Training Log Archive: CleverSky

A very unusual hike. A miscalculation put me on the ground down by Marconi Station, a mile south of where my car was at White Crest Beach. The obvious thing would have been to carry the glider to Lecount Hollow and get it up the bluff there, and walk back to get the car. But the wind was blowing very cross, so that I could easily get the glider flying so that it was supporting its own weight (and some of mine) when walking north along the beach. So I just took this stroll back on the sand, steering the wing and being light on my feet, although I was still dragging a 170 sq ft wing into something like 15 mph of wind.

Tapering.

Nah.

Uh uh.

Nope.

I took the day off from work, with the original plan being to go hang gliding if the forecast was favorable. It wasn't. But that was okay, because I had something else to do outdoors: dig out my septic tank so I can get it pumped. I had a notion as to where it was, but when I looked at the diagram and did the math, it was clear that I was very wrong. I didn't have long enough tape measures to actually measure from the corners of the house, and I didn't have rope handy to create makeshift tape measures, so I tried to do the trig and figure out where it ought to be, but it was getting too complicated. So I drew a diagram in 0CAD and figured out where to look, 49 feet from a certain point along the side of the house. Measured out with two tape measures end-to-end and... boom, a shallow depression with a flat rock in it. I was anticipating having to go down four feet or so, and I was quite pleased to hit concrete at about 18 inches. Not bad. It's all covered up with plywood and a tarp now, waiting for me to be able to schedule an appointment with the septic guys.

C • In our case, we just need t... 2

Tromping out to a control in the southern part of the Baldwin Hill map with a backpack containing three gallons of water (that's why I had the giant pack, Phil). Probably the biggest shortcoming of my course design (which I think I spent all of 10-15 minutes on) was that I completely spaced out on the fact that I needed a water stop for the longer courses, and I didn't leave myself a convenient place to do that. So it goes. (And back, without the water, of course.)

C • pack 2

A quick trip around the school area to put out the last half-dozen controls (on stands).

Thanks to Ian Smith, Peter Gagarin, Phil Bricker, and Dan O'Leary, I didn't have to pick up any controls -- awesome! All packed up and on my way home from the meet site by about 3:30.