Results here.

With the meet forecasting climbs to 20,000' we headed off for the Sugar Mountain launch across the Oregon California border. It's a high launch at 7,200'. The valley floor is about 4,800'.

The winds were supposed to be light, about 10 knots and the launch looked very launchable. The task committee called an out to the north and partial return to Hunter's Hot Springs Resort LZ, the hang gliding headquarters. The first leg was 63 km due north along highway 395 to a turnpoint (Lodge) one valley to the north. Then a 35 km northwest leg to Ennis. The last leg was into the wind 47 km back to Hunter.

There were a few cu's about and a bit of over development over the Cascades to the west, but mostly it was blue along the course line. Jeff O'Brien, Bill Soderquist and I got off early and I found smooth 1000 fpm to 14,000'. I had dressed warmly with Flytec gloves, long pants and an additional thick undershirt. I was toasty.

Jeff and I got the highest circling in the lighter lift up high while Bill and a number of other pilots seemed to have drifted down wind and stayed low. As the first start gate approached Jeff and I found ourselves alone and high. We decided to go for it and get the leading bonus points, GAP 2002). There was a nice cloud just across the low lands north of Sugar and up on the range. We headed for it while Bill and other pilots were a few thousand feet below us and taking the first start time.

We climbed to 15,500' before it piddled out and there was only blue sky in front of us down the range. There were some cu's to our east, but a long way off the course line. We raced down the range far into it hoping to stay away from the influence of the lake. We were in good communication and working the lift as we found it.

By Black Cap Jeff went in a little deeper after I worked lift behind him that he had missed. I went over Black Cap and not finding anything skirted along the west facing faces of the range over the valley floor getting lower and lower, while Jeff found a little something over the Warren Ski Area.

I had to start working zero sink in order just to survive. For the next half hour my climb rate averaged 44 fpm. I was just drifting down the course line at 1000' AGL and hanging onto anything that I could find.

Jeff was racing ahead making the turnpoint at Lodge and leading the competition by a long ways. When he made the Lodge turnpoint he got into a good area for strong lift and really started moving.

As I struggled along not getting very high I could see that a cu-nimb had blown up south and west of Sugar and that a shadow was spreading quickly toward us. It had already covered Lakeview and Hunter's and I was still on the first leg.

I got high enough on a small ridge (8,400') to make it over to the turnpoint, but when I charged ahead toward the next ridge along the second leg, I didn't find any lift and had to come back to the turnpoint to get high enough to continue. By now the shadow was at the turnpoint and along the course line to the northwest to Ennis. Jeff had made the turnpoint, gotten to over 16,000' and was heading back. He had been in 1,700 fpm on the averager and the clouds there were scaring him. There was a line of virga just to the west (and it wasn't clear to me coming from the east that it wasn't right at the turnpoint).

Jeff had told me that he had found strong lift on this leg, but now with the shadow the lift was reduced. He was on the headwind leg and going slowly from up high as I worked my way toward Ennis. I saw a few gliders on the ground. There was lots of virga around, not just in front of me. The sky was completely black to the west, east and south. I was on the edge of the higher clouds that had been blown out from the cu-nimb and headed for the darkest area. Still, no lightning.

I found strong lift going to the turnpoint, twice, but pulled out when I got over 13,000' as I didn't want to get sucked into the cloud. I wanted to have a few thousand feet between me and cloud base. Jeff had already scared himself.

Just behind me Zippy, who started at the third start clock, half an hour later, and Bill (who started on the first one) were flying together (on and off) and about to catch up with me as I circled in the strong lift before and after the Ennis turnpoint. They were getting to almost 17,000', while I baled earlier. In fact while I got the first turnpoint at less than 8,000' they came in over 17,000' to it.

There is a nice ridge line straight from the Ennis turnpoint back to Hunters. I put the glider over the ridge line and headed home into the headwind and into the dark. There looked to be rain ahead. I looked up and saw Bill and Zippy just over my head, by a few thousand feet. For 8 km I glided along in light sink with an L/D of over 100. Maybe I would make it to goal after all.

But it was not to be. I had started too low and couldn't continue on the ridge line as the landing areas began to disappear and there was nothing but trees ahead. I turned around and landed in a grassy field. Meanwhile Jeff was still on glide for goal starting off at 12:1 at the Ennis turnpoint. He was way out in front.

But the headwind was too much and he landed 4 km short. Zippy and Bill continued to glide in never turning and they just made it in. There was no lift to turn in as it got darker and darker over the whole area. No rain though.

Lots of excitement scanning the skies today and for me making a long low save and sticking with it. The sky looked worse than it turned out to be and I probably was a bit too conservative given the outcome. I just didn't know that at the time. I made sure that I didn't get into any clouds and I also didn't want to get too high, although 15,500' felt fine.

When we got back to headquarters all was in order for quick downloads and $3 hamburgers on the grill by the pool. Very nice for Belinda and I. Almost all the pilots are camping here at Hunters, so it has a great feel.

So far a great day of flying with wonderful air. We'll see what the week ahead brings for us.