SAFA Skysailor Magazine

20 SKY SAILOR September | October 2019 meeting some great people along the way. France was a satisfying success, crossing it in five days and five flights, but Switzerland and Italy proved a mixed bag – although producing my longest two flights, they also harboured the challenges of windy and stormy days that slowed my progress. The commitment to relentlessly keep moving by any means and always being on a launch to fly every flyable day was key to getting through the length of the Alps in the three weeks I had available. Overall, I flew about 35 hours and hiked about 50. Of the 21 days, I flew 15 with six lost to rain or high winds. A number of days were just short hops when storms threatened or I was punching a headwind. I didn’t keep precise figures, but I estimate I managed to fly about 700km, hiked less than 100km and probably got transport for about 200km with a number of short hitches and a couple of bus or train rides to get to each launch. Overall, it was a most enjoyable and satisfying journey, and the solitude afforded by a solo journey is something you need to embrace, but I enjoyed. It allows for a stronger connection with the hills and valleys in which you travel. For those interested in more details, the full list of gear and navigation tools I took is here [planet- paragliding.com.au/blogs/news/vol-biv-kit] . The full daily flight reports can be found here: [planetparagliding.com.au/blogs/news/an-alpine- traverse]. Pilgrimage – A Solo Alpine Traverse All photos: Gavin Zahner