By Chris Sinclair

In the minds of most people, hot air balloons exist only on postcards and in children’s books, and going up in a one seems about as likely as saddling up a unicorn and going for a ride. As it turns out, going up in a hot air balloon is a far more realistic and accessible venture than riding a unicorn, and one need only travel up the road to neighboring Canaan to hitch a ride in one of these colorful and cartoonish crafts. Darrel Long, a licensed pilot for over 30 years, and his crew at Spirit Ballooning take great joy and pride in sharing the magic of lighter-than-air flight with enthusiasts of all ages.

While all who are familiar with this particular pocket of the Berkshires know its beauty well, they probably don’t know it from the vantage point of a hot air balloon. “We live in the most scenic part of the state and have diversity in our landscape with the beautiful hills and valleys,” says Long, founder of Spirit Ballooning, before going on to ask rhetorically, “Where else can you pick leaves at treetop from an aircraft?”

Although our landscape rewards riders with exceptional views and vantage points, it also presents a few hurdles for Long and his crew. According to Long, finding open and friendly places to land can be a bit of a challenge because, as he notes, “We have control over our altitude but are at the mercy of the winds for directional control.” This means that the crew relies heavily on “friendly landowners who welcome impromptu drop-ins.” The fact that each journey is unique adds to the sense of romanticism and adventure that envelopes the balloons and their flights. It might just be that you touch down in the backyard of a new lifelong friend whom you would otherwise never have met.

In the interest of offering a comprehensive and engaging experience, Spirit Ballooning invites all its flyers to participate in the setup and packing up of the balloons on either side of the flight, activities they consider to be both “informative and rewarding.” Getting up for setup requires an early morning, however. The majority of flights are in the air just after sunrise, since that time of day offers optimal conditions. Long and crew are up at 3 a.m. for such flights, keeping a close eye on weather, wind and all other variable conditions.

Once in the air, flights last between 45 and 90 minutes, while the altitude varies from 500 to 3,000 feet above sea level. Speaking to fears that people may have concerning lighter-than-air flight, Long says, “The experience is generally so gentle that most people don’t even realize they have left the ground. Once in the air they find the baskets they are riding in are very stable, and most fears, including the fear of heights, quickly dissipate.” Darrel and his right-hand pilot Jordan Long, who happens to be his youngest son, plan and check each flight and all equipment meticulously, and at the end of each checklist they ask the same final question: Will this be fun? If they can answer that last question in the affirmative, they’re ready to go.

The Longs’ love of hot air ballooning extends back to Darrel’s childhood. He recalls asking his mother to drive him to the local airport as a kid so that he could watch the planes and the skydivers. Darrel pursued this fascination throughout his youth and eventually found himself aboard a hot air balloon for the first time for a celebratory 21st birthday flight with this then girlfriend, now wife, Laurie. Son Jordan was born into ballooning and went on his first ride at age three. Between father and son, they’re approaching 50 years of ballooning experience.

A ride in a hot air balloon allows one to indulge an inner sense of adventure, of romanticism, of a primal desire to seek out the most beautiful vista. Whatever the motivation, it is a wonderful opportunity to weave some fantasy into the reality of your summer, and the crew at Spirit Ballooning is ready to help.

For booking and more information, contact Spirit Ballooning at 860-464-4359 or info@spiritballooning.com.

Photo courtesy of Spirit Ballooning.