| Author |
Comment |
| Kevin Frost
|
King 2003, home early, day one
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003
Got a call from Terri late last night and Sunday was freaking ape shit. Scott Huber made it way up to Anaconda,
lots of pilots made the 100 mile Salmon flight, I imagine a huge percentage of pilots made Challis and May. Damn.
Like Ernie said the meet started out less than epic. I got there the day before the meet and it was cold, snow down
to 8,000' and unflyable, found a nice hike and tried my best to wear out my black four legged alter ego.
Day one, Wednesday, was flyable but with that a north element that continued the next four days and made sitting on
launch the most difficult part of the meet, especially upper launch where pilots found themselves parked fully suited
and hooked-in for sometimes over an hour as dustdevils blew by every five or ten minutes mixing the bored frustration
with a bit of raw fear. An angst pit-stop, with a slow line.
Frank, Clare and a couple others launched the giant cheese grater over the back into Dead Man's Gash 'North' alot
through out the meet. Years ago we would forlornly watch the wind as it blew over the back, thinking 'if only someone
would cut down some of those trees and we put up a real ramp'. The trees got cut and this ramp is if anything strikingly
real, but.......
Enough north on Wednesday and the cloudbase marginally low enough that Frank suggested we could call a very south
route which was used about 7 or 8 years ago. Lisa nixed the idea and we called route three. A flatland route, two
range jumps and alot of sagebrush, if you know what I mean brah.
It was bare knuckles fight to the top of the mountian. Lots of gliders in the air when I finally cast my hook, I
got way low as each possibility failed to produce a nibble. Finally got a good bite at the low in the bowl, then it
still took me at least 5 thermals and a near flush to reach cloudbase at about 12500', where I found myself all alone
looking down at a huge gaggle column two thousand feet below me, so low to be going over the back but 'I'll see you guys
later. Later I heard of two different very near midairs.
I sunk out all the way to the Howe airport where everyone I met had about the same story. My teammate Joe Evens,
a grizzled iron man Oregon coast pilot, was on route and still going. He left a little earlier, found some lift
in the Howe valley and managed to work his way up on the Lemhi range, then found himself needing to jump low in a
gap rather than face not penetrating out if he tried to stick around to find more lift. We followed him all the
way back past Dubois where he hung with it to the last and broke his indestructible home-blacksmithed molly steel
control bar over a lava rock as he turned his glider at the last second and landed in a down wind switch, luckily
making the last landable flat spot on an ugly sloop of lava and sagebrush. Longest flight of the day at about 75 miles.
Heard more stories of very low range crossings at the Lemhi's.
KF
|
| Kevin
|
King meet, routes, day 2,3
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003
So I told Lisa she needed to do whatever it took to snag John Kangas as our weatherman. John started hitting
the Boise soaring sites last winter with his Falcon. Anyhow I call him up for the first time one day and ask
if he is planning to go flying. He proceeds to talk over my head for a half hour about the day's weather and
makes a detailed prediction. And I'm thinking, 'yeah sure', but guess what, the guy totally nailed it. And
between the Boise pilots we start trading stories about this weather guru suddenly in our midst. Anyhow Lisa
snags him and his weather report at each day's pilot's meeting are like that class in school that you looked
forward to every day, made calling routes so much easier. By the way, in his other life he is an airline pilot,
a sailplane pilot and a sailor.
Unfortunately again not alot of choice for routes on Thursday, day 2. Still north and tough to get off launch,
cloudbase a little higher so we call the flatland route. I leave at 13000' this time, clouds on the flats are a
little more sparse, catch lift halfway across Howe valley, yada yada yada, work hard the Lemhi's, yada yada yada,
run into a blue hole, yada yada yada for a 4 thermal 45 miler, whoopee. (is the sarcasm translating?) This route
just doesn't get very interesting until about the 90 mile mark, drive for a likely cloud and roll the dice.....whatever.
The above mentioned newbie pilot flys about as far as I did, later in the day with his Falcon. There were a few
good flights with one guy going about 104 miles. More stories of very low crossings without incident of the Lemhi's.
