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Paragliding, which is a cross between hangliding and parachuting, uses the "lightest, smallest, most economical aircraft possible," an organizer said. Paragliders use a small motor to get off the ground and then circle in thermals into the air. Once up, a parachute lets them glide wherever the wind takes them; if it's a calm day, the motor can also be used to keep them in the air.
"It's like a sailboat using an outboard motor," Grossman said.
The pilots spend up to 10 hours in the air each day, sitting in slings with motors strapped to their backs. Although they may be as high as 18,000 feet above sea level, Gadd and his team do not use supplemental oxygen.
"We probably should, but we don't," Gadd said.
Both Gadd and Grossman have made a name for themselves in outdoor sports. Gadd holds a national record in paragliding and set the world record with 179 miles in one flight. He has combined his expertise in writing with his love for the outdoors to write about kayaking for magazines.
Grossman is a certified instructor in tandem paragliding, Alpine, Snowboard and Telemark skiing, whitewater kayaking and wind surfing.
The other members of Paraglide America are Kim Csizmazia, pilot and logistics; Chris Santacroce, pilot; Eric Greene, crew chief and bird expert; Gary Osoba, weather/flight strategist; and Othar Lawrence, pilot.
For Grossman, this adventure has been a dream come true.
"It's an amazing experience," he said. "It's been an incredible vehicle to see the country."
The team's project will raise money for the Peregrine Fund, a program that helps endangered birds of prey.
"We share the airspace with hawks and vultures, and they are our mentors," Grossman said.
For Gadd, some of the best moments in paragliding are the ones he shares with the birds. "Birds seem to treat you as some sort of ungainly, strange bird, not a human - their instinct isn't to fly away, but to check you out," he said.
However, Gadd and Grossman agree that the best memories of their trip will be of the people they have met.
"There have been so many positive responses," Gadd said. "If you want a true idea of America, skip the newspaper and simply get out and meet people randomly; it helps if you can fall out of the sky onto their land, but we just continue to meet good people wherever we go."
"Especially in the South," Grossman added.
Western North Carolina posed some unique difficulties for the paragliders. Although there were more roads than the more unpopulated West, they were smaller, with miles of dense forest on each side.
"There's no place to land," Grossman said.
The paragliders hope to return to the South, drawn by the opportunities for whitewater kayaking and the friendliness of the locals.
"California needs more fried chicken and less Starbucks," Gadd said.
To track the team's progress, visit their Web site at www.paraglideamerica.com. To find out more about the Peregrine Fund, go to www.peregrinefund.org.
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