High Day

The forecast yesterday morning continue to shout "Mount Equinox", an east facing launch in the Green Mountains of Vermont.  I wanted to fly there if possible, since easterly winds are rare around here.  It was also a weekday, so the number of pilots available was limited.  Peter, PK, and Randy were ready to go, but we needed someone to drive the vehicle back down the mountain and wanted someone to drive retrieve.  We were running out of ideas and phone numbers when PK offered to hike back up if necessary.  Although unlikely he would (could?) do the hike, it was enough to get us going.  What about a retrieve?  It will somehow work out.

Peter and I loaded unto his SUV at my place and were leaving to pick up Randy in Leominster when I got a call from John.  It didn't take much discussion before he was taking a day off also.

Pilots typically launch early from east facing launches since the morning sun bakes the slopes starting at sunrise.  However, Mount Equinox is a 3+ hour drive, so it was already after noon when we arrived at the bottom of the toll road.  It took us even longer to cram everything into PK's SUV.  (Everything included PK's friend Ron who volunteered to drive down, 5 pilots, 5 gliders, and 5 harness bags.)  We chuckled when the toll attendant, worried about our safety, suggested we take multiple vehicles since an overloaded vehicle could cause the brakes to fail on the way down.  We assured her that everyone except Ron would not be coming back down!

Feathery cirrus started to creep across the blue sky as we set up.  A light breeze trickled into launch.  Nothing indicated it was soarable.

Stable?

Snug setup area

PK wanted to draw straws to see who would launch first.  I ensured him it wouldn't be necessary as I would be going soon.  We were talking when John noticed a large hawk rapidly climb as it meandered across the bowl in front of us.  Ok, then; time to go.

Each of us self-launched into the nearly perfect conditions.  I launched first and gained a little as I followed the ridge to the left but returned below launch on my way to the right side.  I stumbled into a strong climb near the car pull-off and started climbing to 9750 feet (2970m) msl.  Everyone else launched and also climbed into the high-altitude freezer.

Well, I sure wasn't going to stay put with that kind of altitude, retrieve or no retrieve.  I lead off to the north with Randy fading to my left (west) and the rest slightly behind.  We had a long glide to a large area lift coming off the peaks north of Manchester VT.  Once again we took bumpy climbs to the top floor.

I crossed the valley south of Danby while everyone else followed a better line over the main peak to the north.  We all joined up over the high terrain to east of Danby, but John and PK were now significantly lower.

John & PK

Randy continued on while I circled in light lift and took these pictures.

Looking south; Mount Equinox is the peak near the center of the horizon line.

Quarry

Looking north; Rutland airport is at top right.

I moved on while John and PK crossed the valley and struggled a long time on a small plateau.  I climbed back to 8000 feet (2500m) over a large rock slide and then to 7000 feet (2100m) near the airport.  The cirrus was getting thicker and the climbs shorter and weaker.  John and PK managed to bobble down the valley to fields west of the airport.  Although he had plenty of altitude to move on, Randy decided to land at the airport with its large level field and wind socks.  Flying most of the time by himself in his Sport 2, Peter landed in the large field just northwest of the airport.

Meanwhile I kept moving along the higher terrain slowly lowering my entry and exit altitudes as the cirrus smothered the day's heating.  The climbs were now weak but very smooth; perfect for sightseeing.  I checked out the severe damage done by the hurricane last fall along Route 4 to the northeast of Rutland before flying northwest back out into the valley.  I watched people on the greens at a golf course, soccer players, and farmers tilling fields.  I eventually floated into a large field decorated with dandelions and had a sweet landing in front of several cars that stopped to watch me land.

I called Peter to let him know I was down safe.  Our flight was great, but he wanted to know "Now what?"  ;-)  PK was already working the problem and found someone to take the drivers back south to Mount Equinox.  Randy and I had to entertain ourselves for an hour or two.

Randy hung out at the airport.  I packed up, stashed the glider, and started walking.  The first stop was at J-R's Eatery for a slice of lemon meringue pie.  I continued walking south to the center of Pittsford, VT.

I really liked the style and color of their library.

Daylight was fading as John, Peter, and Randy pulled into the center of town.  After picking up my gear, we headed south to dinner in Rutland with PK.  The 3+ hour return trip ensured a late arrival at home, but it was definitely worth the hassle.  Several of the group set new altitude personal bests and it was virgin territory for some as well.  It was a nice reintroduction to New England flying after a flying a month in Florida and Georgia.

Update:  Randy's writeup is available on his blog "Iron Man Hang-Gliding".

Flights: 1, Duration: 2:35, Distance: 46 miles (OLC 1 point), 39 miles straight-line