Summer at Diablo and a Low Save

Soaring Mount Diablo during the summer months is an elusive quest. The marine layer and its companion the sea breeze are a constant threat which can shut down soaring. Or worse, if you find yourself on the wrong side of the mountain scare you from the air, bounce you off your sail in rotor and put you down at the crossroads, far from any LZ or road access but damn glad to be safe on the ground ... not that I would know anything about that. With finicky summer conditions most locals head for the mountains and with good reason, as some of the best and most scenic mountain flying can be had, half a days drive away. I however, find my schedule conflicts with friends, my wife, the weather and well, I can see Mount Diablo from my living room. So with a careful study and a little luck, I have grown to enjoy finding the right day, right time, right glider and right spot to make Diablo work.

Today the high pressure which was holding the marine layer and sea breeze at bay, till late in the afternoon, was also creating gusty NE winds at the Tower Launch. Challenging conditions provided an exercise in patience and I found an OK launch cycle after only half an hour. I immediately headed towards Eagle Peak which was baking in the midday sun for some thermalling.

Typical high pressure conditions were found. The climbs went barely above the summit and with respect for ground clearance in bumpy lift, I soon found myself below Eagle and trying to thermal out of Mitchell Canyon.
Since that never seems to work and I was losing more than gaining, I soon scraped through the canyon en route to the LZ's.
Unzipped over the flats and trying to study the surface winds I grabbed a bubble.
It was light but definitely there, and I was climbing.
With near 100 degree heat I couldn't decide whether I wanted to zip up again, but eventually comfort beat temperature and I was in the game over Twin Peaks benching back towards Eagle.
Teri had left the Tower earlier as I was sinking into Mitchell Canyon. Driving down with concern the sea breeze had attacked me she was surprised to hear I was still in the air. I was safe and happy but still only able to climb slightly above Eagle. I eventually landed at the 100 degree Mitchell Canyon LZ on a summer day that worked, just barely.

Almost Yollo

Nice clouds popping over the mountains fill the air with optimism at WSC. A fellow pilot challenges me to fly to the middle of the Yolla Bolly Wilderness and turn Yollo Peak, a little over 70 miles to the NNW. This is about 15 miles further North than I have ventured before, but with a good looking day and a nice ship, who knows? Off tow at Tree Farm I find a decent climb, bump to Goat and top at 9500.' With a nice start off the bat I get a good view of Lett's Lake towards St. John.

I fly over Snow Mountain and continue North in a sky filled with promise.
The clouds are running only over the high ground and far West from any bailout airport in the valley. Cloud base lowers to a borderline altitude, but provides consistent thermal markers which make for good progress North. I make it well into the Mendocino Mountains to the beautiful Black Butte.
A huge blue hole lies between Black Butte and the Yolla Bollys which happen to be wonderfully developed. This is an area of possible entrapment if low and I'm not exactly high to start with. But then, I see a small cloud form midway across the hole and my ego says GO FOR IT.
BAD MOVE, the cloud dries up before I get there, I find nothing but sink and my bailout airport is in Covelo. Not wanting to land a long way from home I turn around for the reliable lift back through the blue at Black Butte. I get way low and a ridge line now blocks off Covelo. I push towards Black and hook a desperately needed thermal. After I'm well established, climb above the ridge and start breathing again I snap a picture of the tree tops.
The motto for the rest of the flight is stay high and under the clouds. I hop over to Hull Mountian and get a good view Gravely Valley and Lake Pillsbury from behind Rattlesnake Canyon. My hang gliding instructor Wally, told me never to venture over here, he probably meant on my Pacific Airwave Pulse.
I continue to cloud hop South and eventually get a little thermalling over Lower Clear Lake.
I turn Rumsey and thankfully make it home. Even though my turn points clear 300 Km, I end up 12 miles short of my goal at Yollo. Moral is, I should never have been that close, low in the blue. After reviewing my flight with more experienced pilots we conclude my last chance option of exiting through drainages towards the East which leads to a dirt strip was a viable out and I was safer than my anxiety level led me to believe. I still don't like this option, so for the future ... good judgment negates good skill and good luck.

