premature landing

pilot who does not follow flight plan
gets his friends real worried
scratches real low
lands in the forest
and gets poison oak all over

excuse the genius of my poetry ... they had told us that every 5 years or so someone lands on the knob. *C* (not clayble) evened out the stats this weekend. he was told to soar launch only if above launch, else go left immediately. he proceeded to turn lower and lower and turn not in lift, until he fell in the valley below Boardman Ridge. some of us watched in horror, some with anger, others couldn't watch. he scratched heroically some unknown features for quite some time, and not quite making it to the last knob landed in a clearing, landed not crashed, on the north-east side of it. 4 hours later barry and ryan found him, after taking barry's rover through some terrain spirit and opportunity would be jealous of. *C* had no water, no radio and no long sleeves, but let's stop here ... we got him back that night.

we flew over him on our way down, so we knew he was moving and well. but it took until 8 pm to find him in the forest ...  glider remained in a dry creek bed in a unknown, unmarked location .... and was retrieved only after 7 hours of hiking today, in head-high poison oak in some parts! kudos to barry and ryan for driving and hiking, and especially ryan for hiking with *C* for the glider. 

glad everyone is fine, and hope that the miracle of tecnu and lake water will save them from the pain!

and to leave you pondering, "if a glider lands in the forest, but no one is around to see it, did it really land?"