First - Get a copy of a government crash report - in my case it was a log of all the B-17's, B-24's and B-25's that crashed in Colorado during WWII, with the crash coordinates noted by lat and long.
Second - Talk to a veteran or anyone that may have FIRST PERSON knowledge of said crashes. In my case it was with a guy that visited the crash site and took some real cool pictures, in this case of a B-24 that crashed on a mountain top.
Third - Confirm confirm confirm with noted knowledgeable party the location, in my case on the top of Trichera Peak, a 14,000 +foot mountain in the Sange De Cristo Mountain Range to the west/southwest of Colorado Springs. The Springs was a major B-24 training base and lots of planes were unfortunately lost during wartime training.
Fourth - Pack a good three or four day supply of goods, including cold whether gear (you never know at 14K), food, water, a USGS topo map and a compass.
Fifth - Take a buddy with you - it is better to hike in pairs when going up high. Also take a case of MGD and some nice choice cuts of steak for grilling for said hiking buddy.
Sixth - Hike approx 1/2 way up the mountain so that you can get an early start in the AM the next day. Imperative that you spend at least three or four hours at the crash site logging in data plates and snapping pictures of the site.
Seventh - Marvel at the tenacity of the huge raven-like birds of death, that swoop down and pull a 1/2 pound steak from the hot frying pan as if it was a feather - only to fly off and leave you hungry and PO'd that you did not bring any other food.
Eighth - Wake up in the am, so early in fact that the sun is just rising and the temperature is about 30 degrees - cold enough to freeze your water bottle that you conveniently left outside the tent just in case the huge raven-like birds of death were thirsty. Try to wake up your hiking buddy that managed to drink 10 of the 12 MGD's that you carried on your back up to the campsite. Eventually realize that he is going nowhere given the acute effects of alcohol at altitude and begin your ascent alone.
Ninth - When you get above tree-line, recall how it would been much easier had you actually used the membership to the gym to workout and get the lungs and heart ready for said ascent. Make sure you take four steps, turn and sit to catch breath. Rise, take another four steps and then sit again to catch your breath. Repeat nearly 100 times, until, with much fanfare, you arrive at the summit, making sure that you traversed the right part of the mountain to get to the spot where the plane resides.
Tenth and final step - Upon reaching the summit, of the correct mountain, after two long days of hiking and lung bursting agony, laugh hysterically as the airplane which you seek - in my case a B-24 - is nowhere in sight, having (you find this out later at the nearest bar in the nearest town) been recovered by scrap metal hunters approximately three months earlier.
Epilog - When you get home, feel free to follow up on the urge to burn the special top-secret coordinate listings, and vow "never again" to chase such dreams.
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