Samstag, 16. Mai 2015

26. Jan. 2015 - EDL > MUC

A paragliding adventure comes to its end with my flight home from Eldoret via Nairobi via Istanbul via Munich to Salzburg. It has turned my picture of Africa upside down. I met so many friendly, nice, caring and helpful people, just unbelievable. Besides the people the mountainous regions above 3000m in the northern part of my tracks impressed me a lot. 
And if you fly in Kerio valley some weeks every day during noon time, you are probably collapse-resistant for a lifetime, I guess.

 

 



25. Jan. 2015 - Kerio View

It is the last day for me in this paraglider´s paradise. Usually I do not fly on my last day, but take it easy and just pack. But the departure of the plane is in the evening and in the morning the perfect dynamic breeze hits the cliff and I cannot resist to make a short soar flight, start at the hotel´s take off and fly on to the south. Smooth air in full speed, just as it is told so often … At the Tambach bend the wind with it´s southern component - also usually for that time in the morning - makes it hard, but maybe not undoable, to pass, but I do not try as I do not want to risk to have to land somewhere below the cliff´s edge. So I turn around and fly back to the hotel, have a last breakfast and pack for departure.

 

 





24. Jan. 2015 - Kerio View

Yesterdays mistakes are still on my mind and I feel a little tired. This leads to not using all possibilities in the north, but after being back to Muffon Mountain at km23S and feeling the northerly winds, I dare to fly on to the south, which I should do, but hesitate do actually do it. It would bring me some additional kms and points in the Xcontest, but also the risk of not winning the fight back against the northerly winds and in case of failing another piki-piki-ride from the valley floor. I enjoy the flying over Muffon Mountain, Tambach falls and Kerio View and Iten in altitudes of 3500m to 3900m a.s.l. and land nicely on take off. As soon as I am back on the ground I regret, not having pushed a bit more … Will come another january …. the first one in 2016 !

 

 

 

 

 





23. Jan. 2015 - Kerio View

As yesterday was not a day with big flights and the day before was the one with my best flight and I am only here for two more flying days and everybody is hurrying to get on his way, I start and follow the pack. I see, that they cannot hold the edge of the ridge but trust in my M6, following them and sit on the ground just some minutes later, just like they are. But thats not all. Two lines are broken, the glider has got some small holes, the harness is teared apart some inches, my dawn jacket is loosing its downs on the right arm because I could not avoid landing in thorn bushes, that grow here just to many and it is traffic on the road, so I cannot use it for landing. I pack fast and return to the hotel room. There I fix the lines of the glider, put some gluing fabric on its holes, change my jacket and find out, that my damaged harness still can be used and start once more : two hours late … I fly to the north - today the north looks nicer then ever. Why did I start to south first ? Because everybody flew to the south, I guess … I fly back to the south, but do not even reach km35S, because it´s too late and the upper part of the ridge is completely in the shadow in the meanwhile. Again I land in the valley next to the school, where I had landed twice before, also because of this one ridge corner up there and because of my over enthusiasm in the morning …