I found an email from Barry, insisting that Hull was the place to be on Friday. I hadn't had any luck with Hull up to this point, so I was interested in catching Hull on a good day. Originally, there were to be four pilots and two cars making the journey...but in the end, there was just me and Barry, two cars, and Hull mountain. I launched about 1:30pm or so, and Barry launched soon after. I spent most of the first half hour getting tossed around lower launch; I didn't get very high, but I didn't go down. Barry worked the same lift and somehow managed to go up. After half an hour or so, I found my thermal and took it up. Pretty soon, I was over the mountain peak- and there's still snow up there! I eventually got up to 9700', which was the highest I'd ever been above launch and I think it's about 8000' over the LZ. It was fun flying the mountain with just 2 pilots, talking about where the lift is good and just flying. I landed by the lake after a couple of hours :)
That night Barry left, and I was joined by Justine, Jesse, and Doughboy. The following morning, we met up with cookie girl, Scott, Lionel, Victoria, Robert, his brother William, Greg, Eric, and a bunch of Sonoma wings pilots. I launched first and put a valiant effort into getting up by lower launch. I stayed up for an hour, but I never did get high. As I was flying to the LZ, I noticed Doughboy flying in formation beside me. It was very cool flying in formation with another glider. He eventually decided to race ahead and leave me in the dust. Apparently cookie girl tried to fly with us too (though much higher), but she couldn't fly fast enough with her little Falcon (though that should be remedied soon enough).
The last day was amazing for me. I launch second, not at all confident I would get up. In fact, after I launched, I went down, so I decided to make my way to the LZ. Flying down the ridge, I caught a strong thermal just past the hairpin. Circling in that, I easily got a few hundred feet above launch. I then went to lower launch and found another strong thermal that took me even higher...all the way to 9200'. And I stayed there. After I got up, everyone lined up to launch after me. I must have worked the lift pretty well, because I was at the top of the stack for most of the first hour. I tried to use my altitude to go places. I crossed the valley from lower launch to windy ridge and then came back via the peak. Also, at the end of my flight, I tried making my way towards the dam, but I turned around half way across the lake. It was a very fun flight...and I can't wait to go back!
Having cookies while writing this .... mmm. Whoa, what a weekend. What cleanpants modestly did not point out is that he had his longest and highest flight in one go on Friday. And he stacked 5 hours in one weekend. Saturday packed 20 gliders on launch, which some of the more seasoned pilots said they'd never seen. That day I had my longest flight, but ended with a turbulent landing (she did not behave like the glider I knew ...) on the strip, which made me nervous about launching on Sunday. I was sure I could make the lake the whole way as I was higher for a long time, above cleanpants and doughboy, on the way out. Then I hit massive sink and then massive turbulence and then gradient. The three of us who landed on the strip this weekend had stories to tell. Jesse broke a downtube and a leading edge but heroically came out without a scratch.
Off to get more cookies ...
So there I am on Sunday talking about not launching. Cleanpants gets out second after an advanced pilot who worked really hard to get up. He shot up above the hairpin and I thought, fine, I'll fly, I'll get out third. By the time I made it to launch (I was ready), I was fifth in line !!!! It was a conveyor belt straight up. Lionel was very encouraging on launch, which was just what I needed. I took a strong cycle, and went straight up, but kept going left. Apparently at that point Eric mentioned that I fly without a vario, so they decided to give me input. "Gergana, you're flying through great air. Turn. Gergana, you're above launch, turn." Ok, ok ... circle. "Gergana, you're doing great." That's the last I heard, I was now concentrating on my turns. Up and up and up. Mostly left, then right. The ridge features started to get smaller. I like trees from afar. I was so concentrated on my turns that I barely saw launch get lower and lower. A few minutes later I finally looked around. Whoa. The peak was at my line of sight with bunch of pilots about 100 ft above it. Whoa, there's another valley on the other side. The world just got bigger. Cloud base in the far distance was within 10 degrees of line of sight. While these clouds were probably still really high, I had never contemplated that view. Top that with a pretty landing by the lake. Tete dans les nuages ...
Log: cookie girl (1.5 hours); cleanpants (~ 5 hrs); won after multiple failures to stand on log in the water and dive from it; saw cubs, again; and an elk herd; and an honest downwind approach!
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