Double-Cascades Crossing: #2 from Washington

[TravisBrown73[_2_]]

We, up at Evergreen Soaring out of Seattle, WA., have a pilot that recently did something that is quite phenomenal. He crossed the Cascade Range, from the flats on the west side, to his crossing of the Columbia River on the East side....and came back home, all on the same flight. A true "double crossing" for us up here.
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=3632225

It's only been done once before, by Fred Hermanspan, circa 1985, prior to this (that we can think of.) Fred took off from Issaquah and went to Wenatchee and back in his Ka-6. Further to the south and in the I-90 corridor, the nature of that flight must have been somewhat different, though still epic!

At any rate, Ron has conjured up a truly exceptional flight, that I thought could be shared with some like-minded types. Though a higher-than-usual cloudbase day, it was his winter's planning and the realization of that goal that made it special for him.

There just aren't that many spots back there to land. I haven't gotten nearly back that far, but when I do squeak my way back a bit, I am just left in awe by the mountains and ridges and rocks and trees and lakes.

So kudos to Ron Clark and his LS3.
I pitty the fella that actually wants to win a local cross country challenge if Ron Clark is in the Grid.

Look at all of those pointy rocks!

~Travis
7U

[Mike the Strike]

On Thursday, May 15, 2014 6:57:33 AM UTC-7, TravisBrown73 wrote:
> We, up at Evergreen Soaring out of Seattle, WA., have a pilot that recently did something that is quite phenomenal. He crossed the Cascade Range, from the flats on the west side, to his crossing of the Columbia River on the East side....and came back home, all on the same flight. A true "double crossing" for us up here.
>
> http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=3632225
>
>
>
> It's only been done once before, by Fred Hermanspan, circa 1985, prior to this (that we can think of.) Fred took off from Issaquah and went to Wenatchee and back in his Ka-6. Further to the south and in the I-90 corridor, the nature of that flight must have been somewhat different, though still epic!
>
>
>
> At any rate, Ron has conjured up a truly exceptional flight, that I thought could be shared with some like-minded types. Though a higher-than-usual cloudbase day, it was his winter's planning and the realization of that goal that made it special for him.
>
>
>
> There just aren't that many spots back there to land. I haven't gotten nearly back that far, but when I do squeak my way back a bit, I am just left in awe by the mountains and ridges and rocks and trees and lakes.
>
>
>
> So kudos to Ron Clark and his LS3.
>
> I pitty the fella that actually wants to win a local cross country challenge if Ron Clark is in the Grid.
>
>
>
> Look at all of those pointy rocks!
>
>
>
> ~Travis
>
> 7U

Looks like he was quite close to terrain in some very interesting places!

Mike

[[email protected]]

So I clicked on the link and it looks impressive on the OLC trace - 7U mentioned rocks...... so I then I downloaded the IGC file and watched it on "IGC Flight Replay" that uses Google Earth (I was introduced to this over the Looooong winter)

WOW!!!!!!

Double Wow

WH

[John Carlyle]

I'd call that a double through-ing, not a crossing! Very impressive in IGC Flight Replay. However, I think Mr. Clark has huge, clanging brass ones.

-John, Q3

[Richard[_9_]]

On Thursday, May 15, 2014 2:06:41 PM UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
> I'd call that a double through-ing, not a crossing! Very impressive in IGC Flight Replay. However, I think Mr. Clark has huge, clanging brass ones.
>
>
>
> -John, Q3

Look like a great safe OLC flight. It appears that he was never more than final glider to an airport.

Richard

[TravisBrown73[_2_]]

Yah; It's not something that we talk about at the January 1st club breakfast, but the clanking sounds like something between the sound of a cowbell and one of those little triangles that would muster cowboys for dinner in the old west. In other words, when breakfast is ready, we hand Ron a hula-hoop and after a minute of his starting the hoola-ing, all the glider pilots start migrating towards the clubhouse for some reason....

It is really a fantastic flight.
There are a few members up here that really push out into the Cascades, often sharing pictures from the middle of that range that are just amazing. We are a lucky group to have that kind of scenery up here...but it is earned. Tolls for entry have been paid by all of those guys. Ron has 35 years of soaring under his belt. Fred probably has 45. Brad probably has 25 or 30.

