Hyner weekend

[pink_albatross]

Packed up wing, kayaks, camping gear and dogs and headed for Hyner.

Stopped at the Pulpit on the way. Can't WAIT to try out the new launch! Was really tempted, it was "only" trickling in from over the back with some dead cycles... This launch invites one to do a forward! Finally my better judgment caught up with me and I left the launching with a slight tailwind for some other day. Plus, I had a new P2 (Stan) in tow and didn't want to set a bad example...

Next stop was Jack's, where we caught up with Hugh and wife Sallie. They had already talked to the landowner and had gotten permission and specifics on where to land for us, had even planted a streamer. It was coming in slightly. Hugh did a running reverse in the parking lot, hopped over the guardrail and was off. Stan was a bit dubious about the hopping over the guardrail bit and decided to take his chances with the steep, skree covered slope instead. I decided to try the parking lot first. I got lucky and had more wind than either one of the two, so it took no skill to kite and step over the guardrail especially since someone had taken it upon themselves to lower the guardrail (looked like it had been a pull up in the dead of night job). A couple of burbles to maintain it, but nothing significant. (how was the XC clinic on Saturday????). Next go around was a bit more exciting.

We continued on to Hyner, looked for some grey poupon in Lockhaven, enjoyed a wonderful evening drive along the river and pulled into Hyner around 7:00pm. It had been trickling over the back all day, so we decided to forgo an evening flight and instead set up camp, met up with old friends, made new friends, pooled resources for a great dinner, sat around a campfire chatting, listening to tall stories. Stan got initiated to the game spoons...

Sunday morning found us bleary eyed heading to the top to go for a cloud dive. It was completely socked in, no ground reference, but beautiful sunrise over the mountain tops. We slowly set up, but when we started getting cloud holes, the clouds disappeared so fast that by the time I got around to launching there were none left to dive through. Stan had an exciting flight, kicking some branches, but we all ended up safe in the LZ. Hugh and I had three flights each that day, I think and Stan had two. Extendos, but they were flights. More great dinner that evening.

Monday morning it was already over the back, so we threw our stuff in the cars and headed back south to Bill's Hill, where John M. had already set up streamer and was ready to launch. It was about 3:00 pm. The sun was shining, it was coming in straight at 7 mph. Perfect. For kicks we checked the launch direction and to our surprise found that Bill's faces ESE!!! No wonder NE has always been lousy there. Thermals were working I got to 3400 feet and got stopped short by the inversion. Also I didn't want to go XC (dogs in tow), so I left the thermal that was going over the back. Stupid. Of course didn't find another one and had to go out land. Took all my skill to land, as there was a thermal ripping off the LZ, not wanting to take me back up, but intent on collapsing my wing.

Back up it was still blowing in, but of course not as thermally, so Hugh and Stan got a go and had really nice flights in very buoyant air. Last to launch, I was the luckiest. I managed to get up and hit some lift. Magic I thought. Shared the ridge with Peter (HG) We just went back and forth and I found a pocket of stronger local lift to just park myself in. Steady, even lift to 2400 feet. I looked up and was wondering if I was in mini-wave... looked like a teeny cumulus, but sort of elongated and perpendicular to wind direction (from ENE) and this cloud pattern was repeated further downwind and upwind. After half an hour, this pattern became much more pronounced, clouds took on the characteristic wave shape. I followed the liftline into the valley, just surfing up and down the line and topping out at 2400 feet MSL. After 15 minutes or so, I decided i wanted to try a toplanding. figured I lose some altitude by practicing my wingovers. After some practice, I had only lost 50 feet and was quickly going back up to 2400 feet. A few more tries, but no go. There was no coming down near launch, which is where one end of the wave was set up. And I didn't want to go behind the ridge. So, I just hung out there practicing my wing overs until the sky to the south began to darken and I could see rain setting up there. Peter had landed a while ago, so I thought I'd join him. Went looking for sink (how often do you hear that???), finally found some and cored it down. Good timing, as the sky was pretty darn dark by the time I had packed up. Wind was dead in the LZ, I had to run it out, stepped into a groundhog hole and went down like a log. I was really lucky with the groundhog hole. It was a small one, but there are also some leg-breaking ones hiding in the hip high grass.

I had not had a chance to take a look at the forecast on Sunday for Monday. Did anybody take a look? I wonder what conditions set up that super day at Bill's yesterday!!!! Where were y'all?

-- ellis
p.s. despite being a mostly HG event (we met only two other PG pilots, Matthew and Mike), we were welcomed warmly and twice I was told by two different HG pilots that they wish more PG pilots would come to fly Hyner!

[Flying Lobster]

Did you look on the side of the road for grey poopon? : )

marc