To the editor:
Sometimes we, as Americans, focus so much on finishing first that we lose sight of what we really achieve.
Recently a man with a dream and 370 balloons came to Caribou to embark on an incredible journey. Thursday, Sept. 12th at around 6:18 a.m. hundreds of area residents gathered on Sincock Street to watch Jonathan Trappe disappear into the early morning mist in pursuit of his dream to be the first person to complete a trans-Atlantic flight carried by 370 helium-filled balloons. For those of us that participated in this adventure … it was truly an amazing experience.
Twelve hours later and probably 300-400 miles across the North Atlantic Jonathan made a decision. If you remember the verse from the Kenny Rogers tune “The Gambler” you will remember … “you have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” For us non balloonists it would be hard to imagine being at 20,000 feet in the air in a very small boat being carried east on the jet stream by a large quantity of helium balloons. And as hard as that is to imagine it is even harder to imagine how perilous it is if there would be a problem and you are over some of the most active and cold waters … with no one around to come to your immediate rescue. Immediately upon the news of his touchdown in Newfoundland, most people said “oh too bad he wasn’t successful.” Well was it unsuccessful? Let’s take off our “success is placing first” blinders and look at the big picture.
First, he did cross the North Atlantic … OK specifically the Gulf of The St Lawrence, at least to Newfoundland … .a longer flight than his others and the first one to do it with helium balloons. Thomas Edison was the first to acknowledge that he attempted over 10,000 trials before he invented the electric light … and he didn’t see those trials as failures, only 10,000 ways he knew that wouldn’t work. For those of us that are a bit older, we realize that experience is our ability to recognize our mistakes. Just like with Edison, Mr. Trappe utilized his wealth of knowledge and that of several experts on balloon flight and weather to attempt his trans-Atlantic crossing. This attempt will allow him to learn and continue to work toward fulfillment of his ultimate dream.
The other successes of the whole experience were the financial gain made by Caribou. When you think of the products purchased locally, the teams of assistants that stayed in Caribou, bought food, gas, sundries, souvenirs, rented vehicles, and more, we can safely say that the economic impact locally was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And then there was the human impact. If you were not on the field or watching from the bleachers, you missed an important side of the whole experience. Imagine an eclectic group of nearly 100 people of all ages, laboring to fill huge balloons and then transport them across the field to be attached to the small boat that would serve as home for the duration of the trip; all done from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on a damp humid night. And many of those folks had been at the field at 6 a.m. that morning only to be deterred by rain, thunder and lighting and were willing to come back to be part of this amazing undertaking even after a full day at work.
Who were these people? Some were people that shared a fascination for ballooning, some just wanting to be part of something bigger than them, some just adding a check to their bucket list or yolo list and some just darn curious. But all of them believed in the dream and wanted Jonathan to succeed but most of all to be safe.
The adventurist that came to Caribou brought more than balloons and a boat, he brought a positive spirit, enthusiasm for what he does, patience and perseverance and an incredible talent for providing a sense of community. So, I am of the belief that Jonathan Trappe was successful, maybe not by realizing his dream but by the life’s lessons he provided. Walt Disney was quoted as saying: “All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them”. So never, never, stop dreaming!
Kathy Mazzuchelli
New Sweden