Anyway, I keep throwing change at the toll-collector and he lets me take a peek every now and then. That, along with the pictures these guys share back, and the traces and stories they share, really keep the club's enthusiasm up for the North Cascades Mountains flying in this part of the country.
~Travis
7U





On Thursday, May 15, 2014 2:06:41 PM UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
> I'd call that a double through-ing, not a crossing! Very impressive in IGC Flight Replay. However, I think Mr. Clark has huge, clanging brass ones.
>
>
>
> -John, Q3

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, May 15, 2014 4:57:21 PM UTC-7, Richard wrote:
> On Thursday, May 15, 2014 2:06:41 PM UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
>
> > I'd call that a double through-ing, not a crossing! Very impressive in IGC Flight Replay. However, I think Mr. Clark has huge, clanging brass ones.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > -John, Q3
>
>
>
> Look like a great safe OLC flight. It appears that he was never more than final glider to an airport.
>
>
>
> Richard

Richard, Isn't that the name of our game?
Heinz

[Richard[_9_]]

On Friday, May 16, 2014 10:06:03 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> On Thursday, May 15, 2014 4:57:21 PM UTC-7, Richard wrote:
>
> > On Thursday, May 15, 2014 2:06:41 PM UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
>
> >
>
> > > I'd call that a double through-ing, not a crossing! Very impressive in IGC Flight Replay. However, I think Mr. Clark has huge, clanging brass ones.
>
> >
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > > -John, Q3
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Look like a great safe OLC flight. It appears that he was never more than final glider to an airport.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Richard
>
>
>
> Richard, Isn't that the name of our game?
>
> Heinz

That is the name of the game. I just am amazed by the comments that he has big brass ones with the implication that this was a dangerous flight. It was in my opinion a safe, very well planned and great OLC flight.

Richard

[TravisBrown73[_2_]]

Not an overly dangerous flight.
The high cloudbase of the day, in Ron's words, "Solved a lot of problems."

I just assumed that Q3 knew Ron when he made that comment.
I have heard the clanking for years. It sometimes comes over the radio-calls.
~Travis

[Ramy[_2_]]

On Thursday, May 15, 2014 9:53:36 PM UTC-7, gotovkotzepkoi wrote:
> 'TravisBrown73[_2_ Wrote:
>
> > ;883604']We, up at Evergreen Soaring out of Seattle, WA., have a pilot
>
> > that recently did something that is quite phenomenal. He crossed the
>
> > Cascade Range, from the flats on the west side, to his crossing of the
>
> > Columbia River on the East side....and came back home, all on the same
>
> > flight. A true "double crossing" for us up here.
>
> > http://tinyurl.com/khz4vqe
>
> >
>
> > It's only been done once before, by Fred Hermanspan, circa 1985, prior
>
> > to this (that we can think of.) Fred took off from Issaquah and went to
>
> > Wenatchee and back in his Ka-6. Further to the south and in the I-90
>
> > corridor, the nature of that flight must have been somewhat different,
>
> > though still epic!
>
> >
>
> > At any rate, Ron has conjured up a truly exceptional flight, that I
>
> > thought could be shared with some like-minded types. Though a
>
> > higher-than-usual cloudbase day, it was his winter's planning and the
>
> > realization of that goal that made it special for him.
>
> >
>
> > There just aren't that many spots back there to land. I haven't gotten
>
> > nearly back that far, but when I do squeak my way back a bit, I am just
>
> > left in awe by the mountains and ridges and rocks and trees and lakes.
>
> >
>
> > So kudos to Ron Clark and his LS3.
>
> > I pitty the fella that actually wants to win a local cross country
>
> > challenge if Ron Clark is in the Grid.
>
> >
>
> > Look at all of those pointy rocks!
>
> >
>
> > ~Travis
>
> > 7U
>
>
>
> Fantastic! It would be great to see a story on this flight with some
>
> photos. Knowing the Cascades from my climbing days I recall just how
>
> rugged, forested and stunningly beautiful the N. Cascades are. They are
>
> by far the most impressive mountains in the lower 48. I can imagine that
>
> the landing opportunities are very limited.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> gotovkotzepkoi

Kudos to Ron! Very impressive.
We are trying to do something similar from California - crossing the sierras from west to east. While east to west was done many times and relatively easy from 18K over the easter Sierra, west to east was only done once as far as we know, by Brian Choate some 12 years ago. We are trying almost every year since. We succeeded crossing "around the horn" via the southern and northern ends, but not smack in the middle of the Sierras over Yosemite as Brian did. Maybe one day...

