Hanglider Hike

My brother and his wife are celebrating their twentieth Anniversary with a fun vacation in New York.  That means that their lovely children are in the good care of my parents.  Which also means that there was a cousins gathering planned by the kiddos. What their day entailed will be saved for another post. 

While the kids were being well taken care of, my husband and I, with our dog Cora, hiked a ridge that we always pass on the route to good shopping and my brother's house. The ridge is famous around here because hangliders jump from the top and go sailing over the houses and cars and woods below. We've always wanted to go to the top to observe and yesterday was our chance. 

We leashed up the dog and we set out to the trail head. I am thankful that we did not research this mountain until after our return. I think if I had known ahead of time what I know now, I'm not certain that I would have accomplished the hike. Not for fear, but for questioning how exhaustive that would leave us and I'd put it off for another day. 


The hike is four miles round trip with an average grade of 18% ... that yes, you feel the entire time as you wind and switch back to the top on sometimes skinny trails that clearly fall to the right or left.  At one point you can get a peek-a-boo view of the cars traveling below and it almost made me a little dizzy.  It was so far down and we had not been hiking for very long.  Looking up and seeing nothing but tree trunks, I knew that we had ways to go.


The dog and the two of us did amazingly well.  I credit it to my use of the treadmill at a 10% grade; one of the perks for my years of working out in what I was considering a boring routine. I finally got my pay out.  On the way down as I was more in the cautious mode (it seemed to be more rough going down and I did stumble once) I shared my thoughts that I enjoyed walking up much better.  Which is usually the opposite.


We had a steady and good sweat by the time we reached the top and I actually liked that.  The dog was panting but had water breaks to get her to keep going.  It was a perfect 75 degree day. The scenery was a dense green forest with streaks of yellow from the sun. Gorgeous.


While there is a bus that can take the hangliders up, there were a hand full that we passed that opted to carry their pack up the mountain.  They had the real workout!

 It was very relaxing at the top and every one seemed to think that you had to talk at a low whisper as it was very quiet.  You could hear the gliders swoosh off the mountain and hear the pilot check clear for take-off in their built in walkie talkies.  Their chutes were very colorful against the backdrop of the sky and land below. Cora was fantastic ~ just a bundle of curiosity with her ears perked and sweet eyes taking it all in quietly. I am so very proud of her for climbing that mountain. She was awesome!

 A mother who had reached the top with her family after us made two comments: "Oh, I want a turn! I would love to do that!" to which I thought I had absolutely no interest but could appreciate the beauty and their wanting to do it.  And two, "You guys passed us and I told my girl that if the cute little beagle could hike up this thing, that she could. But then she pointed out that the cute beagle had four legs and she only had two."  Ha!

 A gorgeous day to celebrate our climb. I would do it all over again.