I flew out at one of our local paragliding sites today called Blossom. There were 3 pilots on launch; 2 super experienced guys (Arthur and Matt P) and me. Conditions were light, and a launch held the real possibility of landing way down in the valley below if you made more than 1 or 2 mistakes.
No big deal; it's a 17 minute jog with a 35 lb backpack up to the top, which means I don't need to go to the gym to "work out". It's part of the sport.
Still, for the other two guys, it wasn't worth it to risk it. I decided to launch and flew a few 20 minute sessions. Always "scratching" or flying close to the ground, always turning in weak lift, and never really getting very high above launch.
It was technical flying, but I've gotten used to this site and managed it well enough to land up top. After the first flight, one of the guys (Matt), said, "Hey, you're flying it like a pro." It was such a compliment, and it made a challenging flight into a joyful memory. Pretty rad.
He didn't have to say that. He could've just kept on talking about weather, or pointed out the hawks that flew with me, or just talked about something else. He didn't; he took the time to pay me a compliment, and damnit, it made my day.
I'll definitely be passing on a compliment to the next recipient I can find, and I encourage you to do the same. Notice excellence and effort when you see it; it'll make someone's day.
Here's the view from the bottom (from a few days before), so you can see the hike up.
