Quechee Gorge, Vermont — As the sun illuminates the high slopes of Vermont's Green Mountains, we hear the ubiquitous call of crows and the relentless cascade of a waterfall. Suddenly we're surprised by the overhead blast of a propane burner, filling a parade of colorful hot air balloons that appear from the shadows of the Quechee valley. Balloonists are creatures of the dawn, depending on the early light breeze to carry them safely, before the breezes can build dangerously with the new day's heat. With one pilot we enter the calming silence high above the forests, rivers, lakes and covered bridges of the Vermont countryside. Adventurous pilots nearby drift between the sheer rock cliffs towards the river of the Quechee Gorge, known as the "Grand Canyon of the East." A famous balloonist prayer reads, "The winds have welcomed you with softness ... and set you gently again, into the loving arms of mother earth."