There were a couple of comments yesterday about going up in an hot air balloon, so I thought I might write about my one and only experience in doing so.
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| Me in the Basket |
In 1996 my daughter and I helped out as volunteers at the local Balloon Festival. We were detailed to be with the crew for a balloon from Japan, and as a result we were given the opportunity to go up in the balloon.
My trip was a very short one as we hardly rose up before coming back down to land. There was some reason about winds or something, but I no longer remember the exact cause.
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| Inflating the balloon with helium |
The two things I remember most were the absolute silence, except when the gas was released, and the gaps in the floor of the balloon’s basket.
The silence was incredible. I think we often don’t realise how noisy our world is – even when we say it is quiet, there is still noise of wind or birds or insects around us (the sounds of silence!).
Not being a great lover of heights, being able to see the ground between the gaps in the floor of the basket was rather unnerving to say the least. I could look out from the basket as long as I held onto the edge – a false sense of security as I knew there was nothing to stop me from falling.
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| Mass ascension beside Hamilton Lake |
When the balloon made a ‘proper’ flight, we would chase it in the van. Once a safe location was found and the balloon had landed, we would arrive and help to pack everything up again.
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| Masahiko, our pilot, maneuvered the balloon into the trailer prior to deflating it |
Crewing for a hot-air balloon was hard work but a lot of fun. Not something I could do now though!
Have you had any experiences with hot-air balloons?
Cheers,
Margaret.
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