Hot
Air Ballooning
The
complex sensations during liftoff, the thrill of the sights below, and the
adrenaline released throughout landing are all special memories from an
incredible hot air ballooning experience. After attending the wedding of a
family friend in Oroville, California, my family and I began exploring more of
what California has to offer. Included in this exploration was an adventure
high above the tree tops. This once-in-a-lifetime hot air ballooning trip
brought many wonders and surprises that will be etched in my memory forever.
At 5:30 am, as I stepped out of the car from the hour long
drive out into the country, the initial wave of anxious excitement hit me.
Until this point, I had been half asleep, but the cold nip in the air snapped
me out of this drowsiness. As I surveyed the serene launch site, I noticed the
sun hinting its arrival into this currently dark morning. When the pilots began
their explanation of what we were about to experience and the many dangers
involved, a wave of numbing fear washed over me. This emotion was soon replaced
by an eagerness to be up in the air, once we began taking pictures in front of
the inflating balloons.
My eager anticipation was assuaged when the pilot motioned
for us to board the basket. As efficiently as possible, Caleb, Mrs. Ezzo, Mom,
and I completed the challenging task of climbing into the basket. What happened
after that was one of the most memorable moments I experienced that morning.
The blast of fire released into the balloon by the pilot propelled us upward. As
I peered over the side of the basket, I witnessed the ground falling away
beneath us. The horizon broadened before us as we steadily ascended. Then a new
sensation took over.
When we reached our traveling height of 2,000 feet, I felt
like a feather. Any perception of movement was gone. It was as if we were
dangling motionless from a string where the slightest puff of air could push us
a thousand miles. There wasn’t the slightest hint of noise coming from outside
of the basket. Silence. Though from inside the basket, the whooshing of the
fire, hushed chatter from the passengers, and the pilot radioing to base could
be heard. As the sun made its glorious entrance into the day, the rolling hills
spread out before us acquired a coat of gold. A distant mountain range loomed
ominously above the plains. Small lakes and farms were
sprinkled throughout the rural landscape. Interrupting the relatively flat horizon,
stood skyscrapers so far away they seemed like tiny black smudges against the
hazed sky. As I stood drinking in all the breathtaking sights, the pilot
interrupted my thoughts with the announcement that we needed to prepare for
landing.
The pilot went on to explain how and where we ought to
stand inside the basket during landing. Back to back with another passenger,
each of us grasped the “landing” handles producing many white knuckles. Due to
rocky terrain and unexpected forests, we had to postpone the landing until we
could find an appropriate landing site. We relished the unforeseen extended
ride. As soon as a clearing was spotted, we all hunkered down into our
positions for landing. Thud! Our first encounter with the ground nearly sent
the basket on its side forcing us to tighten our grip on the handles. After the
first bounce, the basket sailed a few feet in the air and came down even harder
the second time. The third and final contact with the ground sent the basket
completely sideways as it plowed large skid marks across the terrain. Dangling
from the edge of the basket, facing the sky, with my back against my brother I
painfully waited for the pilot to give us the “OK” to crawl out of the basket.
Fully realizing the obscure position we were all in, many of us burst out
laughing. Our post-landing chattering included the sharing of emotions and
challenges we faced during the rough landing. The exciting landing was
definitely a highlight of the flight.
Bringing countless moments of admiration and amazement,
this hot air ballooning trip will not easily leave my memory. This exploration
of a new experience was a morning well spent. From the moment we pulled up to
the dark launching site to when we completed our adventure laughing at the
predicament we were left in, I soaked in every sensation possible. As Oscar
Wilde accurately states, “memory... is the diary that we all carry about with
us.”
