Hang Doggin 2011

*(Thanks for the great Pic's, Robert B!)
After a 7 month hiatus, Saturday finally presented the opportunity for some airtime! Clover and I converged on Short Divide launch under mostly sunny 75 degree skies, along with two other hang glider pilots and a half dozen paraglider pilots. Conditions were light, but building, with cycles topping out at 14-16 mph. I waited for a slow moving cloud to pass by, bringing sunlight back to launch, hang-checked Clover and myself, paused for a good cycle, then ran off into the airspace!


We found subdued thermals up to 700 fpm mixed in with the ridge lift, and soon climbed to about 600' over launch. We found a thermal with which to drift back to the mountain, but fell out of it as it drifted over the back. I played it safe and came back out front, never to regain all of my altitude. We spent the next 45 minutes refining our rusty thermalling skills, and bobbing around with 4 or 5 paragliders, and one other hang glider. Eventually another cloud moved in and we were all flushed out to the landing zone. Although we did not "climb the mountain," it was great to get back in the air again with my canine co-pilot!


Airtime: 1 hour!