There’s many ways to soar above the  Hocking Hills‘ hills, lakes and forests.

You can zipline through the treetops on a canopy tour. Or take a scenic ride in a small airplane over Cedar Falls.

But I couldn’t wait to finally partake in an adventure that had lured me since I read Around the World in 80 Days as a kid: a hot air balloon ride.

The organizers of our ride, which left from Georgian Manner B & B outside Logan, cautioned us that the weather might not cooperate. Showers and wind were on the weekend forecast.

Yet the day dawned crisp and clear, sunny with little wind. Perfect ballooning weather.

We scarfed down muffins and homemade granola at the Manner around 6 a.m., as the operators readied the balloon outside. At 80 feet long, the balloon took about 30 minutes to fill.

We crowded around to watch as flames pushed hot air into the balloon.

Because our group was so large, the balloon operator could only take three of us up, for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, going up about 200 feet. That’s much shorter than people get if they book on their own, as a typical ride runs about 90 minutes, with the balloon soaring up to 1,000 feet. With such a limited time schedule, our operator warned us that we’d have very little time to get in and out.

I looked at the basket as it bobbled around the ground and considered the chances that it would take off with me only partially in it. Hmm. I decided not to go first.

So braver souls than I climbed into the basket for liftoff. The gas roared, the container swayed back and forth. And a few seconds later…up they went.

We cheered from the ground, our catcalls mingling with the shouts we could hear from above. Our group of travel writers had traipsed all over the world, but this was a new experience for all of us.

As they drifted away, our driver impatiently ordered us into the “chase van.” Essentially, it looked like a regular minivan, save for the massive fan stuck on the front. Our driver communicated with the balloon through a communications system that sounded much like a walkee talkee. She told us that because our balloon trips would be so short, they weren’t exactly sure where we’d be landing each time. Hmm. Not exactly a vote of confidence.

By the time we left the Manner, the gold, red and black balloon already appeared miles away, barely visible through the trees. The winding roads of the Hocking Hills made it harder to follow than people anticipated, it seemed.

Finally we traced the balloon to a cornfield. Could it land? Nope, the power lines were too close. What about the neighbor’s yard? Our next group of three raced toward the open patch, only to see the balloon take a detour into a parking lot around the corner. Panting, we ran through the trees to the lot, and quickly jumped in the basket as the first group exited with silly grins on their faces.

Moments later, we were airborne. I clutched on to the ropes, as the basket wasn’t as high as you might think. Moments later, though, I relaxed. The Ohio forests and farmland looked gorgeous from the air.

We saw herds of deer running on the ground, scared by the sight of our massive shadow. People came out of their homes to wave. It actually seemed peaceful….except when the noisy flares of gas went off, startlingly close to my head. I hoped my hair wouldn’t singe.

All too quickly, the operator looked for a place to land. But we had drifted away from fields into the denser forest; nothing but treetops were visible for miles. Suddenly we spotted what looked like a fire tower.

“Canopy tour up ahead,” the operator said to the chase van following us. “I’m bringing her down.”

And down we went….a little too fast. “This doesn’t seem right,” I thought as the trees drew closer. “We’re not going to make it!” another passenger shouted. I ducked, just as the basket crashed into the woods below.

As I warded off the branches, our operator gunned the hot air full-force to give us a bit more lift. “Wind shear,” he explained calmly, as the balloon finally lifted up and over the trees.

The rest of us weren’t quite as laconic. “I could have sworn we were going to tip out into the river!” one passenger said. “Is that a hole up there?” the other said, looking up at a place where the branches had pierced. The operator didn’t answer, as he was busy wrangling the balloon during the five minutes it took the chase van to find us.

When they arrived, we exited and the final group made their sail with little troubles. The operator brought the balloon down in a private pasture, as we in the chase van quickly asked the property owners for permission.

We helped the operators squeeze the air out of the balloon and roll it up for another adventure. I couldn’t help noticing that the balloon did indeed sport a few new holes from our forest run-in. Hard to believe this all happened before most people would have finished their breakfast.

So would I go again? Without a doubt, YES! It’s an expensive outing, to be sure (a session with two passengers is $400). But it’s safe way to get an adrenaline fix and I know my husband would love it.

But next time, I might pick a place with a few less trees.

Have you ever been ballooning? If so, where – and what was it like?