Records and Number

Blah blah blah guess what I'm going to talk about again? Paragliding!

Its the 23rd of June now and I'm resting for a moment here's a brief recap of the last few days. The 19th my sister and I flew tandem to the Terich Valley after a 2.5 hr flight to 6500m we toured the town with our host Professor Karim Baig. He is very concerned about the lack of health care and is interested for us to learn and to discuss the problem and solutions. On the 20th we hiked 3 hrs to a new launch and flew for 3.5hrs on a tour of Tirich Mir. The 21st I flew tandem with Muzafar who runs a school here in Booni. He's an amazing guy who worked as teacher then decided he could do it better and opened up his own school, 8 years ago he started with his first class of 6 year olds and every year he's added a new class. He's an amazing individual and had been very keen to fly. It was his first flight and we followed the route my sister and I had taken the day before however conditions were much easier and climbs faster. Our max height was 6990 meters possibly a record for tandem flight? He loved the flight often saying, "Thanks be to God" and occassionally singing during the flight. On the 22nd I rode to launch alone with the intention to fly to Hunza expecting it to take 2 days. Conditions were epic and after an early low save I got quite high, 7750 meters high actually. I completed the flight in one long day, 9hrs and 224 km. Landing at the cemetary here in Karimabad I didn't even pack up, just walked to the hotel to see John Silvester and Eddie Colfox and share the experience with them. What an amazing to thing to cover that much ground then be able to take a hot shower and hang out with friends. John and Eddie had just gotten back from China so I got to hear first hand their trip account. The summary? China has so much beauracracy, hassle and paranoia they weren't allowed to explore off the roads and never even got their gliders out of their bags. Pakistan is still the best place to fly and I haven't begun to tap the potential routes as well it's go the supportive friendly locals.

It's been an amazing experience to travel with my sister. In the future I will always try to travel with a woman here in Pakistan because it allows a glimpse into a part of the culture that is off limits to males. Not only have we gotten to share the joy of flying together, 5 long flights all about 3 hrs and all over 6000, one to 6700m, but we've gotten to see a different side of Pakistan as Melissa has been interested in some public health issues here. She has just completed a Master's in Public Health from John Hopkins University and is on her way to do research on a new TB diagnostics technique in Cameroon. This is on top of her PhD in Physical Chemistry. I say this not only to brag but to point out that she asks more interesting questions than I do. So when we visited local Doctors and workers in Health clinics I just stood in the background, took pictures, and learned a lot. One day after a 3 hour flight we were shown around the Hospital in Booni and Melissa was invited to watch a C section being performed. Can you imagine? We've just flown around glaciers at 6400 meters (21,000 feet) and a few hours later Melissa is watching a life being brought into the world while I'm relegated to making small talk eating mulberrys and having tea with a local. What a trip!


That's it for now, I better post this and get to bed because the weather looks good for flying tommorrow and I have to get some sleep. I have to make it back to Booni to say goodbye to everyone before I leave for the US on the 30th of June.

Pictures! Pictures! I'll try to put them up soon don't worry!

One of those flights

I would like to write about a lot of things that have happened in May and June. I just haven't been able to, I can barely respond to direct emails but it's not for lack of time it's more that I enjoy spending my time in other ways, with the people I'm with now, doing the activities I'm doing or simply relaxing.

What needs to be shared is the flight I was able to experience the other day. Launching before 11am from Tirich Ann here in Booni on the 9th of June I knew the day was something special, I was just super relaxed and enjoying myself. It was my first flight finally having my O2 system hooked up and I started using it somewhere above 5000 meters. I was trying to get around Tirich Mir (7708m) using the SE ridge, a tactic I hadn't tried before and I was having to get in close to the mountain to try and soar up. Cloudbase was low, 6000 meters and lower out front with some snow early on, base was to rise over 200 meters an hour until eventually got to 7100m later in the day . I could see a stable airmass moving in from the north and had a good idea there would be no overdevelopment. I gave up on getting around Tirich Mir because it was early in the day, I needed a higher base and wasn't feeling patient. There is a route I've been looking at all winter and dreaming of trying, today was to be the day. I turned and flew NE through the high mountains of the Hindukush crossing 3 cols all over 6000 getting some amazing views of glaciers and getting the strongest climb I've ever had near Saraghar mountain. But not to get caught up in numbers and names the point is this, I passed through for a moment, I was no longer separate from my wing, I was not in a hostile enviornment, I was right where I was supposed to be. The flight didn't tire me out at all, I was so relaxed so at peace and wanting it never to end. It did end, I called my sister on my cell to let her know I was landing at the polo ground in Booni, she was able to come out and meet me and it's so damn cool to have her share this with me. It was around 7:30pm I had flown for over 8 and a half hours over one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Just one of those flights you could say!