lil' nature walkin on a saturday....

[Aaron]

Holy smokes what a day! took a packed eagle van with tons of fired up peoples. took the plunge around 11:30 from ej bowl hung and right with brian and timmaY for some slowwwww smooth climbs. hit 4200 and headed west to altanaor then no name. scratched at no name for a while until timmy and brian found the boomer so east we went. great climbs/glides down to thermal factory. from then on we scratched and kicked and yelled all the way down to castle bobbing from 2.2k to 3.5k very slowly. at castle we started getting higher and got about 4300 and had a tailwind at the powerlines so came into noon at a good spot. the 3 of us climbed beautifully to 5500 there. i thought we had it made......went to west divide and i screwed the donkey. got impatient there and thought i would have better luck at east divide. hammer and LJ have always said never to go there but it looked awesome with the sun shining on the rocks...ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh... got dam ground got me again!! before i knew it i had landed behind la granada mountain on the dirt road. timmy and brian were patient at west divide, hooked it to white ledge where they got 6k and headed to the high school. i had a couple hour 5 mile-ish walk down through nature to the 33. A couple people came by and they werent real interested in giving me a ride, but they sure got a chuckle telling me how much further i had to walk. the first guy said 6 1/2 miles.. i dont think it was that far. I landed about 3000 feet so it was mostly downhill. one nice guy gave me a ride up one of the hills. Got to the road a little after five and DD was right there to pick me up. Thanks Brotha!!

p.s.s. i lost my keys in the parma parking area if anyone happens to pick them up. thanks

my LZ...

super fun flying with friends!

this hobby is ridiculous!!!!!

timmmaay!!

[timobarker]

There is no other sport like this! There are many that take you to “the zone”… the moment in time when nothing matters except that which one is doing. Surfing a wave, nothing else matters. Work, stress, life melts away for the seconds that the surfer connects with the wave. Climbing is the same. To be a successful climber, one must leave the woes of life behind and focus. Breathing, moving, rock and air are the only things that matter. Flying is like these sports, in that we fly in and out of that focused “Zone”: surfing the sunny sides of the faces, making sure you give yourself enough altitude to turn but to stay within the small lift that plays close to the hill; then relaxing, looking around, enjoying the view and/or mashing bar while crossing to the next lift point is but one example. But there’s more that makes free flight significantly different and like no other sport on earth, a part from the obvious that we're in the air.

Today is a perfect example. While flying we must focus on a long list of external and internal elements. Within my zone today, I was feeling out thermals, listening to my vario, the wind in my ears, always focusing within; thinking about drift, heating, lee sides, inversions, convergence, hawks, vultures and swallows, insects, floating seeds and spider webs, wind, shaking plants, our next landing zone, sink rate verses glide ratio, maxing my climbs, estimating where I’ll intersect the next ridge, avoiding other gliders, keeping an eye on my friends, having fun yet mitigating the risk, the list goes on. The environmental factors that we utilize and focus on, make the sport of free flight so unique and simply so awesome among adventure sports. I love that I got to be so in-touch with the sky today. High point? Skying out over Noon Peak with at least 10 Hawks and birds of prey! Simply amazing!

The other great part of this sport is flying with friends. This is really a team sport and it was certainly demonstrated today. I watched Aaron and Brian lead the way East, taking note and making up my mind based on what happened to them. I took my turn at lead too, unfortunately showing them what not to do. We learned from each other and were ultimately more successful in flight due to the fact that we were in the air together.
What a spectacularly gorgeous day! I’m stoked to be flying the SB area with ya’ll. Happy free flight!

One last thing: a lesson I won't soon forget: pissing into the wind is a bummer. Pissing into the wind while flying a paragliding in lift and turning is the stupidest idea ever! I've got to get a catheter.

[sd]

Great flights. I like the photos showing 3 pilots on course and the one of the crew cab truck, I presume along the nature stroll.

Sounds like Aaron has gotten used to zipping around SB low with confidence, but when you get to Noon, I recommend shifting gears as the mode changes from short jumps along the ridge to bigger peaks and long glides with a significant penalty for getting too racy.

I concur with Hammer that you can't count on getting up at East Divide, so from West Divide I prefer to reach for the SW Bump below White Ledge. When I do get stuck low at East Divide in a west wind, I'll dive east bound through the saddle and make a play for the low bumps on the west side of White Ledge. I think the re-launch options are better in front of White Ledge compared to the re-launch options from Chismahoo. Do not attempt to hike down Coyote Creek. It's been done, but ask SA about his experience.

The following two graphics may help. They are stored at
http://scpa.info/sites > Front Range > Casitas Pass >
http://scpa.info/sites/front_range/casitas_pass/casitas_pass_overview.jpg
http://scpa.info/sites/front_range/casitas_pass/casitas_pass_heart_plan_view.jpg

Aaron is a pretty seasoned lapper, but for those new to "The Pass" the following comments might be helpful
http://paraglide.net/comment/04/the_pass_eastbound.htm
"The Pass can be humbling even for old saltys.

One final note for Tim. Top landing and re-launching at West Divide Peak (4700') is a reasonable option for a PG if you want a break. Doing so is arguably a substitute for church on Sundays.

[andy dainsberg]

nice u guys! the ojai crew launched nordhoff in NE. seemed like a good set up to go for sbxc but it didnt really get that hot in ojai and we were only mostly around high 5 tops.

[Aaron]

Thanks Tom for the tips and maps! i had looked at them before, but now they make a lot more sense after being down in there. I definately had enough to make a play for that sw lower whiteledge but squandered it at east divide. I will definately try that next time. I have only been in the pass a few times before(always high), so happy to have the info and new perspective.

and yes, that was a 'crew cab' truck up there on the ranch. good times!