Wir flogen mit Wolken

Last night Heike has an idea - she says we should get up at 6:00 am and go flying. I heard her say it, but my brain said "she doesn't really mean 6:00 am, because launch is only 20 minutes away, and that's way to early to go flying." And so I said yes. So when the alarm went off, and I was shuffled into the car in a dream-like state, I wasn't sure what was really going on. But 20 minutes later we were on launch. A few minutes after that I was airborne.

There were a lot of clouds, and they were building pretty fast, which was a little spooky so early in the morning, so I woke myself up with a couple really sloppy wingovers and tried to get some idea of what this day could deliver and what I should try to do with it.

The lift was pretty much everywhere, and I was trying to figure out how much was ridge and how much was thermic, but it wasn't even 8am yet, could I get to base??

I pushed out front toward a cloud that seemed to be growing over the middle of the valley but I didn't have enough height to get back to the ridge if I didn't connect with the lift that might be under it, so I turned around and tanked up at the ridge. Just watching these Cu's start as a little puff across the valley and turn into medium sized darkies was fun in itself. I picked a nice one and headed out under it to try again.

The vario started to chirp and I kept flying straight. The chirping increased, why turn? When I was climbing at 4 m/s, I started a fat turn. These clouds were all thermic, and I turned a few more circles and the bottom was right above me. I straightened out to push to the front edge of the cloud and I am going up at 5 m/sec. Bar on, ears in, and whispies formed around me as I pushed through the leading edge and then pop out into the blue. This place is a trip - it's just after 8am.

I explore the ridge to the north and keep watching the clouds, pick a nice one out in front, and get to base one more time. I haven't eaten breakfast and the PB&J stuffed deep in the back of my harness wants me to eat it, plus I have to pee, so I top land, relieve myself and eat breakfast.

Heike launches with me for a second flight and this one last for just over an hour, base has lifted to just over 1000 meters, which is not quite high enough for a reliable XC. I'm hungry, is it lunch time yet? I land at 10:30 am at the cricket pitch just south of launch.

Wouldn't it be great to start every day like this?