The Wind

Paralider pilots hate the wind. When the wind blows, we attempt to measure its strength long before we get to launch. As soon as we open our eyes in the morning, we look out the window and watch the drift of the clouds. Once out of bed, we make a cup of tea, turn on the computer and stare at the web browser - checking forecasts, satellite pictures, and observations. Today we don't have to work - but the wind is blowing - when it stops, will we have the freedom to go up the hill?

The weather is like a thermal, it is constantly changing, always moving, ever fleeting, never the same as the day before. The forecast just teases us into hoping the conditions might be half as good as that one magic flight we had - how long ago now? The time spent arranging our lives so that we have the opportunity to go flying dwarfs the time we spend in the air, yet we never lose hope - and it is this passionate longing, this desire to be flying in that magic air which keeps us getting on with the rest of our lives. Our patience is constantly tested as we wait for that moment when our feet can step free of the earth - how much more ground-time can one heart handle?