Soaring High Over Lookout Mountain
(And My Experience Being a Human Tick Drag)
Lookout mountain offers great views, but the best views can be seen from the sky. I’m not talking about a helicopter ride or airplane—I’m talking about hang gliding. If you’ve never been, this is an experience you don’t want to miss out on. Hang gliding is absolutely amazing. It’s not scary or thrilling (in case you were scared of that or seeking it). Being in the air, soaring above the trees, is a serene, peaceful feeling. You really feel like you are gliding through the air like a bird. Everything is quiet and you can connect with the world in a way you never have before.
Summer of 2007, my dad and I decided to try hang gliding out. We both imagined it would be scary (especially since he is scared of heights) and thrilling. It was neither. But it was an experience we haven’t soon forgotten. Since we figured this was going to be a once in a lifetime experience, we decide to go all out and opted for the “full package” service. While you can decide to just go for a tandem hang gliding “ride” with no previous experience (after watching a short safety video), we decided to try hang gliding on our own first. Well, sort of on our own. We had a group lesson put we were “flying” our own hang glides. OK, so we were on the bunny slopes, and yeah, I didn’t get air many times—OK, OK, only once!—but still, it was way cool.
Our instructor taught us the aerodynamics of the hang glide. He said the glider was “meant to fly”—like that was it’s one and only mission in life. Our job was to let the glide fulfill it’s mission, which is easier said than done. We started by running with the glider on flat ground, and behold, the glide started to lift off. It didn’t have enough momentum to take flight on flat ground, so we moved up to the bunny slope. Running off the bunny slope with a glider on your shoulder is not the easiest task. It’s cumbersome, to say the least, and can easily cause tip-overs. As you try to take flight, you are supposed to keep you head up (toward where you want to go) and your grip loose (to let the glider fly). Well, that goes against all natural tendencies. As you begin to feel yourself lifting off the ground, two things happen—you look down to see how high you are and you grab tightly onto the glider to make sure the glider takes you with it (even though you are attached with a harness). As soon as you look down and grip tighter, the nose of the glider points down, and you and the glider follow. Soon you are sliding down the hill on your belly with a glider on your back. I seriously felt like a human tick drag, constantly swept down the hill picking up grass and whatever else came in my path.
Oh, but the time I got air,
that I let my grip of the glider go and kept my head up—WOW! It was amazing! The group cheered wildly each time anyone got even the slightest bit of air. My dad was much more successful at this than I. He even landed on his feet once! Speaking of landing, they never really taught us how to do that. I asked once, “so, how do we land?” The instructor replied, “Don’t worry about that part.” I guess because it usually takes care of itself. Most of us barely got off the ground in the first place. And those that got air, were soon enough skidding to a stop on their bellies (the harness you were is padded in the front, so you don’t get banged up TOO badly when you crash, I mean land).
NOTE: If you choose to do the Introductory Experience , which is what my dad and I did, wear old clothes, pants and take the knee pad when they offer them to you! Be prepared to come away with a few bruises and grass stained clothing. Bring sunscreen and water too, as you are outside for training the whole morning.
After an exhausting day of attempting to hang glide on our own, we all went to lunch and waited for our tandem flight that afternoon. Our excitement built as we watched others suit up and soar off for their tandem hang gliding flight. Everyone loved it! I was soon on deck for my first true flight experience. I was suited up with a harness and helmet and strapped to my instructor. We were pulled behind and ultra-light (experimental) aircraft to 2,000 feet. The ride up was load (being behind the motor of the aircraft) and bumpy.
At 2,000 feet, my tandem instruction released us from the aircraft and we started gliding. The ride instantly became smooth and as the aircraft circled around to land, the noise subsided. Soon it was quiet, serene and beautiful. I took control of the glider as my instructor taught me how to turn left and right, how to go faster and slower. We glided over a lake and could see the reflection of our glider in the lake. It was amazing.
I gave the reigns back to my instructor as we came in for a landing. It was as smooth a landing as the ride itself (and this time I wasn’t landing on my belly!). We all shared stories about our flights and talked about when we could go again! It was truly an amazing experience.
Interested in hang gliding, check out where I went: Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding. If you have a group of friend interested in hang gliding (or that you could convince), ask about group discounts. You can also camp out near the site the night before your hang gliding experience. If you don’t live near Atlanta/Tennessee area, look for a hang gliding place nearby. Ask around for suggestions of good places or look for an outdoor/adventure club in your area that might be leading hang gliding trips. The Atlanta Outdoor Club leads an annual (usually) hang gliding trip to Lookout Mountain.
Want more of a thrill than hang glide, SKY DIVE! It’s a rush like no other! Check out my blog on skydiving coming soon.