Day three, Friday. At the route committee it looks to be leaning for route 1 although the wind and cloudbase
say route three, route one is certainly finally also very doable. Clearly in the olden days of the King meet
when multiple routes were doable the committee chose the route most likely to produce some triple digit miles.
Much easier call, and I would be as happy or happier to call a route using that blueprint. Since I have been on
the route committee, the blueprint set before us includes trying to make it the most rewarding meet for the most
pilots, which I think is every bit as valid, but so much harder and squishy with subjectivity, but when I accept
the job I accept the blueprint and archetect specs drawn by the meet director and am there to make my best call
given that blueprint.
Like me before I was guilted into this job, I think most pilots are just thankful that all they have to do is fly
the meet while someone else gets the dubious honor of calling the routes and emptying the port-a-potties.
Hmmm.....that guy is actually getting paid good money to clean the shitters....
This is just a fun meet that counts for nothing other than your own personal enjoyment and perhaps the respect
you can gain from your peers here in the way you fly or in the way you conduct yourself.
So if you are here to trophy hunt, go fly each day's task to the best of your ability like everyone else and
may the best man win.
If you are here to hunt big game and you think the chances are better on a different route, blow off that day
and get your triple digit flight and come tell us about it, we will all be impressed.
If you are here just for fun and you think a called route doesn't sound fun, pick a route or time to fly that
you think is fun and just fly.
If you think any XC meet that uses any criteria other than those you desire totally blows, then simply go to
the work of putting on your own meet just exactly the way you that pleases you, heck, do it at King, it's a
very long season, lots of days to choose from and by the turnout at both the early meet and the one just
ending it looks like there is demand for meets of any flavor at King or anywhere.
I'm surprised I have to splain this stuff.
Anyhow, day three. Rock-n-Roll kids!!!! I didn't have to hang with the traffic and top out at King, I just
got reasonably high and hit the road. Met my old friend Mr Nasty and we danced. Took about 20 or 30 thermals
and hours more to do the same miles I did the day before, but I loved every minute of it, the scenery and air
just spectacular! Err except for when I chose to cross the flats rather than take Sunset to the Elbow canyon
and got to about 900' out in the middle. Anyhow caught up with teammate Joe at Borah where he was working up
from way low got over him and worked up to 14K in one of the smoothest thermals I've ever been in. Then we hit
that damn headwind, can happen on better days than this, almost landed at Willow Creek 45ish miles, unzipped and
all, worked back up to 10500' but not good enough to fight it even with a rigid, landed with Panty Villain err,
Joe Evens with his Exxtacy, Alan Paylor fellow route guy with his pigsticker, a few other guys dropped in.
The Falcon flying weatherman made it almost to Corner Mt probably 35-40 miles. Talked to several guys who had
personal bests. An amazing number of guys made it to Challis and May as my score goes to the basement level,
very impressive flying. Too damn many good pilots keep coming to this meet.
So after tearing down and loading up we drive a couple miles into the desert from where I landed and there is
teammate Kurt Zeigler with a huge hole in both surfaces of his sail, new Atos. Landed right on top of a fencepost
didn't hurt himself or even do any damage other than the big hole. I said, 'Hey Kurt, there's a big hole in your sail'.
KF
|
| Kevin
|
King meet, Saturday and leaving early
Date: Tue Jul 1, 2003 8:49 am
Saturday morning at Moore park. Little town kids, a brother and sister,
excitedly selling tins of fresh-out-of-the-oven sweet rolls for $2. How cool,
then I run into JW looking quite sporting with his 1970's shorts pulled up to
the middle of his chest, with a gleam in his eye he sez I made the Oz report.
Yeah, I can just imagine. He gives me this 'on stage' knowing glance and
snickers. JW going all the way and taking his hissey fit to the internet, good
plan.
Please Brer Fox,
Please Brer Fox,
Brer Fox,
Brer Fox,
Pleeeeaasee..........don't fling me in that briar patch.
We call route 3. Very tough getting off launch this day and lots of pilots
getting drilled or nearly so. I launch dreading the scratching to come and
wham bam I snag a great thermal right off the bat and get up and away with it.
But look at that! There is a glider on the ground half way up the knob, just
perched tail to the wind on a spine. How the heck did that happen? I still
don't know, but I found out he wasn't hurt.
