Ross, Ilker, Gunter, and Scott all got some air booty at Box today. Hike up was brutal. Used north launch. Nice cycles, lots of big sink. Really had to work for it. Gunter and Scott landed near Box Canyon Road, just east of where Madera Canyon road peels off and goes south.

As I was on final, jumping power lines (related to jumping cholla?) suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of me and a full stall was required to avoid collision. I reconnected with the earth (crashed) flat on my back, directly under the power line, with the wing falling back behind me. Thanks to that giant spine protector, it felt like doing a back flop on a bed. The only other option was to Tee bone right into the power line. I think the wing would have gone over the top of the conductors and I would have gone under. I didn't see the conductors until my perspective put them against the sky and the poles were hidden in the trees. It was a perpendicular tap off the main power line that I had identified from the air and was flying parallel to.

As Scott mentioned it was a hot and hard hike to the top of Box. I left the lz at 10:20 am and finally made it to the top 2hrs and 45 min's later, with a lot of rest stops in between. I weighed myself at home before I left and then again when I got back home. I lost 5 lbs of water even though I drank about 1/2 a gal and ate lunch on the way up. (It was hot). I put a couple of rocks into my back pack (about 15 lbs of ballast since I've recently lost weight). I had a good launch into a mild cycle and then boated around for about 1/2 hr out in front of and over the top launch. The thermals were there and so was the sink, ask Ross and Scott. I finally caught a thermal which I took up to 8,400 ft and by that time Ross and Ilke had landed and were going to pick Scott up. Since the drift was taking me in Scott's direction I also decided to head towards Medara Canyon. As I got near the antennas on the other side of Box I also started to sink and was about to come in for a landing when of course I caught another thermal and so I decide to keep going trying for Medetra Canyon. But as I neared the ridge I realized I wouldn't make it over so I headed toward the road and found a nice field to land in . Overall I flew for 1hr & 20 min's, XC of about 5-1/2 miles , Act. flying distance 22 mi., avg speed = 16 mph. It was my longest flight at Box and was very enjoyable. Turned out to be worth the hike.

Scott.
Sounds like you made the right decision, very quickly in a pinch. Don't know if I would have reacted as effectively, but I"m certainly glad it worked out. You've got 'the right stuff'.

It was a completely unconscious decision. There was some level of conscious recognition of the conductors but the response was reflexive. I was laying on my back on the ground before my brain caught up to what I had done.

I don't know that it is so much skill or the right stuff as pure luck. It could have very easily turned out really really ugly. It really is amazing to me how often we get away unscathed.