Burnin' Calories

From: RF
Activity_Date: 4/28/02
Remote Name: 165.247.242.213

Comments

People often ask me: "Tell me, Ron," they say, "how do you get good exercise and stay in shape paragliding?" "Well, my friends, it's all in the way you plan your flight!" I followed the gaggles through the clouds and lift points yesterday, carefully avoiding traffic and enjoying the beautiful day. After about two hours, when I was in the clear at East Divide, I thought to myself, "Time for some exercise!" I took it down to Coyote Canyon and put it on the ground in a small clearing on the Forest Service Road. After quickly packing up, I started heading east, delighted by the flowers (Indian Paintbrush especially), quail and the flush of physical activity. Two miles later I stumbled on Double-D, his hang glider resting in a pasture, his mind probably stimulated by the same idea of muscular exertion as my own. After a brief chat, that annoying desire to fly - an addiction pure and simple - crept back up on me. I relaunched on a knoll and immediately climbed out in ridge lift and headed east again. After one thermal bumped me up a couple of hundred, I drifted south toward Lake Casitas looking for an available "exercise enterprise zone." I put it down on a ridge top, but the headwinds took the canopy over the back into some tall and steep brush. Now, you have to be a little creative sometimes; I took this opportunity to work on forearm strength, sawing oak for the next half hour. Once in the bag, I got to the enjoyable task at hand and wound my way down through impressive rock formations and ranchitos to a road. No sooner had I stepped onto the road than up drove Janet, Double-D's girlfriend. We turned around on Santa Ana Road, hit 150 and took the first left after Lake Casitas to go get Dave, hang gliders not being as into exercise as paragliders. We found him after his puny four and a half mile hike and headed back up to the pasture to get his gear. A beautiful evening, I saw the last two cumis disappear over Chief's at 5:30 PM, self-satisfied that it takes special effort to get the best of both worlds. But you have to plan your shortcomings well to get it.