Yada yada, I make it across the first valley , I turned my nose up after a
couple turns in a 100fpm thermal in the middle of the valley, big mistake, and
then nothing.....land in very dead muggy air with several other guys in the big
pivot at the base of Saddle Mt. Well at least the landing was fun, and the
scenery was kind of cool once I landed, the skies have been extremely clear all
week. The guys who timed it better racked up some good triple digit miles,
but you already know that.
Hit the BBQ that night and partake in what turns out to be a fateful
combination. BBQ sauce+salad with ranch dressing+beer=heartburn. Slept like a
baby til 2 o'clock when Terri came back from redoing all the scores that the
computer dumped earlier in the evening, I turned over and the heartburn hits
and 'the Alien' starts manically banging his head against my sternum to escape
my chest.
Ok, this has happened before, I know the drill, a sip of pepto-bismol and some
water and relax and it will just go away in an hour or so. No water so I do
extra pepto which doesn't help but turns into a brick in my stomach.
Wham wham, Wham wham, the alien keeps beating his head and tail almost busting
all the way through.....did I just feel claws? After an hour I just gotta get
a drink of water. So I climb down out of the camper tired, half demented in
agony and start trying to quietly dig around in the back of my truck, nothing,
an ice cube? none, do I wanna drink cooler water? Dog water?...probably should
have. I find a bottle of super sweet keylime pop and drink on that. Like the
pepto it seems to do no benefit and actually seems to make things worse.
Wham wham, that alien won't let up for a second, and seems almost strong enough
to bust all the way through. I go sit with the dogs a sleeping bag over my
shoulders, Wham wham, Wham wham, Wham wham the alien freaking wants out!! I
try to doze and do manage to balance the line and half doze in agony.
Wham wham, Wham wham, Fernet branca, Fernet branca, I start replaying that
whole Bill Cosby bit in my dozing agony. "Put it between two slices of bread
and I ate it". "Couldn't go up, couldn't go down....It just sat there making
gas."
Wham wham, Wham wham, must get to sleep.....Ferenet branca. The birds are
chirping, is it getting lighter? Wham wham, couldn't go up, couldn't go down.
Wham wham.
I do the pilot meeting, Wham wham, drive my teammates up the hill, Wham wham,
do the task committee, Wham wham, Wham wham and head for home. Grab a Mylanta
in Arco and the first sip brings some relief, wonderful stuff I strongly
recommend it. By 4:00 the alien is gone but I am very spent, totally bummed
that I missed out on the big day on the classic route, but a little grateful to
just freaking be rid of that damn alien. Writhing in pain just aint all it's
cracked up to be.
Wow, 80 pilots this year. Back when I was writing scary articles about the
meet for the magazine, some pilots were afraid that it would keep pilots away
from the meet, then when I stopped writing some were scared that no King
article in the winter would mean people would forget to come. Then when ushga
'forgot' to post the meet on the calendar of events we thought that would hurt
the turn out badly. I guess none of that matters at all. Looks to me like the
bottom line is the site itself and Lisa's ability to be like that guy keeping
all those plates spinning on the ends of sticks and at the same time throw a
good 5 day party.
Good flying with you gents and hope to see you all flying single surface
gliders next year so I can finally have a shot at one of those trophy's.
Any volunteers for next year's route committee please talk to Lisa.
KF
|
| Lori Allen
|
King meet, Saturday and leaving early
Date: Tue Jul 1, 2003
Sorry you got so sick the last day. That really sucks. I was
wondering where you were Sunday night (we did actually make the
awards thingy -- got there at 11PM).
Sorry you had to deal with the bullshit that goes along with
volunteering for a difficult position at best. You and Frank and
Alan did awesome that week and, as always, it was great to see you.
One thing about that one Route 1 call is I got to see some beautiful
country I never would have seen. Scot got caught at Pass Creek in
valley two making a risky decision and he never complained about the
call at all and in fact we thought the scenery was so spectacularly
beautiful that it was all worth it. In fact, nobody I know
complained about the call for Route 1 that one day. They were
relieved to have a break from Route 3, even if it was challenging.
Lori
|
|