Ramy

[[email protected]]

Thanks everybody for the interest and nice comments about my recent flight across the Cascades. I viewed the flight today on the IGC re-player myself just to see what it looks like, and yes, that viewer makes things appear crazier than real life. It should come with a warning. Certainly there were a few times I had to bare down and work hard, but in general, it was a pretty easy flight due to the higher than normal cloudbases. I have done a fair amount of flying on both sides of the route and have become pretty familiar with the terrain and drainages. It was not really as courageous as it looked, due to the higher than normal altitudes. I always felt I had a safe glide to a good place to land. No brass body parts required.

RC
77

[Paul Cordell]

Congrats to Ron Clark on his Great flight.

I too have made a Double Cascades Crossing. Flying my Std Libelle Old Dog from Issaquah Gliderport on June 4th 1978. It was an exceptional soaring day with a Monster Cloudstreet starting at Mt Si and running to Crescent Bar Washington. I flew off the end of the cloud street at 13K ft and on to Ephrata before turning back. The Street was still there and working well to the Snoqualime Pass area. From there it was an easy glide back to the Seattle Area making my final turn over Mercer Island before landing back At Issaquah. All in all a very easy day as I was High all day.

This was my 2nd (and 3rd) Cascade crossing as I had made a flight from Ephrata to Monroe previously

Paul Cordell
Scottsdale AZ

[TravisBrown73[_2_]]

Nice, Paul!
Thanks for adding those bits of history to our knowledge-base up here.
It sounds like you had some great adventures with OD. Dave Reusch still gets her out all the time, on both sides of the mountains.
~Travis


On Sunday, May 18, 2014 10:45:00 AM UTC-7, Paul Cordell wrote:
> Congrats to Ron Clark on his Great flight.
>
>
>
> I too have made a Double Cascades Crossing. Flying my Std Libelle Old Dog from Issaquah Gliderport on June 4th 1978. It was an exceptional soaring day with a Monster Cloudstreet starting at Mt Si and running to Crescent Bar Washington. I flew off the end of the cloud street at 13K ft and on to Ephrata before turning back. The Street was still there and working well to the Snoqualime Pass area. From there it was an easy glide back to the Seattle Area making my final turn over Mercer Island before landing back At Issaquah. All in all a very easy day as I was High all day.
>
>
>
> This was my 2nd (and 3rd) Cascade crossing as I had made a flight from Ephrata to Monroe previously
>
>
>
> Paul Cordell
>
> Scottsdale AZ

[[email protected]]

Yo Old Dog Call me 541 601 0960 I am recently retired and just bought a cream puff 201 Libelle to race in Ephrata.
Dale Bush

[Brad[_2_]]

On Sunday, May 18, 2014 1:07:12 PM UTC-7, TravisBrown73 wrote:
> Nice, Paul!
>
> Thanks for adding those bits of history to our knowledge-base up here.
>
> It sounds like you had some great adventures with OD. Dave Reusch still gets her out all the time, on both sides of the mountains.
>
> ~Travis
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sunday, May 18, 2014 10:45:00 AM UTC-7, Paul Cordell wrote:
>
> > Congrats to Ron Clark on his Great flight.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > I too have made a Double Cascades Crossing. Flying my Std Libelle Old Dog from Issaquah Gliderport on June 4th 1978. It was an exceptional soaring day with a Monster Cloudstreet starting at Mt Si and running to Crescent Bar Washington. I flew off the end of the cloud street at 13K ft and on to Ephrata before turning back. The Street was still there and working well to the Snoqualime Pass area. From there it was an easy glide back to the Seattle Area making my final turn over Mercer Island before landing back At Issaquah. All in all a very easy day as I was High all day.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > This was my 2nd (and 3rd) Cascade crossing as I had made a flight from Ephrata to Monroe previously
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Paul Cordell
>
> >
>
> > Scottsdale AZ

Here's some more west-side history:

I did a double crossing in my ASK-14 with no restarts after shutting down near Sultan, crossed the columbia after seeing if any of my hang gliding friends were on top of Chelan Butte, made a turn-point at Mansfield and then headed towards Leavenworth. Scratched for a long time on the ridge just North-West of town before getting high enough to start hopping peaks towards home. It was a long trek against a headwind but finally had final glide back to Harvey Field. Never felt it was a worthy task since I did it in a motorglider.

Brad