BATON ROUGE — Balloon pilot Stephen Guido’s alarm clock routinely clangs and buzzes at 4:45 a.m. That’s when he and his hot-air balloon crew hit the floor.

The same excitement that lifts them out of bed lifts Guido’s seven-story, 90,000-cubic foot balloon up in the air.

Guido and gang are in training for this weekend’s Louisiana State Hot Air Balloon Championship in Baton Rouge. The Natchez pilot just won Mississippi’s Championship race in Canton and would love nothing better than to clinch Louisiana’s title. To beat 40 other mostly-Louisiana pilots, however, you’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning.

But that’s what balloonists do. They have to fly early because once the sun heats up the earth, thermals create vortices of wind and too much wind can swoop a balloon all the way to, well, Oz, for instance. So to avoid flying monkeys and wicked witches, you fly early to beat the heat — or late when the sun sinks and the winds relax.

“But those are the best times to be alive,” Guido said. He got bitten by the balloon bug 13 years ago at the 1996 Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. “Watching the sun come up early in the morning as you glide over trees is about as peaceful a thing as you can do. And once you’re in the air, you can’t get in a hurry because you’re not going anywhere fast. All you can do is just ride and enjoy it.”

Flying his balloon “Geronimo,” Guido is also competing with fellow Mississippians Dean Durr of Waynesboro, Martin Booda of Picayune, Mike Hansen of Indianola, Tim Slattery of Jackson and Dennis Barrett and Steven Jones, both of Bogue Chitto.

Slattery describes ballooning as “kind of like sailing because you’re riding the winds. Or I also tell potential riders that it’s like riding in an elevator that goes places and has a better view.” Slattery was smitten when he bought a balloon ride for his wife Melanie six years ago.

“Out of the blue, I just went out and bought a balloon and started learning to fly. I wound up taking a concentrated course in Albuquerque.”

Careful not to call it a crash course, Slattery got his certificate in 10 days. Six years later, Slattery is flying “Treetop Flyer,” competing to be Louisiana’s best hot-air balloon pilot.

That question will be answered for both Guido and Slattery this weekend. At Pennington Field in Baton Rouge, with good weather, 38 pilots from across the United States will be triangulating on targets and on a 30-foot red stick (“Baton Rouge”) off which pilots may pluck thousands in cash if they can reach it. On the ground, 60,000 shutter-clicking spectators will crane upward as multi-colored balloons glide just feet over their heads. Each is a front row seat, all free including parking. Friday and Saturday nights, pilots light up their balloons in a “Balloon Glow,” a kaleidoscope of giant, flickering light bulbs.

Also Friday and Saturday, The U.S. Army “Black Daggers” Precision Skydiving Team will plunge from 2,000 feet, once before sundown and again at night, wearing sparklers. The two nights are capped off with fireworks set to music, while live bands perform from afternoon to night. Bring cameras, lawn chairs and blankets but no ice chests. Food and gift vendors will be onsite. For directions, times and schedule, log on to www.laballooning.com.

“Ballooning is the closest thing to heaven,” Guido said. “Don’t need wings, just propane.”