Matt's Basic Life & Occasional Adventure: Clouds in my Eyes!

After some Labor Day family time and household projects, I still had the afternoon to go fly Short Divide!

The forecast called for light winds, but they've been wrong before. On the short drive out I watched the cumies form over the top of Gunsight Peak and drift upwind to the northeast. Upon arrival at launch the wind was a bit light, coming in at 10-12 mph, but it would build in cycles up to about 16 mph. The air temperature was at least 90 degrees - probably the last hot day before the fall weather patterns take over. I set up, walked out to launch, and waited about ten minutes to check the timing. I launched just as I felt a thermal approaching and immediately began climbing. That one didn't last, so I spent the next 45 minutes on a thermal roller coaster, mostly at or below launch level. Finally I cored one that took me just above the tower level, and I managed to drift back with it in zero sink until I reached the big face and found 50-100 fpm up. It took numerous passes back and forth until I eventually topped Clarkston peak, and then ventured across the narrow valley leading to Gunsight Peak. Now all of my "labors" scratching below launch were paying off with a beautiful 360 degree view!

I noticed the beckoning cloud street to the northeast extending over Oxford Peak and beyond. I was tempted to just fly toward the clouds, but I could not seem to climb beyond about 8,500' - which was not nearly enough to safely go over the back. So I just relaxed, took pictures, enjoyed the view, and explored every little cliff, face, and ridge.

I inched up on a red tail hawk in his blind spot from behind. When his peripheral vision sensed me he looked back, and then suddenly did a double snap-barrel roll to quickly evade me and perhaps remind me that I am just a visitor.

I noticed a field on fire in the next valley over to the east.

I saw more trees changing colors in the small valleys below. The fall colors probably won't be too spectacular this year due to such a hot, dry summer.

I made the trip back and forth between the main peaks twice until I decided that I might be a bit air-hoggish if I stayed up much longer! I began my descent on the Clarkston side, passing up a number of thermal opportunities on the way. I landed just after 5 pm, after keeping my speed up to safely ride out some late-day thermal ups & downs on my final approach. My landing was nothing to write home about, but it was acceptably undamaging and...

...it didn't seem to bother the deer grazing in the next field over!

On the walk back up to launch to retreive my pick-up, I came upon two different rafters of 12-15 big tom-turkeys. They quickly went for cover before I could get a decent picture. I retrieved my glider and made it home before dark.