A Solemn Second Task

I thought I had my GPS finally figured out, with some help from Riss: he jammed through it really fast and then showed me how to manually go to the next point. All right, I got this! Well, I got up again, super high, with Jorge as my wing man. I looked down at the GPS, and it was pointing to go to the third way point even though the start gate was not open yet. Shit! I can do this manually. NOT. Couldn't get it to work again. I am guessing the crack I gave it at Manics, many moons ago, must have rattled the inside, and when you reach elevation it goes quirky. I said the hell with it, and just tried to get high again.

It was tough going, but I decided to head low towards Frazer to bench up. Struggling in rocking wave-like thermals, I was going up, and got quite high, but not enough to peak out over Frazer.

A level 2 weather warning was called by a pilot over the regular LZ, as they described higher winds and an occasional dust devil. The predicted weather issues that we were all warned about at the start were taking form. The Whistler Express was starting, and I could see dark clouds coming into the valley, with one forming overhead. I headed out over the valley and made a buoyant descent to Bruce LZ, a familiar place. I landed amongst several other pilots who were calling it gnarly and also seeing the gray skies creeping towards us. Dave landed at Bruce as well after tagging a few way points.

Kaaawa Larry has become our private limo driver, showing up out of nowhere just as we land. Just for you, Joey! Still no root beer, but Reaper did have a few Canadian cans of good stuff in his cooler that I was willing to relieve him of.

We packed up and headed for the goal LZ to watch the Big Dogs come in. The storm was approaching at a faster rate than had been predicted. Larry and I watched a pilot soar over us towards the storm to tag the last waypoint before turning back to the goal LZ. Reaper stated that there were a few pilots still not accounted for. Larry and I moved down the LZ for a better view of the valley and we had three in our sights. They were having a hell of a time trying to get to the LZ.

Streaks of lightning lit up the valley, and a few drops of rain hit the LZ. The Task had been called. Two pilots made it to the LZ, and just about kissed the ground they landed on. The pilot that had headed back to Owl to tag the last turn point was getting higher and more out of control. We watched him start to get lower as he pushed out into the valley. He got lower and then started to disappear from our sight as the Whistler Express gusts came screaming through at 30 mph or more.

Pete had already mobilized knowing the pilot was in trouble. The rest of us followed down the one road out. What a change in the weather, though it had been predicted and was well visible from the sky, with pouring rain and gusts that you could lean into. This was not going to go well for the pilot. I thought I spied him in a field, so I jumped out of the car and ran to find a strawberry cover that was whipping in the wind.

We headed back to headquarters and got a report that a pilot had landed in the river. We have been looking at this river from above and driving alongside it all week. No way was anyone going to survive a plunge into this swift flowing glacier fed river. Time went by, and the information started to filter in. An eyewitness saw him plunge into the river after his glider appeared to do a straight down plummet. His wing wrapped him up and he was gone from their sight.

The race was suspended Wednesday as they searched for the pilot. Any last hopes were dashed when they found his lifeless body. Pete was present as they pulled him out from under a log jam but then he slipped away downstream, and the SARS boat crew retrieved him. Pete took it hard.

Quite a few of us decided to get a flight in, with the next day’s weather not looking so good. It was a scratcher, and flying over the fated river was eerie. We all landed in the regular LZ, and it was quite a sight to see so many examples of Alex’s new ride coming in. That purple color is really the best, but just to let you know, the nickname for it here is Fruit Loop, so be prepared for some cereal comments, Mr. President!

With two tasks done, Jorge is ranked 30th, and Dave is 36th overall. Of course Dave is in serial class with his Mantra 4, and Jorge is in sport class with his Aspen 4. I scored the start cylinder and that was it - I had a score but now it's gone.

So this story is being filed in a solemn mood. There was no excuse for this loss, though we've all seen how sometimes goal seems to take precedent over judgement. As everyone here has said, a few points, a glass vase, or a big pat on the back are not worth your life. Everyone, please fly safe, have fun and live to fly tomorrow.

Our regards and condolences go out to the pilot's family. May his final flight be peaceful. Aloha.