“‘Cause tramps like us, baby, we were born to tour!”
Hot Air Ballooning — The
Last Travel Frontier
BY BUDDY BASCH
In our highly mobile society, most American
students have toured this countn. < and over
seas) by plane, train, car or bus Some have
traveled by bicyde. motorcyde. mule, horse
back or gone via skateboard, tram, surfboard or
the original wav — on foot Very few however,
have had the fun and excuement of a hot air bal
loon ride, a sport that s becoming increasing!!
popular Owning a balloon and its gear isn t
i,
[\
cheap, but flight* in them ai fairs, meetings and
halkxin rallies are relatively inexpensive con
sidering the unique excitement thev provide
There is literally nothing like soaring among the
ciouds
Ballooning is different for several reasons
speed or direction cannot be controlled, the
wind decides that Wind direction determines
landing sites, and there is obviously no steering
apparatus or brake There s also no noise (except
the gas burner s comforting sound i and. since
balloons move at the wind's speed, there s no
breeze and verv little feeling of motion
Our initial experience was at the Great Wis
consin Dells t Wis i Hot Air Balloon Rally We ar
rived at the field at 6 am Balloons were lying on
the ground, burners were lit and huge fans were
forcing hot air into the balloons, which were al
reads hitched to gondolas The bags filled with
hot air and rose slightly, tugging genth at the
gondolas
Pilot Ra\ Johnson, an Illinois state transporta
tion official, an expert balloonist and a fixed wing
pilot, received permission from a ralh official
and motioned me into the gondola It being up
right. this entailed something like leaping over a
four-foot fence Johnson and his copilot friend
followed me in and Johnson turned on the pro
pane burner and adjusted the mixture 'S e started
what 1 thought was our ascent, but the gondola
tipped over, piling Rav. his friend my photo
equipment and me on the cx>ld Wisconsin Dells
dm in a heap
Onkxikers from other teams rushed over and
righted the gondola, because laughter had ren
dered us unable to help Not enough |uice.
muttered Ra\ Hang on this time were going’
The heat blast reflected down and 1 was glad I d
put on the motorcycle helmet given me earlier
Then came a funn> sensation — not like the effect
of going up in an elevator, an airplane, escalator
or swing, but the feeling that I w as remaining still
and the ground was falling awa\ from me
We quickli gained an altitude of sOO feet The
only instruments on hoard indicated fuel, altitude
and direction Our speed increased to about SO
miles an hour and Johnson explained the two
ways balloonists can slow down bump gently on
the ground or bang along the treetops He did
the first, after showing me how to brace myself li
felt like I'd tumped off a four-or five foot ladder
He hit the ground, immediately increasing the
gas and rising Then he started banging treetops
too high and we wouldn t slow down, but too
low could be disastrous if we got caught in the
treetops and the gi >ndt ila tipped It s w< >rth men
tioning here that no one wears parachutes The\
wouldn t help, as we were too low to allow them
to open properh
After about twenty minutes al> ift. Johnson said
we were getting low on gas and asked us to look
for a level field I pointed to one afxiut a thou
sand feet ahead The wind shifted and Johnson
sighed Well never get near it Vie need one
ahead, a little to the right — about one or two
0 clock Ue spotted another area and Johnson
turned down the gas let Suddenly an unnoticed
power line loomed up lust ahead Johnson hastily
cranked the gas way up and we did a motion like
lumping over the line, all agreeing we hardly
wanted to land on it'
Gas was getting quite low and Johnson looked
a bit worried Vie should find a Landing spot
quickly he said emphasizing the last word He
grabbed the radio 1 m near a big swampy field,
just north of a railroad crossing with a pond on
the right The farmhouse is white with a red roof
on a dm road No more transmissions Out’
The held looked as though it was under water
Can t help that Brace yourself for the landing I
grabbed the two nearest ropes, squatted slightly
and we bumped down surprising!! vjftly. right
on the edge of a fxig with almost no fuel left
Get out before the bag collapses,' shouted
Johnson We lumped onto damp ground, feeling
as though we had sea legs a sensation which
lasted only a tew minutes
A farmer ran over surprised at the way visitors
had arrived on his land He was pleasant enough,
inquiring about equipment, how we happened to
choose his field how hard it was to fly, etc f Most
1 S states have a Welcome Trespasser law
which says, in effect, one cannot be prosecuted
for trespassing, because you have no control of
where you land, but you are responsible for any
damages caused by your landing.)
