Soaring with the Birds
by Linda C. Mann. Novato Advance, Dec. 15th 1999

Although some people think being a working mother of five is pretty brave and adventurous, nothing I'd done before prepared me for the exhilaration of hang gliding.

It was the single most amazing moment in my life.

Ever since I was 18 years old and saw hang gliders soaring off a mountain top, I wanted to try it. But being a young mother and college student, I'd never had the opportunity.

When Bodhi Kroll from the San Francisco Hang Gliding Center asked if any Novato Advance reporters wanted to go flying off Mt. Tam, I jumped at the chance without allowing myself to think. Even though my coworkers started writing my obituary and asked what outfit I wanted to be buried in, I didn't get nervous until we were actually driving up the mountain and I saw how high 2000 feet really was.

Bodhi Kroll, owner of San Francisco Hang Gliding, sets up the glider provided by his sponsor, Red Tail Ale.

With my friend and photographer, Arielle, by my side, I giddily followed Bodhi and his wife Hayley Marsen-Kroll up a hill to the launching site. I hadn't realized that the glider was fully collapsible. I watched Bodhi and Haley unroll the wings, set up the frame and slide rods in the wings to keep them stable, while I filled out a release holding everyone guiltless should I die - that would make anyone nervous.

I was amazed at the wing-span of the glider - about 37 feet - and the power of the wind as it tried to lift the glider while it was still being set up.

We have lift off! "Run with me until we get lifted up. It'll be about a 1-second dash to get in the air. Remember to hold on where I show you and don't grab anything else. Everything you see is the steering wheel," instructed Bodhi. I felt confident when he told me he'd taken an 8 year old boy and an 83 year old man gliding. If they could do it, so could I. Once the glider was set up, Bodhi helped me into a harness that went around my thighs and shoulders and across my chest. Then extra straps were put on my lower legs. A large white helmet to top it off, and I was so padded and trussed up, I felt like a holiday turkey.

The only way to prepare for take off is to practice running together without the glider. As Bodhi was about a foot taller than me, I had some trouble keeping up on our practice run, stumbling a little. I had visions of crashing, but Bodhi said I'd be fine.

We got hooked to each other and the glider and stood on the edge of the mountain waiting for the wind to blow the right direction.

When the wind was right, I put my arm on his shoulder and we started running. My feet only went two steps before I felt myself being lifted into the sky, the same way wind lifts a kite off the ground.

As I looked down I saw a red-tail hawk flying above the mountain-side forest - far below me. I was so excited, I looked all around in awe of the beauty of the world below.

Bodhi controlled the glider well as we rose, dipped and turned. It felt like I'd always imagined it would. I wished I could stay up forever, but unfortunately, we had to land.

I'd expected some jarring as we rolled onto the sand on our wheels, but the landing was so soft it was hard to pin-point the moment of contact.

It was a fantastic experience. I may never be rich or famous, but for a moment I soared with the birds.

Nothing beats the excitement of a job well done. Can we do it again?