“‘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 lxnah 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.