Double-Cascades Crossing: #2 from Washington

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...l?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

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...l?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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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