Keeping A Secret....

[MinnesotaHunter]

I am going to be hitting refresh all day at work....

 

[noharleyyet]

Moar bytes please:

 

[Hem]

Random thoughts with coffee.

Starting to wrack up days scouting, nights in the backcountry, miles covered, vertical climbed. Shedding a few lbs off the mid section. Legs are feeling great. Knee joints a little cranky. I'm often amazed I can still stand up ...over thirty years of bagging peaks, mountain biking, telemark skiing, and construction. I try to shrug off the aging thing . I am no purist nor do I get sucked in to the latest fitness trend...Crossfit, Mountain fitness.
But I do workout 3-4 times a week with physical play on the weekends. Its a lifestyle . I am always anticipating the next season of outdoor fun.
So I am enjoying myself scouting.

Haven't seen many sheep. Lots of goats, in fact I counted 70 nannies/kids in one herd. No bears. A smattering of elk to include a couple of good bulls. I did get a quick glimpse of a wolverine. Years ago I watched one run across a scree field under Gallatin Peak summit.
Back to sheep..
It was exciting to spot rams for the first time. Thrilling actually. I watched a group of 6 for an afternoon, evening, and morning. More, I should say I studied them trying to absorb as much information as possible. Trying to determine patterns or tendencies. Wicked hot, dry summer. Water and green grass a premium. I also was trying to dial my eyes in to recognizing sheep from a long ways off. I watched the 6 vanish in to the rocks, and reappear. They all bedded down in a clump of low growth for hours invisible. Sage advice, look for the biggest rams running solo and sticking to the timber. This was the proverbial needle in a haystack.

I bought a used one man tent from a friend. Last summer my previous one blew apart in a storm up in the Pintlers. Bivies really aren't fun. Don't know why I bothered....didn't I say something about rekindling youthfulness. Bugs buzzing your head, gore tex NOT breathing, hotdog in a bun.
The challenge is to pare down weight...unless you are Greenhorn and think nothing of stacking a case in pack.
I kept reminding myself that things would only get heavier once I was actually hunting.
So the 3 lb Big Agnes was perfect...especially for $150.
And works in inclement weather.
Pics of a bust weekend fogged out.
Snow/hail...you know, typical mountain weather at 10k.
In a brief window of visibility i watched a grizzly 300 yds below the tent.
Great..
Mostly I could see maybe 40 yds.
Now , more than ever, I kept reminding myself .." I don't bother the bears,and they don't bother me"
Next day I wanted to bug out of there but there was NO way I was walking grizzly ridge with 40 yard visibility. Call me chicken but I waited for things to open up.

 

[antlerradar]

This has the makings of a fantastic story. Thanks for taking us on the ride and in the words of Gerald Martin, "to places I will never get to experience".

Also happy to know that I am not the most long winded story teller on HT.

 

[Hem]

Shifting locations now focusing further West in the unit. Good ,clear weather.
Some company....
Crap , I gotta get to work.

 

[Hem]

This has the makings of a fantastic story. Thanks for taking us on the ride and in the words of Gerald Martin, "to places I will never get to experience".

Also happy to know that I am not the most long winded story teller on HT.

You know, I feel I owe it to Hunttalk.
Kick back. Relax.
Bumper sticker:. Why did you move here to be in a hurry?

 

[Hem]

Tease:

 

[rtraverdavis]

 

[Ben Lamb]

Judges are in various states of tumescence.

 

[EKYHunter]

Wow! Loving this.

 

[Rzrbck918]

Thanks for this...refreshing with unreasonable frequency for the foreseeable future.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Spoiler alert. There are no gas stations in any of the pics ..

 

[morley.tyler]

Tease:View attachment 198281

 

[Irrelevant]

This is pretty sweet @Hem

Nothing beats mountain time.

 

[Doublecluck]

This is awesome, I don’t even care if I never draw a S/G tag, just want one of my daughters to while I can still walk. Just experiencing these hunts has to be awesome. sounds life changing.

 

[Hem]

This is pretty sweet @Hem

Nothing beats time mountain time.

Always got the feeling you understood from your posts.

 

[Hem]

This is awesome, I don’t even care if I never draw a S/G tag, just want one of my daughters to while I can still walk. Just experiencing these hunts has to be awesome. sounds life changing.

You nailed it..life changing. Tough to describe.

 

[Hem]

Working on stuff.
Off to pound nails.

 

[Redside]

Awesome! Looking forward to more!

 

[noharleyyet]