By Nick Greece
C.J. Sturtevant is a household name in the paragliding community and a local legend in North Bend, WA. Most people her age aren’t hitching rides to the top of a mountain to fly off with nothing but some nylon. Yet, C.J. and her beloved husband, George, have made a life out of keeping their cups overflowing with fun and an endless pursuit of adventure in the sky. C.J. and George’s story is told in a short film by Brady Mickelson, so we sat down with her for an interview to dig a little deeper into her secrets for staying forever young.
When and where did you two love birds meet and what was your timeline until marriage?
We met rock climbing at the Gunks back in the early ‘70s. Both of our spouses died quite young. Our friendship was really strong; we continued to “adventure” together, and married in 1976.
What makes your relationship work for this long?
Love, of course! But also, we’re both pretty easy going and don’t often feel the need to dig in our heels if we disagree about something.
How did you learn to fly? Where, when, and why?
We learned to hang glide, together, in 1982, after we moved from NY state out to Washington. There’s a story behind the “why” for learning to HG, but it’s a bit complicated (and long…;)
What was it like to fly hang gliders in the earlier days? What did you love about it? Why did you keep flying?
As a woman pilot, back in the early ‘80s, I found it occasionally difficult and frustrating. There were few options for gliders designed for someone my size, and very few women pilots. Way too often, when we joined a group of pilots who didn’t know us, I was assumed to be the driver. But our local (Seattle area) HG community was and is awesome, and very encouraging. I love looking down on the world from above, and the peace of being untethered from, well, everything.
When did you transition to paragliding? Why? Why do you fly paragliders now?
George made the transition to PG first. We’d been to Europe with our HGs in 1989, and getting them plus all our camping gear etc. through customs was a HUGE hassle. So, when we were planning our trip to Austria in 1991 for me to compete in the Women’s Worlds, George said, “We’re not going through that again!” and promptly went down to our instructor brother-in-law in the Bay Area and learned to paraglide. He essentially went from the training hill to the Alps. I took PG lessons when we got home, but I was still first & foremost a HG pilot in my heart, although with advancing age, I found HG more and more challenging. And when the pandemic shut down all our flying sites, I felt like my HG skills (primarily landing) had gotten so rusty that I wasn’t confident that I could land safely in any but the most benign conditions. I sold my Falcon last winter.
What were some more fun moments using paragliding and hang gliding in your teaching careers?
My 6th grade students loved it when I brought my HG or PG to school for them to check out on the playground. Once, a bunch of my HG friends came to school; we hooked the students in and the guys ran my Falcon down the playground, giving the kids a taste of flying “like Superman”. The kids loved it. The guys said it was a fun experience, but never again. They were exhausted.
What advice would you give others more reluctant to travel or take on an adventurous hobby?
Follow your heart & your dreams. With PG, it’s easy to get a tandem flight to see if being airborne is for you. With other sports/activities, there are various ways to test the waters before jumping in. Go watch people doing what you think you’d like to do. Talk to the people who are already participating in your potential hobby/sport. Ask about whatever is keeping you from diving right in.
What keeps you two inspired after all these years with travel? With flying?
We’ve always been travellers, even before we were married. We love going to new places, near or far, and love doing the research about our destination that gives us a deeper perspective on the whole experience. Traveling to fly is awesome—the flying communities are families of kindred souls all around the world.
Why the bears? How many do you have and what are your favourites?
I don’t quite know why all the bears. A college friend gave me a beautiful leather baby grizzly that was, I think, the one who started my collection. I taught 6th grade for decades, and a teddy bear was an easy “teacher gift.” Last count (several years back) I had 300+ bears of all sizes. As for favourites, which is your favourite kid? (just kidding…) Snuffs is my favourite travel companion—he’s the right size and shape to act as a pillow in an airplane, and doesn’t mind being stuffed in the pack under my seat. I’m also quite fond of Fuzzface, a rather small bear who, if he kept a logbook, would have hundreds of HG and PG entries from flights either strapped to my downtube or tucked into a pocket of my PG harness.
Watch CJ | Forever Busy Livin' by Brady Mickelson below: