Adventures at Adams Gulch

Although the local weather seems to be moderating a bit, it is still a little cool. Today was one of those picture perfect days with a glorious blue sky, warm sunshine, and a soft dry breeze. We had a lazy morning and planned to head for the library when it opened at noon. When we stepped outside, we decided that it was not an indoor library kind of day. We would take the boys to Adams Gulch and hike as far as the creek, so they could romp in the water. As we loaded them into the car, we sighted a pack of approximately 70-80 paragliders soaring over the mountain behind the rv. They were so high that we had to get the binoculars to determine exactly what they were. As we were watching, one of the rv park neighbors walked by with her dog. She told us that Paragliding Nationals competition was going on and that the pilots were using gps settings to set their flightpath. She knew this because one of the pilots has an rv next to hers. From our vantage point it looked like a collision was imminent.


We spotted an occasional paraglider pilot as we drove to the trailhead. It was nice to get back to Adams Gulch. I can't remember exactly when, but Ellen took me there years ago for my first hike. I was so out of shape that I almost died! She walked along and talked the entire loop while I was struggling to breathe, trying to keep up with her. Things have changed a little over the years, and now it is easier. At any rate, we took the boys up to the creek. They had a great time splashing in and out of the water. After a time, Sirius headed up the trail and I followed. Dick and Baxter followed me, and before we knew it, we were well into the Adams Gulch Loop. (Finally, I can cruise up and down and continue talking! I hope Ellen is watching me!) At the half-way point of the loop, there is a picnic table that is a memorial to a young man from Ketchum. I always wonder how they got that up there. It had to have been air-lifted, because the trail is narrow and winds around and up to the top. It used to seem like there were 10 hair-pin curves, but today I counted them and there are only four! As we approached the table, Baxter's ears perked up and he broke into a run. There were two young mountain bikers sitting on top of the table enjoying the view. We had a delightful conversation with them. The couple was from Bend, Oregon and this was their first trip to Sun Valley. They could not believe how wonderful the biking is here. Yesterday they biked up and down Bald Mountain, (9100' above sea level) the highest ski mountain in Sun Valley! We were impressed!

We continued the hike, and again, Baxter broke into a run. Ahead of us we saw two paraglider pilots in a meadow, stuffing their equipment into back packs. One man was near the trail. We greeted him and asked him how it was going. He replied, not well. He was in a 75K competition and he was only able to complete 10K. We gave him our condolences and continued. The pilot caught up to us a little later. He asked us where he was. We told him, and then I asked him how he was going to get back. He said he was looking for a ride to the main road and that he would be able to find his way back from there. (He was camping in a tent near River Run!) Of course, we would squeeze him and his 50-pound backpack (the size of a small casket) in the CRV and give him a ride to wherever he was headed. He and Dick walked up ahead of me. I stayed back, because by this time, Sirius was getting very tired. He kept searching for shade and water. The creek meandered along the trail, so the dogs did have water most of the way.

As we got back to the trailhead, we spied a sag wagon. The competition organizers somehow knew that several of the pilots were forced down in the Adams Gulch area. The man thanked us and we headed to our car. I told Dick that I was disappointed because I was curious about the competition and missed an opportunity to ask questions.

We headed out and stopped at a sport equipment shop so I could purchase hiking poles. (We did things backward today!) When we went to pay for the poles, the owner of the shop struck up a conversation with us and somehow it turned to the Paragliding Nationals. The man was a retired helicopter pilot and had a friend who held many of the (Idaho) state paragliding records. He explained the rudiments of paragliding and told us that today's competition was an international event with the best pilots coming from all over the world. They were to fly from Bald Mountain to Galena Summit. A few years ago, the competition was sponsored by a bread company whose owner was a paraglider pilot. At the end of the flight, the pilots had to come down on target and they used a very large, round loaf of bread for the bull's eye. The pilots had to hit that loaf with both feet and smash the bread! Today they were given gps coordinates for a target.

Now we are back at the library. Dick is working, I am blogging. --Lost in cyberspace!

For more information on the Paragliding Nationals in Sun Valley see:
http://www.suite101.com/content/us-paragliding-nationals-augsept-2010-in-sun-valley-idaho-a279119