Almost Epic Monsoonal Air

High hopes of epic soaring over the Mendos were not to be. The monsoonal moisture and instability were "blowing up" over the Sierras but provided only a slight boost, despite high hopes, over the Mendos. I took "JH" up for a 3.7 hour spin over Goat, Snow, St. John, Sheet Iron, Hull, Walker and Rumsey. Due to camera failure, only words can describe the beauty of the mountains today. The highlight of today, was a flyby over Hull Mountain, high above several hang gliders scratching low over Broadman Ridge. I saw only one pilot even with the peak and noticed gust lines from the West on Lake Pillsbury. Suspecting Hull was influence with marine air, my visit was short, as I retreated to Snow. A fun, pictureless flight on an almost epic day.

Roughing it at Lake Almanor

Murphy invites some of the fire crew up to his Lake Almanor cabin for a "four day." Humm, sounds rough but, maybe I'll get some airtime.
A hard way to start each day, with a session of "morning glass."
As the day warms up, the lake gets rollers and I switch to the wake board. Man this is miserable.
Back to the hot tub for breakfast, before sailing. Very stressful.
The afternoon hits and I finally get a break. I go to Keddie Ridge, slap the glider together and climb out from launch.
It's a tough way to spend a four day but, I'm hanging in there with Mountain Meadows Reservoir in the background.
Up high, I find a nice view of the Sierras with Cummies and their shadows speckled on the forest below.
As the evening approaches the lift begins to die, so I head out to Indian Valley.
And bring it in for landing.
Back to Murphy's shack for more suffering, as I repeat the cycle.
And manage to tough through it for four days.

Hot Midsummer Day

As high pressure builds over the Four Corners, the first of several hot days are in store for Northern California. I sit in "Juliet Hotel" while talking to Rex, on the 100+ degree tarmac at WSC as I wait for my tow and some cool mountain air.

When its hot, it can boom, or it can bust, as the heat needs to overcome a stable atmosphere. Well, I'll give it a try. After finding only burbles at Tree Farm, I cut to Goat Ridge, arrive low and find a solid climb that abruptly tops at 8K'. I cruise the area and hope to blunder into more, but consistently top at 8K. This is a scenic area for thermal hunting as I peer down at the campers by Lett's Lake who must be waiting for the cool evening to come.

A lone Q forms high and deep above Snow Mountain. I realize 8K is it, so off to Snow, on the wire.
The last sparse snow line on Snow Mountain in the middle of July.
I work low over Snow and get closer and closer to those ridges and tree tops, trying to find my ticket up to that Q. Strong, small bullets rocket through, the kind a flex wing hang glider is made for, but I can't core small enough to stick it in the lift and find I'm often out in sink. I remember Rex telling me how hang glider pilots often get into trouble in sailplanes because they feel to comfortable scratching the terrain so I reluctantly move out to lower ground for some clearance. I find myself below 7K and 35 miles out, time to head back. At least I have a long glide to soak in the sights like East Park Reservoir and far away cloud streets over the Sierras.
Once again no records were threatened, but hey, playing in some refreshing mountain air on a hot midsummer day was just the ticket for a fun way to escape the heat.

Yosemite

The grandeur of Yosemite attracts over 3.7 million people a year. Most, visit the valley floor. Some, hike the trails and are rewarded with a breathtaking view. A few, climb the massive granite walls for adventure and a different perspective. On July 9th, only one visitor, enjoyed the awe inspiring sights from a hang glider.

Being able to hang glide Yosemite is a true privilege. As a child, an annual backpacking trip to The High Country and wintertime visits to The Valley hold strong memories. In my early twenties I climbed many of the rock walls on both sides of the valley and would occasionally gaze up, at the hang gliders.
On Friday, flying alone, amongst those familiar sights, was like a dream.
When the weekend came, so did the responsibility. One whole hang glider pilot to monitor. So, I showed Gerry the launch path.
And helped him with the precarious carry, man this guys a lot of work.
Once Gerry was airborne, I grabbed my glider and powered off again.
We drove straight for Yosemite Falls. At 2,425' Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and one of the most popular attractions in Yosemite. There are several different ways to see Yosemite Falls. The Lower Falls are easily accessed from Yosemite Lodge. The Upper Falls can be reached by a steep 3.5 mile trail out of Sunnyside Campground.
I've got my own access, to both.

More images which don't do "it" justice are on the slideshow. The weekend was great and after flying in the mornings, Teri and I enjoyed a different hike each day. I caught my first Yosemite thermal, shown at 1:30 in the video below. By soaring standards this was a poor a thermal, but at 9 am in Yosemite, it bought me 4 additional minutes on the predominate sled ride. The video is taken from the three separate flights aboard my WW S2 and U2 .

Hang Gliding at Yosemite to Pachelbel from Matt Epperson on Vimeo.