Little more than five minutes later the chase
car' arrived, we all lifted the gondola onto the
trailer attached to the station wagon, removed the
burner unit, folded up the balloon and tied ev
erythirig down securely
On the way back to the starting field there
were refreshments from the beautifully-equipped
wagon s refrigerator There were also comments
about our flight, seemingly-exaggerated tales of
earlier flight.-, (prohibit for this novice's benefit
tudgirig bv the smiles I and anecdotes about other
balk «trusts it was all in fun — which is precise!,
the wat one could descTibe die entire cxhllarat
ing experience
There art- v > morn balloon rallies caul c luhs as
well as other sfei tul events. U would he imfmssi
hie to Its! tlh-rri or In cfuole pricet for [moiafxil
tnfi U s fair in assume that afifroornateh S-'O
SAO t UefiertihnL! on Urts-th location fuel tost
arul other factors! would he an afifimfruite
i har^t • for an ascent Interested readers should
contact their suite - l hf moment of Trunsftorta
non or Atutnon. ( nil Air Patrol the Puhlu U
bran or the 1‘ublu Affairs Section at \our closest
at rfsort
North to Alaska
BY DON ROBERTS
le raoM primeval path m America head'
north Wisdom from the simplest waterfowl
A dictates the direction turn right at the
blue Pacific and keep fx Minding pavement until
the neon gl* >w of civilization fades into mountain
darkness Immediately west of Anchorage and
north of f airbanks the ardent nomad will dis
cover a comer of continent cooilv uncaptllaried
by roads — one vast vault of wilderness Wilder
ness and nothing but
Alaska its more accessible than you think
However getting there is more tlian half the
problem and wav more tfian half die exfvense
But it us a misconception that you must sacrifice
your entire net worth, plus violate unguarded
piggy banks. |ust to sec ure passage to Jack
London land Whether travelling by land sea or
skv your brain i n- x yi >ur life savings i w ill get v<>u
farther north more miles per w iles tfian the
most footloose statesider would imagine
The Alaska-Canadian highwav is hard in more
wavs than one Nearly all of die Canadian portion
of this timfiercd thoroughfare is gravel surfaced
and in vmie places barely surfaced at all The
dust is so overwhelming that it is illegal to drive
without your headlights blazing and even then
cars are often swallowed up like tfie vie
tims in a B-grade sci fi flick Any vehicle which is
not sealed as tightly as an Egyptian tomb soon
acquires the interior of a can of Calumet while
die shrapnel like gravel gnaws the exterior and
chews steel belted radials as if they were
Hubba-Bubba
But don't let diese practicalities numb your
Nikes The meandering mercenary who is moti
vated may harness some cheap, possibly free,
horse power The tactic is prosaic but not ai
together artless Simply run a classified ad In the
Portland, Seattle or Vancouver (B C.J newspaper
offering to help with the task of driving to Alaska
Timing and not a little luck will make the differ
ence between wheeling n dealing or just spin
ning your wheels
By winging it to Alaska ori Wien or Western Air
lines you can leave home m the morning and
ogle a moose on the muskeg by late that after
fiot All Can Alcan
High Planes Drifter
noon But skc travel has lofn disadvantages 1)
you cant get there on pop bottle refunds and 2)
you miss a !< X of country, a sense of the scope of
the continent, when soaring over the planet at
40,000 feet Obviously it is necessary to hug the
stratosphere to avoid bumping the landscape, but
the ticket can lie brought down to earth
If you |< nn a group you may capitalize on tour
rates — 2 V*. to 3SS, less damage than individual
tares B\ remaining with the flock, you may also
receive considerable discounts on lodging,
overland transportation and even grits For the
self starter there is one other scam ripe for the
squeeze Most airlines (depending upon the rules
of the specific carrier) will absorb the bill for am
cowfxiy capable of mustering a herd of 1S-40 si
multaneous passengers
Camaraderie also allows the cost effective hir
ing of a bush plane, the most common mode of
mush in modern Alaska Float plane fees acer
age afxiut 120 clams on hour, but these sturdy
craft will'haul four passengers and enough camp
ing gear to establish an incorporated town Split
four wa\s a relatively ambitious flight ma\ be fi
runted for mere bird seed
Sea Alaska
Since Alaska has mure coastline than the rest of
the I'nited states combined, the Alaska Marine
Highwav system is as natural to the north as
sourdough pancakes Nine vessels comprise the
fleet and although these ferries do not feature the
opulence of lxn<e Horn thev are the most snazzv
and snug busses in Alaska While private
staterooms can lie reserved in advance, l>ah the
dorm and deck rates better accommodate the
pilgrim on a pittance
fern passage costs a quarter of the simoleon
required for air travel and it is twice as educa
tional not to mention the immeasurable enter
tainment factor 1 luring the off season, which is
