Trail Mix

Although I felt guilty, I joined Randy and JJ for a trip to the Mohawk Trail in North Adams late last month.  I had been helping care for a seriously ill relative but ironically hoped airtime would keep me grounded.  Amy, Keith, and Peter J planned to meet us there and unsurprisingly, Brooks and Matt also showed up.

JJ and Randy

I got carried away when JJ wondered aloud if there were any blueberries left on launch.  I started inhaling berries right and left.  I had already downed several handfuls when I noticed that not all the "little round blueish berries" were blueberries.  Oops.  No one knew what I had eaten.  Brooks thought they were not "good", but probably wouldn't kill me.  Great.  I wondered what the afternoon would bring as I began to feel nauseous while rigging the glider.

The pace on launch slowed after Keith took a short flight to the bailout LZ below.  While the other pilots chilled on launch, I spent the early afternoon walking around with a phone attached to my ear trying to help out with the problems back home.  Slowly pilots started running off the hill and soaring overhead.  I helped wire everyone off between phone calls until I was the last one on launch.

Peter

JJ

Between the nausea, phone calls, and self-launching into increasing winds I seriously considered packing up and hiking out.  However, the nausea passed, the phone calls finally ended for the day, and JJ and Keith settled down to launch height implying the winds were slacking off.  I quickly suited up, walked to launch, and ran off into the late afternoon air.

It was soar-able, but not mindlessly so.  I slowly worked my way above launch so I could move to the steeper part of the ridge to the south.

Looking at launch above the road.

The air was pleasant with a fun mix of ridge and thermal lift.  I noticed JJ and Keith climbing to the north so I zipped back to launch and climbed to base under a line of clouds.

I ran the line of clouds upwind across the valley to the northwest.  I cruised around the other side of the valley before returning to North Adams and then on to the ridge to share a climb with Randy.  We played at base hopping between clouds as the day slowly faded away.  We floated back into the valley and over town for one last sightseeing trip.

Downtown

Ballfields and river

We landed at The Range along Route 8 south of town.  Carolyn, someone who just happened to be at the golf range, snapped a picture of me on final.  Thanks for the picture Carolyn!

We all enjoyed our flights.  Well almost all of us.  Amy took an unplanned scenic tour of western Massachusetts and arrived at launch after I took off and found winds too strong to self launch into.  Bummer.

Randy and Amy

JJ had a nice short XC flight to the south and then literally ran back up the ridge to fetch the car.  Where does he get the energy to do that?  ;-)

Most of us met for dinner and drinks at the Golden Eagle, a restaurant on the hairpin turn below launch.  We ate, told stories, and watched the sun set from the balcony.  I thought to myself as I watched glow fade from the horizon that I'm lucky to have friends, health, and an appetite for life.

Flights: 1, Duration: 1:51