High Pressure and High Lift

After the famine of spring, early summer provides a feast, with yet another high pressure day to keep the marine layer at bay. Off the Tower Launch atop Diablo, the typical mid-day, high pressure bullet thermals with occasional wire twang provide necessary lift for some local, summer soaring. After playing on the North side I eventually venture over the Summit.
As the afternoon wares on, the lift gets better and I approach that famous XC decision point.
With Teri on a timeline and my altidute borderline, I decide to keep the best driver/wife in the history of hang gliding happy and not let my retrieve vehicle turn into a pumpkin. The next best thing, and only a few miles less, is the retrieve friendly hop towards the NW LZ's. I meander in that direction and enjoy a relaxing glide over Juniper Launch.
Because I'm not racing, I stop at everything, top out with good altitude, yank on the VG and continue on.
I arrive at Blakes LZ with plenty of altitude and decide it's safe to continue over the area of no mans land, towards Lime Ridge.
Over the lowlands I stop for a couple of thermals but the sea breeze has started to fill in and I can't make it work. Oh well, I've still got enough altitude to clear Ygnacio Valley Road and make Lime.
The arborist and avian groups apparently don't think landing a hang glider in barren foothills is challenging enough so they have been put in an obstacle course at Lime Ridge. With "Bruno's Slot" now more of a "Serpentine" I decide to go for the clear area on "Robert's Hill." After a nice landing I sure hope they keep this piece of the LZ clear.

Convergence Line

Wet air spilling off the Pacific Ocean was slamming into the Sacramento Valley air mass forming a classic convergence line above the Mendocino Mountains. The only problem was, the air was too wet and bases were well below the high peaks as I towed toward the South end of the convergence line aboard "Delta Romeo."

With nothing but sink under the clouds I ventured West to the windward side where I found the lift along Goat Ridge.
Pockets of strong lift would rocket up, but, with the wet air, clouds would form instantly and vigilance was necessary to keep clear.
Although the lift went well above base on the windward side of this huge line of clouds, it laid between me and the valley. I would eventually have to go around or under it, to get back. A couple of brave pilots ventured XC to the North. I however chickened out after 2 1/2 hours and headed back. Another nice convergence line had formed on the South End of Bear Valley but unfortunately I didn't have the altitude to cross the blue hole.
With a classic convergence came the standard 15 knot crosswind landing on 16 at Williams for the last challenge of the day.

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.

Big Blue Day to Mountain House

With high pressure in place, hot temperatures, light winds and a marine layer out to sea, where it belongs, I decided to break my U2 out of it's garage and give Mount Diablo a go, with slight hope that today is as good as the forecast indicates. In gusty conditions with much needed wire help Robert, Ian and I successfully launch the Tower. After a little work low over Bald Ridge I find a thermal and eventually climb to 6,700'. With the Summit Parking Lot far below me, foothills paint a path down range for cross country to the East.

After not finding lift over North Peak I hit sustained sink as I head East. Seven miles into cross country and I'm down to 3500' where I find my first thermal after leaving the mountain.
I continue down the highest line of foothills where climbs become plentiful, the air is smooth and the sight of Diablo grows smaller in the distance.

Robert is several miles ahead and reporting good lift over Lake Vasqueros so I drive over. Well, my vario tells the story better than I can.

With gust lines on Lake Vasqueros indicating wind in an opposite direction of windmills spinning over the Altamont Pass we quickly realize we are in a bit of convergence. With blue sky the question is which way does it go. Well, lets continue East. Over a very busy Byron Airport with skydive jump planes, sailplanes and G.A. operation I'm glad to be high above the traffic pattern.
The town of Mountain House stands out amongst the two lane roads of the area. The recession has left some nice large landing zones so I pick one of the vacant fields smack in the middle of town with a green park, adjacent. Mount Diablo appears small on the horizon as I release the VG and sight the LZ.

A nice landing and short carry to the park with palm trees to shade me from the near 100 degree sun as I wait for Teri to arrive from her long retrieve. A wonderful flight from Mount Diablo to Mountain House on this big blue day.

Soaring a June Low

In summer a low pressure system will often enhance the marine layer and make soaring go from bad to worse at Mount Diablo. However, occasionally, if the low is strong enough, it washes the marine layer out entirely providing rare pre-frontal type soaring. It seem 2010 is the year for atypical weather and today the marine layer began washing out in front of my eyes due to a strong low. I made a mad dash to get off Juniper Launch where I found a good climb over the South-West Bowl Knob.

