For most people, waking up at 4 a.m. to get to work would be a chore. But for Krystal Stout, owner of Morning Start Balloon Company based in Woodland, it's a calling.
"When conditions are perfect, we are 7,000 feet in the air, watching the sun rise and throw its rays over five surrounding mountains," Stout said.
Traveling thousands of feet in the air is all in a day's work for Stout, a Southwest Washington hot air balloon operator with experience taking hundreds of clients airborne across the U.S.
A 25-year veteran of the sport, Stout, who calls herself "Captain Crystal," says her journey into the sky began while helping coordinate the Portland Marathon. Part of her duties involved working with different hot air balloon companies, causing her to eventually get hooked.
"That's one of the reasons I try to help up-and-comers," Stout said. "Any time you see our balloons flying, come out and volunteer and we'll try to put you up there if there is a lull."
Along with her husband, Don, Krystal Stout founded the company in 1985 after going through training at one of the nation's three hot air balloon training schools. Now living in Ridgefield, Stout and her husband generally lift off from a field in nearby Battle Ground.
In the quarter-century since, Stout says the scene has changed in Southwest Washington's hot air balloon tour industry, with many competitors retiring.
"It's quite an intensive, physical sport and many of the people around the area who have retired were well into their seventies," she said.
While Stout reports a drop in business since the downturn, she says the art of lighter-than-air travel has staying power.
"What we take up in the sky now is very similar to what went up 230 years ago," said Stout. "Fire still adds hot air to create lift. The basket is still wicker, since wicker can take a licking."
Steering is still done using air currents, which change direction depending on the altitude, Stout said. However, in modern times the local airports must be informed, wind has to be measured and the weather checked.
For people wanting that old-time experience, the price ranges from $250 to $800, with the deluxe package including breakfast and what Stout calls a breathtaking view of the sun rising over Southwest Washington.
And, since Stout is licensed to perform marriages in Washington, she can actually perform ceremonies literally in the clouds.
"If it is going to be a rotten view because of cloud cover, I always try to give the patrons a chance to reschedule," she said.
With safety a chief concern, Stout points to a number of procedures every balloon operator must follow, as well as her pristine record. "People are much more likely, sadly, to experience an accident driving to a launch site," Stout said.
Businesses can also book entire days for events, with the prices varying depending on time and number of participants, she said.
According to Stout, corporations often buy custom balloons from a manufacturer based in the United Kingdom. She says her crowning achievement was operating one of the world's largest balloons at PPG/Championship Auto Racing Teams events in 1997.
Stout expects 2010 to be a great year, with the winds of the economy shifting towards a much brighter place.
"But I could be wrong. Who knows what tomorrow brings? I just know that I'm ready," Stout said.
