Miracle at Midlaunch

Ken and I got in another practice run this Saturday. I didn't see Ken's landing, but he tells me it was a good one. I know I was very pleased with my own - a good strong flare and a no-stepper. That made my day, even though the flights were only about 15 minutes long.

Sunday I reluctantly decided to head back down again. I had some spare hang gliding magazines to donate to the Ruch store where they will be sold for .50 apiece with proceeds going to the Ruch library, so even if the weather was as iffy as forecast, at least the trip would be worthwhile.

I got to the LZ just as Rick and group were launching. Chatting on the radio, he said not to worry about retrieving my truck and to come on up and fly. There was about 50% cloud cover and Rick reported 7-10 mph wind at launch, so I headed on up the hill. As I got there, I saw his glider low over the LZ. I assembled my wing in record time and took off. Rick was on his way back up the hill with someone to drive my truck down as I launched. That was good news to me, as it meant my truck would be at the bottom of the hill just as I broke down my glider.

The flight was short and sweet, with just enough beeps on the vario to entice me into a few futile turns. The landing was a good one with about 3 or 4 steps, but not picture-perfect like the previous day's landing. As expected, my truck arrived in the LZ parking area just as I packed my gear back to the road.

There was still a bit of daylight left, so I decided to drive up to midlaunch to enjoy the sunset. After hanging out there awhile, I noticed that several dangerous snags had recently been knocked or blown over, opening up launch about 60 more degrees to the west. I wandered down the hill a ways to take the closer look, and Rick showed up as I was heading back up. We discussed at length what natural phenomenon was responsible for this thinning. Was it a freak microburst? Was it rogue beavers? We couldn't tell for sure, but we both agreed that it made for safer conditions for launching our aircraft. I brushed the sawdust off my jeans and drove down the hill...