The marine stratus layer began lifting and turning into a strato-cumulous layer as the air was a mix of ridge and thermic lift.
The best lift was found above the knob and South-West bowl.
I repeatedly went back to launch for a high pass and continually found less lift there. Teri said every time I flew over it became calm and the birds left. Figures. Teri would know as she appears below as the speck standing on launch. Maybe she is taking a picture that will appear as the second one in todays blog posting?
After an hour the sky dried up and the lift died so with a good headwind I put in a steep approach, Sport 2 style, at the 1000 footer. I believe there was an additional hour of good soaring prior to my launch today, but hey, not bad timing this June low.

A Nice Day

After a long awaited change to warm weather, I was getting anxious to fly the mountains. I decided to take the sharpest arrow out of the quiver, an ASW-27B "Juliet-Hotel," up for some cross country soaring. I was rewarded with a very nice day. By no means was it epic, but it certainly didn't suck, like most of spring has, either. Unlimited visibility, warm temperatures, challenging but doable, a few Q's, nature glowing, relatively smooth, light winds, WOW.

Off tow in the blue at Tree Farm for some work climbing out before flying over Lett's Lake towards the only visible Q which were low above Snow Mountain.

The beautiful and aptly named Snow Mountain.
Staying over high ground I head North-West. From this vantage I can see the long glide from Hull to Lake Pillsbury for a hang glider. I use to make it all the time on my custom, duct taped leading edge, Pacific Airwave Pulse.
With a few days of warm weather Mount Saint John is now clear of snow and lying off to the East.
After getting into the blue over no mans land and not wanting to land at Gravely Valley I turn around just past Sheet Iron and head back towards the reliable Q over Snow.
After climbing back up at Snow and then Goat I head South towards the foothills and find big, bumpy lift over Walker Ridge. I climb to 8000' over little Walker Ridge which is nearly as high as I was getting in the mountains. I notice gust lines blowing across Indian Valley Reservoir towards Walker.Leaving Walker I hit sustained 700-800 fpm sink for three miles which completely negates my big climb at Walker. I carefully fly down to Cache Creek and Rumsey Canyon. Now low with contaminated wings I'm forced to make a conservatively slow final glide which allows me time to gaze and reflect at todays spectacular playground lying off in the distance.
A clip from the beginning and end of this very nice day.

The Marine Layer

From late Spring through early Fall, Mount Diablo is impacted by many weather factors, but none so prevelant as the marine layer. Soaring here in summer takes a careful study, a little luck and a lot of trying. Today that infamous marine layer was shallow, poorly defined but well inland due to an onshore pressure gradient. Gerry and I decided to give it ago and Gerry launched first off Juniper. He worked hard out front as fog spilled around the base of Mount Tamalpias in the distance.

After several minutes, Gerry broke through the barrier and climbed above launch bringing hope for the day. Unfortunately, his time above launch was short and after I launched we were both scratching over the lower foothills.

Once over the low hills which were more impacted with that darn marine air we had little hope.
With my awesome ability to sink out first I got to wind dummy the 1000 Footer. It was a handful but I had a nice landing in switching winds. Next Gerry, with a rock and roll approach through a couple of good pops. He handled it as well as he did the days illusive thermals and had a textbook perfect 1000 Footer landing. A short flight with a great ending after testing the marine layer.

Amends

Off Juniper Launch I found conditions eerily similar to those two days prior during this unusual early June at Mount Diablo. It seemed like a repeat until Cirrus showed up as scheduled.
With the arrival of Cirrus the sharp walls of the thermals disappeared and I found myself scratching over North Gate Road in weak lift.
Ironically, my visit wasn't just for thermals. For the last two days I was thinking about how The 1000 Footer let me down. I always felt The 1000 Footer and I, were in this Diablo flying thing together. It was always there for me, when I sunk out, scratched too long or couldn't get up. But, two days ago it got angry and didn't want me around. Today, I was here to make amends. Fortunately with Cirrus as an excellent mediator The 1000 Footer shouldn't be in such a hot headed mood so I headed over.

I called Teri on the the Radio and with her blessing brought it in. With the 1000 Footer in a good mood I had a textbook landing and I am glad to say we are now friends again.