Lasterday, up on Squaw Peak, we had just such serendipity! We arrived just minutes after a whole truck load of paragliders. I've seen paragliders often at Point of the Mountain and occasionally from 9th East in Provo... but I've never been up-close-and-personal!
I'm not sure what I expected but I was surprised with the process of launching (they told me they don't *jump*). Everything seems to be contained in a largish duffel bag which they open and re-configure... odd description, but that's the best I can do. It took them the better part of 30 minutes to do this.
After spreading out the wing and re-stuffing everything back into a duffel-bag-now-seat, they strap in and wait for the wind. I think it looks like a turtle's shell. They take everything with them except the vehicle they arrived in.
I turned my back just at the wrong time and missed this guy, the big-kahuna-instructor-guy launch. It was just that quick. Dang!
So I watched this fellow while he waited for the wind to pick up again so he could launch. Gordon pointed out to me that there is a small stake with surveyors tape tied on it that they use as a mini windsock! Clever.
This guy waited for a long time like this, with the wing partly inflated. Meanwhile Big Kahuna was soaring overhead.
The speed and direction turned just right, paraglider-dude gave several sharp tugs on the strings and the wing started to lift.
Then he turned, started to run, and up he went!
It didn't take long for the others to get their launch.
I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to soar up there in the sky with the birds.
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