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At cloudbase the route to the west lured me to explore past the end of this rocky ridge then to cross a difficult gap. This crossing left me low miserably skimming the tree tops in light lift. But like they say misery loves company and here I found the majority of our troop scratching this shallow treed slope. After some tiresome scratching I was able to get up to the end of this ridge to a sloping rocky summit. Here, I met Pete Reagan and we both popped through a gap into a steep valley behind. I was first and crossed North to a rock face deeper into this valley. Pete took a more direct line South for the mouth of the valley and ended up meeting a headwind that grounded him. I continued to climb out of this valley passing several caves joined by goat-like walkways and cable ladders. I jumped this ridge to cross North again over to another valley which I traversed and ascended to the West.

High over this ridge I discovered that it was terminating to a headland above a large open valley to the West. As I neared the end of the ridge, I met a strong headwind that took me down to the treetops just squeezing around a windy shoulder. Spooked as the trees swayed below, I was able to ridge soar up to below an ominous west facing cliff band capped by a big dark cloud. This was the zone all right, just 150 feet above, a sailplane ripped along the cliffs rim just below cloudbase. I nervously soared up to the cliff considering the wind and this other kamikaze glider now porposing the cloud. At the far end of the cliff I felt turbulence and quickly turned away. There seemed to be a barrier near the top, I continued to soar lower on the cliffband and studied that spot as the sailplane disappeared to the north. Luckily two ravens started to tumble and play there and mapped it out for me, I approached and maintained speed to punch into a vortex of strong lift, the vario screeched to 1400 up and I was soon climbing up and around the edges of a very big cloud.

I had a big crossing South over the roadway to the closest mountains and this lift made it possible. At the height of my climb I could see past these mountains to a shimmering lake and gliders to the west working back towards where I was headed,Wow too cool, that must be Lake Annecy! I just barley made the glide across the mile wide valley, a headwind drilled me back low to tree tops swaying in the breeze. I ridged up the quaking treed slope to a long white cliff band that took me through a small elevated col. Here the valley winds were blocked and I enjoyed smooth rim soaring above this hidden remote verdant valley. This idealic valley converged into a small pass, punching a gap into the rock ridge to my West that had separated me from Lake Annecy. It was like my own little entrance portal to Annecy. The air was smooth and friendly so I popped right through this narrow gap, It was if I had come through a cave emerging out over the lake. Whew! man that was a threshold, Gliders filled the air to the west and I began to core thermals in that direction. Soon I was surrounded by Paragliders who were climbing out from the popular Plain Fait launch below. The first gliders to reach me whooped and hollered, perhaps wondering where I had come from and pointed on, luring me to cross the lake with them.

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