adventure

Airport Talk- Overhead Space

Hunted by all types, but only caught by the fittest and the swiftest: overhead space.

Overhead space has become something revered by all passengers. As airlines began fully booking flights, the struggle to find enough overhead space became REAL. There is nothing worse than boarding the plane with your roller bag, only to find it doesn’t fit in the seemingly always shrinking overhead compartments. As I said in my previous post, I usually board the plane first. This means I get to oversee people using, and more importantly misusing the overhead space. Here are a few rules that I think should be followed when regarding overhead space on airplanes:

  1. Get your essentials out of your bag before you board the plane. This will allow you to put your bag up, sit down, buckle up, and not have to hold up the boarding process because you forgot your KitKat and travel pillow overhead.
  2. On a similar note, act quickly. There is a whole line of people behind you who are holding their bags, overheating as they yell at their screaming children to quiet down, and they can’t move until you do. Don’t be that person that holds everyone up.
  3. You don’t have to put your luggage in your specific overhead space. So grab it while you can… it’s never easy to back track and push you’re way back up the aisle to use that overhead compartment you passed.
  4. If it fits under your seat, put it under your seat.
  5. If the compartment is deep enough put your bag in lengthwise to save room.
  6. Be aware of your surroundings. I have seen too many people whack their neighbor with their luggage as they put it into the overhead compartment. Ouch.
  7. Help your neighbors. If you see an old lady or gentlemen struggling to lift their luggage up, be a good citizen and HELP THEM.
  8. Lastly, if you’re cheap-o depot and bring an extra big carry on bag because you don’t want to pay the $25 to check it, (I don’t judge you), plane-side check your bag before you get on the plane. If it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit. I took physics in high school… so I’d know. And if you don’t want to plane-side check your bag… learn a new and more efficient way to pack! [Packing tutorial coming soon!]

Maps… They help.

A few Sundays ago I went on another trip with hiking club. It was an easy day hike up to Lake Haiyaha in Rocky National Park.

The day was pleasant, but I can’t help but compare these adventures with those from last year. The biggest thing that stood out to me was that no one had a map. Even the trip leaders seemed to be confused as to where we were supposed to go. Obviously, we spent some time ‘lost.’ For those of us without snowshoes, trekking through the deep snow off trail was a workout. I think I enjoyed it more than others. I began to think Lake Haiyaha would be the next Bergamo…(for those who get it, get it.) Don’t get me wrong– the day was still fun, and getting lost was just part of the adventure. Maybe I wasn’t feeling the adventure that day, but I just couldn’t get over how strange (and semi-irresponsible) it was to be map and compass-less.

Alas, we eventually found our way to the lake and were greeted with ferocious cutting winds. It was bitter cold, but that didn’t stop me from removing my hands from my mittens in order to set up the GoPro for a group pic.

Thanks to Alec and his Strava app, we have our GPS route recorded from the morning hike.

Overall, a nice day.

A Sunrise Hike

The other weekend Gil and I braved the cold and awoke before sunrise. We made our way to Chautauqua, at the base of the flatirons, and proceeded to work our way up.

The hike was gratifying, despite bumping my head on a rock and developing a bump the size of a golf ball.

The view was quite worth it. Wedged between two rocks, we ate our cheese sticks and peanuts and soaked up the sun before heading back down.

After making it off the mountain, Gil and I went to the Farmer’s Market and got some delicious (and over-priced) breakfast before returning to campus and crashing in bed. It was a wonderful last morning hike before the snow came and covered everything in white!