most of the sear (September to June), you can
well afford the fjords Tickets on the Alaska
Marine High was are never cheaper and one ma>
elect to extensively sail the inside with the ex
press purpose of floating into scenic delirium—:
including whale in their favorite wallows and the
most extraordinary mountains meeting-sea on
the globe
To gain access to parlors of jutting ice and the
satin hvsteria of a thousand waterfalls, write to
the Alaska Marine Highway, Pouch R, Juneau,
Alaska 99811
Beating Around the Bush
There is text much wilderness in Alaska, Ixxli des
igriated and undesignaled, upon which to merely
i reflect, much less leave an impression of your
Tyrolean hiking IxxXs Consequently, to become
familiar with even a small percentage of the natu
ral wonders you must limit your scope select
the spec ific geologic decor which fexuses in your
i mind's eye
The Valiev of the Ten Thousand Smokes, a
lunar like landscape created by volcanic tan
trums, resides in short fused harmony within the
forested boundaries of Katmai National Monu
ment Apart from the eerie, ash-filled valleys, this
16,800 square kilometer monument —more titan
twice the size of Delaware — offers boating on
island studded lakes, countless hiking trails and
more wildlife than a Disney feature Gxne to
Katmai prepared for any barometric extreme
from sunshine and skivvies weather to sudden
wiUiwaws, cold and gusty rainstorms that can
blow your xixjks off with your boot laces tied.
\Xith subtle transfer from fire to ice. Glacier
Bav Monument is sanctuary for creeping phan
toms of ice This 13.579 square kilometer park
hosts slumbering remnants of the ice age that
began 4.000 years ago, including 16 active tidewa
ter glaciers, gouged-oul fjords, and bays silently
populated with drifting icebergs Although this
area is starkh foreboding, wildlife, particularly
sea birds and mammals, abound The few rugged
hiking trails ensure isolation For those who wish
to press mu/./le to muzzle with deer, moose,
bear foxes, wolves, caribou, and the rare dall
sheep Mi McKinley National Park is unrivalled.
I* mi mated b\ a mountain so high (6.194 meters)
and massive that it creates its own weather, this
broadly based park is divided into separate
ecosystems A limited access scheme guarantees
that you mav explore any one of these distinct
areas and never bounce an eyeball off another
soul
Advice and Ascent
Before blithely treading unfamiliar mountain ter
rain one must acknowledge the implied dangers
The ignorant and ill-prepared often set them
selves up for surplus suffering Carefully study
your routes and destinations in Alaska and always
leave a copy of sour itinerary with the nearest
ranger station or county mountie before pro
ceeding into the depths of the bash If anything
should go awry they'll start looking long before
your bones are unearthed in an archeological
dig
Shape up before shipping out there is no sub
stitute for a backpack bivouac and taking measure
of your lung and leg power Do not for a mo
ment consider skimping — Spartan is silly Top
dog foul weather wear, munificent mountain
tents, minus-0 sleeping bags, and cushy ground
pads are often the only articles keeping the rigor
from turning mortis
Do not under any circumstance leave home
without your Foster Grants The sun ricochets off
the ubiquitous waterways and snow-fields with
penetrating fenxity and only /xjUinzed sunglas
ses will keep your vitreous humorous
EVERYTHING you have heard about the curse
of Alaska's militant and mutant mosquitoes is
true But if you dip your dermis in Muskol daily
you will remain relatively immune to a bloody
blitzkrieg
If you should forget your sunglasses and Mus
kol. first you'll be struck blind, then the "mos
sies will slice your hide thinner than corned
lieef at a New York deli
No creature on the tundra can inspire terror
like the bear, especially Ursus horrihilus — the
grizzly or brown Isear Since visitors to National
Parks are not allowed to pack Howitzers, the best
safeguard against belligerent bears is intelligent
pacifism Bears are grumpy, near sighted war
lords but they will leave you alone if you do not
crowd their territory’, holler at them, or wave
your arms and act demented Bears interpret
such behavior as aggressive
Stand still and show bruin your face. The fur
less human countenance is an awful sight and a
natural deterrent Never turn and run; bears
spontaneously chase cowardly critters. Stay
placid, even if pale around the gills. Grizz and
you will come to a mutual agreement regarding
space
If you desire wilderness lodging but don’t
quite relish the uncertainties of camping out,
then the Forest Service Cabin System may be
your cup of comfort These cabins are located in
two regions of southeastern Alaska — the Prince
of Wales Island and the Ketchikan/Revillagigado
Island area Each cabin is splendidly isolated and
access is possible only by boat, float plane or
trail Some cabins are situated on the salt chuck,
while others reside on streams and mountain
tarns.
