A day to remember

From: Dan
Activity_Date: 6/01/01
Remote Name: 24.8.188.224

Comments

Yesterday, May 31 was such a good day at Pine SA, SA’s friend, Ray, Bruce and I, Dan, with Eddie as our driver motored our way back to Launch. We arrived earlier than the previous day and upon our arrival, SA said, Dan you’re the senior pilot so you get to wind dummy. Me launch first this was totally out of my character.

It was close to noon and there were very good cycles at launch. I launched in a good cycle and turned left to work the lift at launch which turned out to be weak, so I took a line to go to the spine to the right of launch. I was surprised to find the lift so weak and I scratched around till I was able to get over the flat part with the Pine tree outcropping. From there I worked my way up the spine till I was at 8400 msl.

This is the interesting part. All of a sudden the lift quit. I circled around looking for the core I was in but nothing was there. I decided to head over to the part of the spine where the first lift source came from only to immediately hit some of the strongest sink I have ever encountered. I was barely penetrating and sinking at 1100’ a minute. I thought this should end soon, but it did not and soon the ground was rushing up at me and I was thinking damn, what is going on? I hit the bottom of the sink as I was compressed into the seat of my harness about 250+/- agl. I lost 800’ or so in seconds.

I headed towards where I got up before and there was nothing. I was steadily loosing altitude at 4.5-7.5 ‘sec and my forward speed was not good. I got on the speed bar and gave it as much as I felt comfortable and headed down the spine realizing that the chances of making it to the lz were clearly out of the picture. I saw what I thought was a trail to my left and I kept it in range as I headed down the left side of the spine. Ahead of me was a ridge and I was thinking I may not make it over this one and I was contemplating where to land when I got a bump that skimmed me over the top by 100 or so feet.

As soon as I was over the top the sink monster grabbed at me and the next ridge I needed to make it over was definitely out of the question. I saw the trail was down below and I decided to loose the altitude to plan my place to land. Or so I thought. The heat from the ground made it impossible to land directly on the trail as it was buoyant so I took plan “B” and landed in a little clearing about 300’ away. The landing was a little down wind but a safe landing and I had the wing out of the bushes and in the bag in 15 minutes.

The trail I thought was a trail was an illusion. It dumped into the creek and that was where it stopped. Here I thought I had the easy way out and this was the beginning of my major bush whacking experience. I prided myself in never landing out before and actually spoke of my record on our way to Pine. Oooh I won’t be so smug anymore.

The creek proved to be the easiest route to travel for the first hour or so. This trek started around 1:00 p.m. and after 6 hours of travel over the world’s most inhospitable terrain, in the creek on my knees, out of the creek on my knees along the bank of the creek on my knees, over bushes, through bushes and crashing through bushes, was I having fun? SA earlier in the hike said maybe we should call the helicopter service and I declined. At 7:00 p.m. that evening by the time I reached the top of this 150-200’ rock ledge with my 50lb pack and darkness just around the corner I was ready. It looked like I still had at least another 2-4 hours of hiking through flesh eating bushes and savage body piercing yucca plants. no more water, only one water sucking power bar left and close to the end of my physical endurance so I easily gave in to the group’s decision and parked my butt on top of this 250 ledge and waited for air force 1 to take your El Presidente down to the road.

Kudos’ to the rescue system in place in Ventura. Everyone was very cheerful and most concerned for my welfare. Including Bruce who heaped plenty of dry humor on my wounded soul, and Eddie, even in his wounded condition, and SA tried to hike back into this country to help. Other than being a little dehydrated I was in good condition. God only knows what it would have been like had this service not been there for the asking. I can only imagine having to walk out the following day as I would have had to sleep out then drag my wreck of a body another mile to the road over hellish terrain with the only prospect of energy being my remaining power bar.

I am not a paragliding veteran now!!!! The lapse rate looked really good today. How come no one wants to go flying today?