I write this as the cloud cover has given a little relief to the heat and given a break to the epic flying conditions. A moment to catch my breath and catch up before the next phase of this incredible trip begins. I can easily say the last 2 and a half weeks I've had the best flying of my life. This has also been the most enjoyable of my 4 visits to this flying site. I'm staying at a new guesthouse just outside of the Tibetian colony, far enough away that for once barking dogs don't wake me every night but close enough that the Emaho cafe or landing field are a 5 min walk. A great location with tea gardens on one side and a Tibetian monastary on the other. As always in the spring there are fewer pilots here than in the Fall the eagles are migrating west in groups up to 50 and the vultures are friendly as ever. About 22 pilots this season and oddly enough 5 have shaved heads and gotees, I trimmed my beard to a goatee but didn't have the courage to shave my head! Most of the Pilots I actually know from previous trips here. But about the flying!- a little summary of the highlights in April the 17th I flew my biggest distance making Dharmsala and back in under 4 hrs, 20th climbed 1000 meters in a cloud for a unique experience getting to see my silloutte with rainbow around it(called a glory), 21st made a bigger distance and better time to Dharmsala (90km), 24th flying high and close to the main spine of the Dhaula Dhar range(4400 meters). 26th Bir to Manali in less than 4hrs taking the low route(5275 meters). 27th local bus back to Bir 7hrs. 28th Bir to Manali taking the High route! (5282 meters) 30th Dharmsala and back in 3hrs 30min. I have track logs and can send them if any pilots are interested, it's a .kml file that can be opened with google earth. The high route flight to Manali is the highest most technical flight I've done, it's interesting to be over 5100 meters thinking I might not be high enough to make the glide I was on! Needless to say there is no where I'd rather be than here doing what I'm doing. Kind of a funny story, the same day I went to Manali I had crossed to the back with another pilot, thinking we might make the flight together, however he decided to go west and stayed close to the main ridge as base was high. Flying 20km west of Dharamsala to the end of Dhaula Dhar ridge he turned and was returning to the East when he took a collapse at 3700 meters, upon reopening he had a cravate and started to spiral, the ground was very close so he threw his reserve and landed on a snowfield at 3600 meters! He put his reserve back in the container, scraped out a platform to stand on, set up his glider and took off after an hour and half of working. Continuing the flight back to Bir he completed his best distance of 130 km averaging 25km/hr including pit stop!! Not to be outdone a new american pilot with very little experience got caught in some unfamilar conditions and decided his best option was to fly to the valley behind takeoff and land near Bharot, local transport and hiking back to Bir was an all night ordeal arriving at 5am! My friends were happy for my great flight but it just goes to show this has not only been a memorable season for me. And now I'll try to post some pictures to my photo site then I get packed and leave to Pakistan with my Spanish friend Fernando. More updates to come but I don't know when.
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