Forest Service cabins are held by reservation
on a first come/first served basis. Reservations
are not accepted until the rental-maintenance fee
of five frog-skins per night is paid. To keep lulled
patrons from home steading, the limit of stay is
seven nights in the summer and ten nights in the
winter The Forest Service has prepared a sleek,
35-page catalog which is free upon request:
Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest, Box
2278, Ketchikan. Alaska 99901
Mountain Matriculation
Noted ecologist Eugene Odum once stated that
there is more information of a higher order
of sophistication and complexity in a few square
yards of forest than there is in all the libraries of
mankind ' The dedicated pastoral pupil owes it
to himself to study a piece of Alaska—a veritable
black hole in the terrestrial Universe
Making a Travel Guide
BY BARBARA J. ROCHE
Wfien Harvard graduate student Linda Hav
erty traveled in Europe last summer, she
dined on sheep cheeks, a cheaper menu
item in Austria, snacked on a marzipan Ronald
McDonald, and had a satchel of travel brochures
and notes confiscated after a one and-a-half-hour
search when she entered East Berlin These were
some times to try a traveler s soul, but it was all
in a summer s work for Linda, one of twenty stu
dent researchers contributing to Let's Go Europe
1982
Over a half million student passports are is
sued each year, and the odds are good that stu
dents traveling to Europe will be packing an edi
tion of Let's Go along with their passports and
student I D s. The let's Go series is the only col
lection of travel guides written for students by
students and updated annually.
let's Go Europe 1982 covers some 31 coun
tries, including Iceland, the U S S R., Egypt and
Tunisia. The guide was researched, written and
edited by Harvard students under the auspices of
Harvard Student Agencies, a student service or
ganization From the basement offices off Har
vard Yard, student editors work out itineraries.
Student researchers spend the summer in as
signed countries, checking accommodations,
tourist sights, restaurants and cultural informa
tion The research priority is finding ways to
make the trip affordable and interesting. Honesty
in reporting is emphasized, and the result is a
guide that tells it like it is. . even when a city or
hotel isn't so hot.
If a place is cheap, but a little on the dirty
side, well still mention it," said Rob McCord,
student researcher who spent time in Iceland,
West Germany, Ireland and Luxembourg ‘But"
he added, "we also mention that it's not the
cleanest place in the world."
"We include these places and let people de
cide," added Linda Haverty, "because it's usually
a relative thing. What one person considers to be
a real lousy place, another wouldn't mind
Let's Go has taken off since the first five-page
guide to Harvard University charter flights was
stapled together and distributed on the campus
in 1957 Twenty-five years later, Let's Go is pub
lished by St. Martin's Press in six editions, includ
ing Europe, U SA, and regional editions on Bri
tain and Ireland, France, Italy, and Greece, Israel
and Egypt.Over 180,000 copies of the books were
sold in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and
Japan last year, and one Let's Go staffer estimates
that each copy is read by an average of five
people
What's the secret?
"Most guides are written more for the fun of
reading than to actually be used,” McCord said,
and not incidentally, they're written for a
higher expenditure of money "
McCord pointed out two areas where Let's Go
differs from other travel guides. One, they're pa
perback newsprint guides made to be taken with
you, and two, cost is a constant consideration in
the guide's recommendations.
"Unfortunately, we can't just charge things to
the company," McCord laughed, "We re con
strained by our own budgets, so we have to be
looking for the best deals on things.”
Unlike other travel guides, where advertisers
can pay to be written up favorably, Let's Go keeps
advertising out of its editorial decisions.