Looking back, it's probably been at least 4 or 5 years since I've done a hike and fly off Elk Mountain. It's something I would plan on doing each year but I'd always let other things get in the way. It's kind of ridiculous since the trail head is only a 10 minute drive from my house.
So when Kevin texted me to meet him at the landing field, I immediately went through my paragliding kit and got rid of anything extra I didn't want to hike up the mountain with me, filled up my water bottle and ran out the door.
The hike up is a little shorter than in years past thanks to a new logging road, but it still took an hour and a half for this non-hiker. Kevin usually does it in about an hour so I have a goal to work towards! The hike is beautiful but steep, with sections of nice, rolling paths and then steep switchbacks. I was sure grateful to Kevin for lending me his spare hiking harness & reserve, plus bringing along some extra hiking poles.
 |
| Last of the steep section before a nice stroll along the ridge to the launch meadow. |
There was barely any wind, so we set up side by side to power off with forward launches into the glassy smooth air.
 |
| Ready to launch |
 |
| My favourite thing ever - running off a mountain! |
Twenty-five minutes later we were back at my beloved Toyota FJ. I drove Kevin back to the trailhead to get his truck and was back home in 15 minutes. With rain in the forecast every day for the rest of the month I'm stoked that we got to sneak this flight in!
 |
| My view of Kevin coming in to land. |
 |
| Kevin's POV of someone a little bit excited about this hike and fly. |
No comments:
Post a Comment