Dodging Sink to Black Butte

My flight instructor Charlie told me "sink is the great equalizer of all gliders." Essentially it doesn't matter if you are on a single surface hang glider or in an open class sailplane, if you are in sink, you are going down.

On tow to Tree Farm in "Juliet Hotel" I notice "Charlie One" is down low, collecting firewood in the East canyons of Goat Mountain, OH NO this guy is good too. Off tow I immediately spin it up and wonder what could have happened to "C1." Approaching 8K over Tree Farm and planning to head North.

I top out at 9K, head North, and soon find out what happened to "C1." Where there is lift there is ... Damn. Back to Tree Farm much lower this time and struggling. Eventually, back up I head towards St. John, but again, sink. I'm not going to make it across the canyon to St. John so I peel off with a prayer towards the burn at Snow where I find a mediocre thermal and a sigh of relief.
I push to St. John and arrive LOW over the peak where I find the BIG one. The vario pegs as I scream skyward in the strongest thermal of my life. I fall out of it a couple times, which is interesting and the reason why there is no picture of St. John. I did however, get good at catching my weightless camera. Topping out at 10K I continue North past Sheet Iron. Approaching Alder Springs I hit more widespread sink. Well beyond glide of getting back to Williams I feel the pucker factor as I forge ahead, desperately needing a thermal.
Again after big sink, more big lift. Up to 11K at Alder Springs. It seems luck is working well today so why not continue North. Wow, I don't hit sink and it looks like I'll have Black Butte on glide.
At Black Butte, I'm 55 miles out of Williams with the Sink Monster lurking about and decide I've gone far enough. Hum, this sailplane stuff is an out and return, GULP, I get to do it AGAIN! Southbound over Sheet Iron back towards St. John and Snow.
I decide to continue South past Goat for some different terrain and hopefully a contrasting lift/sink pattern. Approaching Rumsey Canyon and the Capay Valley.
Nope, sink is everywhere today so I turn the canyon over Cache Creek and make it home after nearly four hours on a very successful flight of spinning up in big lift and running from vicious sink.