Hang Gliding and Paragliding Volume 44 / Issue 2: February 2014 | Page 41

W

e were nearing the end of our three-week paragliding tour in Iquique, Chile. The beginners had come
and gone during the first week, making great strides
in their skills and confidence. Those of us staying
for the entire tour were almost sated with flying, having
gotten as much airtime every day as anyone could have
wished.
 But we were still hungry—for distance. Several times we
had made an attempt to fly our way up the coast, but each time
we were grounded, due to circumstances and crosswinds, rotor
over the difficult sections.
 On our last possible day to do some cross-country flying,
conditions looked good as we drove up to launch. There was
higher cloudbase than on previous days, with light SW winds,
and a feeling in the air that this would be a good day.
 Eleven of us launched together, sending the drivers back
down the long road to the ocean. It took a long while and a
struggle for everyone to thermal up to cloudbase, but for a
short time all 11 of us were moving down the ridge together.
 We could see vans traveling back down the sand roads to
the ocean, as a pilot here or there began to call it a day. The rest
of us carried on, letting the air currents pull us up and over and
around the never-ending sandy hills of red, orange and white
LEFT Ken Hudonjorgensen and Dawn Westrum
bump wingtips over the ocean. ABOVE Jim
Sorensen and Dawn Westrum on their final glide.
Photos by Todd Weigand.

HANG GLIDING & PARAGLIDING MAGAZINE

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