Friday, July 31

TWA

Hey guys, I woke up early the smorning, itching to continue my five week adventure streak- googled TWA aircrash in efforts to find a route up to the crash site, each one warning of how strenuous it was and not to go alone...6:38 am- shouted "HEY CANDICE" across the hall to my roomate "want to go find the crash site?"she suffles around in her bed and asks "do we have to leave now, or can we go in like ten minutes" by 7:30 we are on the trail- no map, a broken compass, and no clue. A couple of scribbled notes, a few landmarks, 1 PB&J and 2L of H2O each. A quick two mile "warm up" we find the right trail. See the thing about the crash site is that there is no formal trail to it, you can either climb up to it from Baca Domingo trail. or scale down to it from the La Luz. Anyway we made our way up 2,000ft and 3.5 miles of a very convoluted (tortuous if you will) and overgrown trail to the site. Worth every penny- or calorie of energy spent. The entire plane is still there, in peices spanning from the initial memorial sign, two miles deep into the canyon entire wings ripped off by the canyon walls, the propeller blades, and a bunch of other pieces that I wish anyone of you had been there to identify. Anyway this is one of the neatest and most rewarding hikes I have ever done, partially because we had seen just glimmers of it from above when doing the La Luz trail to sandia peak, partially because it brought us deep into the thicketed woods that I didnt think exhisted in ABQ, forging a trail with someone as open to adventure and make mistakes as me, and topping it off with a stop on the way home to CESARS greek and mexican. Candice got a gyro and i got tacos... everybody wins. Put the wrong memory card in so only had 7 pictures... but I will be back, next time with a little more forethought...dad- i definately should have brought the binoculars! http://picasaweb.google.com/easchulze/TWA?feat=directlink Here is the story of the crashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_260 Happy Trails,Elisabeth

TWA



Two intrepid travelers set out on a trail this morning, they didnt know which one. No map, no knifes, no first aid kit. One PB&J, and 2L water.
6:21 am- after five weeks of pioneering into the greater outdoors fighting our way up peaks, taking granny gear all the way to santa fe and racing through the foothills, I woke up itching for another adventure. I googled the TWA crash site, somewhere between the Baca Domingo trail and La Luz.
6:36 "Hey Candice... want to go find the TWA crash site?"
Candice rummages around in bed "how about in like 10 minutes?"
An hour later we are out at the trail head, thats right an hour from the sheets to the trail.
With a couple of hand written directions and landmarks we embark. A quick mile and a half warm up out on 342, up the Pinos, back 341 over to 230, up the creek, up a 20 foot bank, through a primative trail, back down, over to find two carines leading off to the crash site. 2 miles horizontal, 1,400 feet verticle later we were at the crash site. And let me tell you that was one long convoulted overgrown SOB. chu-know what I'm say'n?
Anyway, totally worth it.

Thursday, July 30

Presenting

How many miles must we march...

Summer time in the city!

This has been one of the best summer's so far.  Summer is this extrenuous force that can not be stopped, hot summer days, the sun burning well into the evening hours and keeping the night warm. And here more than anywhere the energy hangs in the air and then explodes into an evening storm, lighting up the skys.

Today we walked out of class around 2, big dark clouds pulling a curtain over the desert sun. It felt like 8 at night. I spent the afternoon at UNM against the large glass window, the storm erupting infront of me. Went home a couple hours later, the clouds had cleared, and I went for a walk through the air cooled by a summer storm.

Anyway, this summer has been great-- I was nervous about being away from the ocean- but New Mexico has presented more opportunities and summer blessings than I had expected. The last five weeks can be accounted for by two weeks of tennis lessons, 35 batting cage tokens, 3 peaks, 100 miles in the saddle, 50 kilometers of pavement, carrot cakesm, a season of Scrubs, pediatrics and clinic visits. I'm going to have a hard time leaving this place-- its the first place that really feels like mine, and when I leave it I have no one here to come back to. NY, MN, and Norcal are all where my family moved me  I did this one on my own and I feel like it is a really good fit.

I am stoked to be writing the survival guide for next years incoming class- really- I will post it when I get through...

Four weeks of hiking every weekend with the APC. alpine club. antigen presenting cells
El Mapias
La Luz
Mt Taylor
Embudito
So last friday I road my bike up to santa fe with Colleen and Craig, discovered the most delicious chocolate chip cookies in a town called madrid.
Sunday was the big 10k through the sandia foothills


Our downstairs neighbor is moving out, came to our apartment with a moving box of beer and a giant lion pinata. How can you turn that down??