back up to launch. I finally found a mellow little climb in the gorge below launch. As soon as I broke launch level Pete ran off and joined me. Greg was next but didn’t connect with the fading climb we snagged. I used my meager altitude to see if life was better on the sunny lee side of the mountain. Nope. I cruised back to the upwind side of the mountain and found little bits of lift almost everywhere. Jeff took a run to the west towards Little Ascutney and lost very little altitude. I followed and soon we were climbing at a respectable rate in a nice thermal. Pete and Greg soon joined us in the same climb while Marshall and Jake launched and got established on the mountain.

We were like kids that found a secret stash of hidden candy. Not only did we avoid sled rides and soar, we were actually climbing in thermals. As I approached 5000 feet instincts took over and I started looking downwind. Since I had a long drive home and then a longer drive to Rochester I announced on the radio that I was going to Morningside where I could probably get a ride back to my truck. I remembered all the fog in the valley so I stayed over the high ground in Vermont instead of heading directly to the valley and Morningside on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River. Pete and Greg were a little lower and decided to work a climb on the lee side of the mountain. Unlike the initial climb, the climbs away from the mountain were weak and broken. Still there was enough to climb and do some sightseeing at the same time. I headed towards a developing cloud over the ox bow in the river. I found scattered light lift and played there with Jeff while Greg and Pete caught up. We reached cloud base under the only cloud in the sky and were within an easy glide of Morningside. Jeff and I played around with tiny flowing wisps of clouds that formed below us. The White Mountains to the northwest were true to their name, capped with a blanket of white snow. Dang, where is that camera? Greg was having a good time too. He got on the radio and announced “Ridge lift? We don’t need no steenking ridge lift!”

We flew all over the valley, a valley that was earlier filled with thermal smothering fog. We didn’t quite understand how there could be thermals here, but we didn’t spend too much time looking this gift horse in the mouth. We flew until it was time to go home. I made a few high-speed runs over Morningside and landed after Pete, Jeff, and Greg. As I turned around after flaring, I saw another glider on approach. After spending some time flying with Marshall and soaking up the scenery at the mountain Jake decided to join us.

Mark V stopped by for some company after taking photographs of the fall foliage in the area. Marshall drove up and offered body rides back to the mountain. Pete was kind enough to get my truck while I watched pilots flying and chatted with friends. Pete returned, we headed south, and I eventually headed west.

Today was a nice fix and it will help calm my addiction for a few days.