Mas Locos y todos... For me, the celebration of 2008 is more special than ever, and as a result, I have pulled all stops to help create beauty.
As many of you know, It was a difficult late summer/fall for the ol` Caballo, having contracted and just recovered from West Nile virus, then driving my truck over the edge of a 90 foot cliff just before entering my destination of the deep canyon town of Batopilas. I count my blessings; you all, among them.
What probably saved my life was the fact that I took out a tree while falling. That broke the fall. That tree gave her life for me. Thank you sister.
After recovering, a certain intensity to really live came over me. Who knows where or what I will be next year, and I have become obsessed to leave something of sustainable significance behind...hence, the seed farm. I almost traded some of my personal values in exchange for a pretty good donation to our seed farm...NOT to me; to our sustainable agriculture aspect of this run event.
Thanks to our unconditional sponsor, El Zorro del Cielo, and his donation to us through Native Seeds/Search, I will soon be prepared to purchase up to 10 tons of corn for the Raramuri people. The prizes for the top 10 runners is 7 1/2 tons of corn, and any canyon Raramuri who finishes the run receives 500 pounds of corn......After the 10 tons--20 thousand pounds are awarded, anybody else who finishes prizes are up to me to supply. And I hope to have the honor to buy more!
This event is not about the BEST....we want to encourage Raramuri to run, whether good runners or not.
SEEDS: In taking full responsibility for my decision to turn down the gear company offer to donate pretty good--but, not good enough money to our seed farm, in which all of your feedback was very important to me, wondering what the true cost of accepting money from a corporate interest would be, I feel personally obliged to do my best to give back to NS/S and grow that seed farm, so that in the future, we will not have to deliver so much corn.....So that the people will once again take pride in being the self-sufficient, independent ones that they have historically been.
The world is changing. The basic concept of unconditional love remains the same.
It would be really cool to have the ability to go out and win a thousand bucks this race, then give it back to the people! That will not happen for me, so, I pledge a thousand bucks from whatever I earn as a guide this year to our 2009 seed farm.
Thank you all so very much for attending this party....taking the time and expense required to do so.....I REALLY appreciate you, from Mas Locos, to aspiring to be, to aspiring to aspire.
Tu Norawa--amigo, Kaweki Rosakame--Caballo Blanco