Yucca Enema, Sunday 8/23/15
Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 12:46 pmMarshall Peak, S.Bernardino, 2 hours (3 separate flights), mts. (with D.Bader, C.Ballmer)
Conditions: Sunny, small punchy but strong climb rates, very light wind, active thermals (high pressure), not crowded, good vibes all around.
Thoughts: My goal was to overcome my tendency to listen to my fears screaming and drowning out my logic causing my flying performance to tank. This was manifesting itself in me bailing out of thermals, not staying in thermals, and not allowing myself to climb as high as I should have been in many cases. (flight logs show an uncanny thermal height where I leave the thermal so as not to get higher). You can overcome mental blocks with simple concentration on what is true, and not what you are feeling… Today was a small victory in that area. I had a goal to reach 1,000 over launch, which I got in my first thermal, and actually got to 1,500 over… so probably should shoot for 2,000 ft. next time. (Marshall peak is about 4,000, and 6,000 is pretty normal from what I’ve seen in the summer). I also wanted to trust myself to get/stay in thermals and not bail when it got bumpy, and today was very active…but I stayed with every one to where I couldn’t anymore… it was a great victory for me there, and a place to drive a stake in the ground.
Achievements:
• Overcame fear with mental focus
• Reached 1,000 ft. over launch
• Flew farther to each side of ‘fishbowl” than ever before
• Did not bail out of thermals
• Side hill landing (er, yucca enema) – hiked back up to top launch and relaunched.
• Touch-and-go at the 750 (very light wind)
Conditions: Sunny, small punchy but strong climb rates, very light wind, active thermals (high pressure), not crowded, good vibes all around.
Thoughts: My goal was to overcome my tendency to listen to my fears screaming and drowning out my logic causing my flying performance to tank. This was manifesting itself in me bailing out of thermals, not staying in thermals, and not allowing myself to climb as high as I should have been in many cases. (flight logs show an uncanny thermal height where I leave the thermal so as not to get higher). You can overcome mental blocks with simple concentration on what is true, and not what you are feeling… Today was a small victory in that area. I had a goal to reach 1,000 over launch, which I got in my first thermal, and actually got to 1,500 over… so probably should shoot for 2,000 ft. next time. (Marshall peak is about 4,000, and 6,000 is pretty normal from what I’ve seen in the summer). I also wanted to trust myself to get/stay in thermals and not bail when it got bumpy, and today was very active…but I stayed with every one to where I couldn’t anymore… it was a great victory for me there, and a place to drive a stake in the ground.
Achievements:
• Overcame fear with mental focus
• Reached 1,000 ft. over launch
• Flew farther to each side of ‘fishbowl” than ever before
• Did not bail out of thermals
• Side hill landing (er, yucca enema) – hiked back up to top launch and relaunched.
• Touch-and-go at the 750 (very light wind)
- My running commentary about this leg of the flight...