Kent Couch - Have Balloon will Travel

Children dream big, without limitation and expect success. Why is it that adults lose this ability? Somewhere along the way, they buy into the “I can’t” syndrome. But not Kent Couch, a 47 year old from Bend, Oregon. He believed that his fantasy of being carried away by helium balloons was completely doable.

If you were driving between Bend and Union, Oregon back on July 7th and looked up into the sky, you might have seen a guy floating by in a lawn chair suspended from a bundle of 104 helium balloons. No need for panic. It was just Kent realizing his dream.

With the help of friends and family, Kent launched from his Stop n Go Gas Station and flew to an altitude of 11,000 feet. He stayed aloft for 9 hours and flew 193 miles before deciding to touchdown. He configured the balloon bundle in such a way that he could reach up and release the right amount of helium. This was a stark improvement over his virgin flight in 2006. On that flight, he used a BB gun to shoot out balloons and ended up parachuting to safety.

Of his voyage Kent says, “When you're laying in the grass on a summer day, and you see the clouds, you wish you could jump on them. This is as close as you can come to jumping on them. It's just like that."

Way to go Kent!

When I was a child I daydreamed about swimming among a school of whales, just like one of them. I dreamed about riding a horse in the circus. I haven't done either one but I've climbed a 40 foot rock wall and I've jumped off a cliff (a little one) into a river. I want to be like Kent and see myself without limitations.

My question to you is…have you given up on your dreams? Why? Do you even remember what they were?

Next time the word can’t pops into your mind remember Kent and his whimsical flight across the sky. Remember the excitement and boundlessness of childhood and realize that everything that was possible then is still possible now. Go for it and when you do – send pictures! I’ll post them as another example of a brave, imaginative soul reaching for the stars.