Balloonatic

Was really lucky today and got the chance to head up in a hot air balloon to 8500ft. It was a great morning, the mood changed so often.

Picked up in the dark, moon and stars shining brightly, I started to get that early morning sleepy feeling that you get on holiday when you have to catch a bus and tour the hotels collecting other tourists along the way. Approaching the launch site as light started to glow from behind the mountain, we stopped in a misty field beneath the twinkling lights high up on Coronet Peak. Already laid out in fron of us was the balloon and a couple of fans. We listened to the formalities and people who needed to pay, paid. Volunteers were called for and I was straight in there with a Californian lady. Much to the dismay of my back, our job was to bold open the entrance to the balloon while it filled with air. Fans blew cold air in while the team walked around inside flapping and shaking the balloon until it was spread out and inflated enough to put hot air into and bring it up right. We continued to stand a few feet away, still with our arms out stretched, while the hot air was blown from the gas canisters. At least it was warm if a little terrifying.

Then we floated around for a while and landed in some long grass. Nice and wet feet were fantastic for standing around drinking bubbles and eating croissants.

The whole thing was fabulous, so peaceful, so beautiful and incredibly different. As someone who is scared of edges with large drops, this was always going to be a challenge but I was fine apart from a couple of minor freak outs.