Sunday, 10/31

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XCanytime
Posts: 2620
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:45 pm

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by XCanytime »

Becoming a familiar sight.  Looking NE from Short Mountain.
Becoming a familiar sight. Looking NE from Short Mountain.
At the end of Short Mountain, drifting SE, looking SW towards New Market.
At the end of Short Mountain, drifting SE, looking SW towards New Market.
On Kerns Mountain, looking SW towards the New Market Gap.
On Kerns Mountain, looking SW towards the New Market Gap.
The view of Short Mountain from Kerns.  The Knob rock outcropping is visible on the end of Short.
The view of Short Mountain from Kerns. The Knob rock outcropping is visible on the end of Short.
Some yellow colors behind Kerns Mountain.
Some yellow colors behind Kerns Mountain.
XCanytime
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Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:45 pm

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by XCanytime »

Low after jumping the New Market Gap.  Not a safe place to be.
Low after jumping the New Market Gap. Not a safe place to be.
How do you spell relief?  Climbing out, looking back at the New Market Gap.
How do you spell relief? Climbing out, looking back at the New Market Gap.
Over potential LZs.  I landed just before the gravel road in the foreground.
Over potential LZs. I landed just before the gravel road in the foreground.
Looking south from the LZ.  Grubbs and Lairds Knobs plainly visible, Massanutten Peak a small bump in the distance 11 miles away.
Looking south from the LZ. Grubbs and Lairds Knobs plainly visible, Massanutten Peak a small bump in the distance 11 miles away.
mcelrah
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Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:30 pm

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by mcelrah »

Bacil,

Great photos and captions! Congrats on a superb flight.

- Hugh
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DanTuck
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Location: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by DanTuck »

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uplandann
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Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by uplandann »

Nice vid. and music, Dan!

Ann
WillBear Wright for Flight '87
Ward Odenwald
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Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:51 pm

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by Ward Odenwald »

Short Mountain: Here are some views of the Edinburg gap and Short Mt to add to Bacil’s photos and Dan’s video showing potential LZs at each end of the ~ 7.5 mile long ridge. I’ve also included photos highlighting just how ridiculously far-out the tree line extends in front of this ridge and the Kerns Mountain ridge south of Short. Dan’s video also does a good job of showing this rather annoying fact. You can get this info from Google Earth but seeing it from a hang glider’s point of view certainly tests one’s commitment to fly south along the Massanutten. Dan was my XC guide for this flight. I followed Dan across the Edinburg gap and down to the south end of the Short Mt, flying close to him when he was climbing and avoiding or running from him when he was getting drilled (definitely a spineless, fair-weather friend behavior - but hey, it worked for both of us, although at different altitudes). Just about all of the lift that we encountered was thermal related as the prevailing winds beyond the gap were from the north with little, if any, westerly component. By the time we reached Knob Rock, it was reasonably clear that there maybe no ridge lift along Kerns so Dan headed back and I tried my luck heading south out in the valley. The photos start with our journey across the Edinburg gap and end with my landing north of New Market.
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Ward Odenwald
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Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by Ward Odenwald »

next set
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Ward Odenwald
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Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by Ward Odenwald »

last set
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markc
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Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by markc »

Great pics and vids, for both Friday and Sunday! Thanks everyone for posting them!

Ward, I think I landed at that very farm a couple of years back after diving off the south
end of Short. Small LZ-world eh? :)

A thought to share for newer pilots: If conditions go majorly north after jumping the Edinburg Gap,
you can find yourself in a heap of trouble... Dan (and also Bacil, recently) have both cruised Short
Mountain and then reversed course and jumped back to the main ridge, for really nice flights.

But what might not be obvious is that you have to be extremely aware of what's going on while on Short.
If you decide to turn around and head back, and conditions go north cross soon after... Then you
may be looking at some trees 'up close and personal', rather than duplicating their experiences. :lol:

I'd bet the farm that they were evaluating conditions constantly, getting a feel for the reliability of lift,
and possibly tracking back northward (the way that they came) for a bit, before fully committing
to a return trip.

Once at the south end of Short, the LZ situation improves considerably. So re-entering 'no man's land'
for a trip back to the main ridge requires some pretty solid evidence that your choice is a good one.

MarkC
XCanytime
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Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:45 pm

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by XCanytime »

Great pics Ward and great video Dan. Ward you should be thankful it was a north cross and not a west cross. 4 years ago I flew off the end of Short Mountain with plenty of altitude, heading SW. A WSW cross existed and the headwind cut my glide drastically. The wind was funneling thru the valley behind Short and in front of Kerns Mountain. I barely made it into the first landable field just west of the high voltage power lines. I see that field in one of your pictures. The north cross gave you a nice glide it looks like since you landed about at least a mile west of the field I landed in 4 years ago. Bacil
mcelrah
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Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:30 pm

Re: Sunday, 10/31

Post by mcelrah »

Yes, great video (and music!) and stills. Bacil, I agree, but I think there is a sweet spot with a slight west cross that becomes straighter 'cause the Massanutten ridge has a curve in it. - Hugh
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