The Sun Rises

By now the sun has risen
Caressing the warm colours of the trees
It has started to warm the tall faces of dolomia rock
Perfect: a slight breeze starts to blow
Caressing the larch trees just below
Making them wave like flames
Aaron folds up the small sail
Opens his back pack and gets the large one ready
He lastly goes through his preflight checklist
While the thermal starts to pick up strength as the rock warms up
Two elegant and precise steps, a half turn
And he is gently back in the air
Paragliding is not only a sport
It is strategy
No flight can be taken for granted
You have to imagine how the air moves
This fluid which cannot be seen
Which you can only sense
By the effect it has on the landscape surrounding you
You need luck as well as experience
Maybe you're in the right point
But the ascending thermal which can lead you up high and far away has just gone
Without waiting for you
You need experience and imagination, creativity and luck to fly well
You need to be always present
It is a continuous challenge for wind magicians
Who play endless chess games with the air