By Michael Balk
When people ask me about flying in West Virginia, I tell them about flying to Seneca Rocks. How
far is it? Oh, about 4.5 miles from North Mountain, or 12 miles from Spruce Knob. What? Is
that all the farther you can go? Well, no, but it is Goal. That is goal with a capitol G. It is a goal
like many others in the area. Goals like flying from the Pulpit to High Rock; like flying the ridge
from Woodstock to Harrisonburg; or like flying from the Tow Farm across the Chesapeake Bay.
Well, unlike the other goals I have for myself, I have finally made this goal.
It was Labor Day 1998. Since historically the Friday before the long weekend has been one of the better days, I again decided to head out to WV on Friday morning. Met up with Larry Ball in the LZ, and we headed up. Conditions looked good so we set up, then while waiting for a launch crew, we felled a few trees. Once in the air, Larry and I eventually headed north. I never got much more than 1500' over launch, but after watching Larry make it to the gap (the one we drive through, south of the Rocks) without losing much altitude, I decided to go for it. I made it to the foothills, just below the foothill ridge top. Luckily there are lots of LZs in the central valley, so I was always in glide of a landable field. I wondered for a few seconds if I would make the Rocks LZ, but it became apparent that I would make the field - I even had time to set up an approach. Didn't quite make it to the Rocks, just the Rocks LZ, but it was pretty cool none-the-less.
Saturday lots of people flew and many made it to the Rocks. I was one of the last people to launch, but still had a good flight. Every time I got high, I would head up the ridge and loose two or three thousand feet, and end up heading back to launch for safety. (While there are many fields that are landable due to "uphill that steep, who cares what direction the wind is coming from," getting retrieved is a pain in the butt.) On one trip back to launch, I noticed a topless below me. It was Marc Fink, and he was upset because that was his fifth failed attempt for the Rocks. We both got very low and headed out to land. While Marc was struggling to get out of his pod, I was trying to sink as slow as possible to allow him to complete his landing. Well, as luck would have it, that zero sink that I was in turned into a thermal that brought me to 3000' over launch, and I decided to try for the Rocks again. This time a was a little higher, making it to the gap a few hundred feet over the foothill ridge. I made it to the Rocks LZ, and this time I had enough time and altitude to look around at the campgrounds, but still didn't quite make it to the actual Rocks.
Sunday. Would the third time be the charm? I again tried a couple times, but lost much altitude
on 
my way up the ridge. On my second attempt, even though I was getting low, I aimed for the
last cliff face to the north, figuring that there was probably enough ridge lift to keep me up until a
thermal came along. Well I was right, but just barely. I flew for 25 minutes a ridge top to 250
feet above. I flew up and down this little abutment and became very familiar with the little one
room cabin on its top. It looked like a cool place to have a cabin. But I was getting tired of going
back and forth over a short ridge while being so low. Then Mike C. came along and then there
were two of us not very high. Mike was a little more adventurous, and kept going out, and found
some lift. I was about 700 over the ridge watching him head out to the Rocks without losing
any altitude, and actually gaining. I was a little higher than Mike, and just as I was leaving the
ridge to try it myself I saw him dive so sharply that I could see his undersurface, even though I
was above him. I decided to go back to the ridge! A couple of minutes later that sink cycle came
through, then I left for the Rocks. This time I was headed straight for the Rocks, and I was going
to make it! As I approached the Rocks (which are not as obvious from behind as they are from
the front), I was taking pictures. I wanted to get a picture from right above (it is truly amazing
how thin the Rocks are). I ran out of film just before I was directly overhead. Oh well. I was
able to boat around for a few minutes, thrilling the audience with my daring and bravery (I'm sure
that's what they were thinking).
After 7 years of flying West Virginia, I had finally made it to the Rocks!!!! I wasn't the first one
to make it. I wasn't the only one to make it. It wasn't very far as cross country flights go, but it
was the first time that I had made it, and it was great weekend!