Flying the Green Wall

My last day in Pokhara and I finally made it to the Green Wall! 

Nice clouds were rolling through today and I soon climbed up from the house thermal and crossed to Torri Pani. Cloud base was starting around 1800m but dipping in and out I managed to climb up to 2100m and set my sights on the Green Wall. I didn't need to move quickly though; drifting half way across the valley with the cloud before I went for the remainder of the crossing. I arrived with enough height to go straight for the Green Wall without the usual climb from the small hill in front. 

Green wall this way

You don't need much height to get up the wall and the weak but workable lift low down developed into good thermals and I was soon soaring above the treetops along the huge forested ridge that is the aptly named Green Wall. Its an immense, intimidating ridge and between the cloud shrowded top and the noise of the jungle below it has real presence. 

Big and Green

Only 2 other gliders made the round trip (that I saw) and I followed one of them on to some of the small foothills to the east, rather than taking the usual small ridge which gives a good climb to make it back to Sarangkot. 

I got a bit lost for a while there, making hard work of finding lift, getting stuck looking for climbs between the hills. When I retreated back to the hill behind I got going again. Plenty of promising clouds were rolling through but the lift was often weak and ultimately unrewarding. 

Looking back at the Green Wall

Outskirts of Pokhara

With some height again the final crossing back to the Sarangkot ridge was pretty easy, with a good cloud boosting me up over the flats. I top landed to complete the triangle. 

A good days work. My best flight from Sarangkot. 

28km, 2h34.

Tracklog: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/1295127