Ron Faoro (The Spin Doctor)

Nuthouse
Sunday, 10/8/06

It has been some time since I posted any flights (over three months) - despite having seven hours in the air Labor Day weekend at Pine Mountain (maybe the last time there for awhile) - so it's time to catch up a bit.  Bob Hurlbett and I had a nice opening day at Skyport last Wednesday when we skipped out of work at lunchtime and flew to East Beach.  Yesterday (Saturday) was very uninspiring at Skyport unless you were Paul in double-overhead chaparral fighting to get two big pieces of sailcloth out of the overhanging limbs.  When today looked much the same or worse for the front range in Santa Barbara, Tom Pipkin and I headed for the Nuthouse hike up.  We decided to not start up the trail until 11:30 to get the better part of the soaring conditions.  Well, it was already 75 degrees in Ojai, but we paused for awhile at the trailhead on the 33 because the wind was blowing down the canyon.  The clouds at altitude were showing some serious north wind.  There was a lot of cumulus development over the ridgeline, over the backcountry and even out front in the valley.  Cloudbase seemed to be 7-8,000 feet.  So we weren't going to let a little OTB rotor worry us.

Now, the hike up always sounds like great fun and exercise - until you start hiking it.  Very humblimg experience every time.  I dragged myself up the hill cursing the flies and the dust and the prickly, sticky brush.  For Tom's enjoyment, I reminded him every ten steps or so how far we still had to go.  When we got to the top, we took up pick and saw to do the annual pruning.  It was mindless work, since we were both brain dead after the hike.  Tom was worried about the launch, but got yanked straight up once he lifted his wing off the ground.  I launched at 1:20 PM and took the escalator - going up the ridge without having to make more than a dozen turns.

We got to the top of the ridge and did some rodeo work to traverse the back spine over to Ridge One.  The lift was strong and trying to pull us over the back.  We hit 4,000 feet and my thoughts were all about cloudbase and a flight to Fillmore or Piru and a glimpse of what the Day Fire did to the back side of the Topa Bluffs.  I broke off for the Pyramid.  When I arrived, the air had that menacing feel of unpredictability to it.  I gave the top of the peak wide berth and the air just kept getting worse.  I was afraid to turn in either direction.  Next thing I knew, I was whipped right by the Pyramid and out into the canyon toward Nordhoff Ridge.  I passed the Pyramid at 3,600 feet and got to Nordhoff at 3,200 feet.  I dolphined across the front of the ridge to the far east end.  There I got my nerve up and turned in tight to the hill.  The wind seemed to be coming from every direction and the wing was losing pressure and then suddenly popping me up and sideways.  I got on the radio to warn Tom of what was happening here since I could see him high above the ridgeline approaching the Pyramid.  That's all it took; within a minute I could see him heading out from the mountains.  Apparently, he was feeling the same thing.  I started back toward Nordhoff Peak, the draw was strong in that direction.  But in heading back out toward the valley, groundspeed would drop to 3-6 mph and I didn't want to get pinned in back.  My fortitude was fading, but I didn't want to give up on the cumis and the promising day.  So I turned toward Bruce's Point.  The old reliable route wasn't working well; I was sinking at 700 feet a minute despite being above the top of the ridge.  The drift was strong east and I made a quick guess of where I would come out on Stooges if I pushed on.  I didn't like the feel of things and headed out to San Antonio School to land - making it only with some valley lift to help me along.

As I sat on the ground at the school, it was painful to see all the beautiful clouds overhead.  My only assessment of the situation is that the strong SW valley flow was being sheared by the strong NE flow in the boundary layer of clouds overhead.  Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and take the low road.

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