For the past three years Eric and I have been
anticipating this hunt! Even all that anticipation did not prepare me
for adventures that would take place. I took a few short video logs
throughout the trip just to help give you guys an idea of what it was
like. After a two-day, 20 something-hour trip, and once base camp was
set up, I took the first video (Oct 9th).
(Base camp wall tent)
The next day, after devotions with our small group,
Eric and I got all our gear together for our spike camp. We brought
enough gear and food to stay on the mountain four nights if need be.
After a 13 mile drive from base camp, we were dropped off at the trail
head. That's when the work began! We packed in about 2 miles from the
trail head and set up our spike camp at 10,600ft. We were able to do a
little scouting and spotted a herd of elk in a high isolated meadow.
Two bulls bugled deep into the night and got Eric and I very excited for
the coming morning and the open of season! We also glassed a monster
mule deer buck at 200yds for a while that night. Here is the video from
that day (Oct 10th). 
(All the gear we took up to spike camp)
(If you look close you might see mule deer. Right from our tent.)
Opening morning arrived with the sound of bugling
bulls! We got ready quickly and started after the sound. With 10
minutes till legal shooting light, Eric and I found ourselves laying
prone hiding in some long grass on the top of a hill looking down on two
bulls at just over 200yds. It was too good to be true, and with 5
minutes till shooting light they went into the woods never to return. We
spent the rest of the day without seeing any more elk, though we did
see some nice mule deer bucks. At last light, Eric spotted elk once
again on the high meadow. Our plan the next day: somehow find a way to
that high meadow.
(Oct 11th)
Sunday Oct 12: the most adventurous and toughest day of my life. We started climbing the mountain at first
light and after about two hours we had reached the tree line on this
particular 11,600ft summit. It was tough and slow going. We had to
pick our steps carefully and hold onto trees, but we made it. At the
top we stopped, took some pictures, and sat there for a while. When we
went to continue, we were dismayed to find a rock slide between the
summit and the meadow with the elk. There was no way around it--only
across it. We took our time and were very careful, but I wouldn't want
to do it again! We made it across and found out that we were still over
400yds from the meadow. About that time we had a huge thunder snow
roll in. For the rest of the day it was cold, wet, and windy. We took
refuge under some pine trees for several hours before moving in closer
to the meadow. We were not able to find a vantage point, so we took our
chances and sat on the edge of the meadow. There was a high ridge in
the middle, so Eric and I sat on opposite sides. Luckily, Eric's bull
came by at four in the afternoon, and he made a great shot and put it
down. We were both freezing and were glad to get to work again. It
took us two hours to cut up the elk. We packed out half the elk that
night on a tough downhill hike in the wet fresh snow. Once we got
back, I was extremely fatigued and was feeling very sick (altitude and
dehydration, I'd guess). The weather was still nasty (windy and in the
teens), and we felt it safest to wait until the next morning to get the
rest of the elk. I could not even eat supper, and just went straight to
bed. It was a little scary being out on the mountain while so tired and
sick. I felt far away from anything safe and warm. The next morning
was very cold, and all of our water and filter were frozen and had to be
thawed out. All our gear was wet, and we were tired. Thank the Lord
for answered prayer because the afternoon brought warmth and sunshine.
We made an ETA to be picked up at noon (via satellite texting). As we
were packing the first half of the elk out from spike camp, I told Eric
that if I saw a bull I would not shoot it because I was too fatigued to
pack out two elk the remaining miles. That turned out not be true!
Not five minutes later I looked up over my shoulder to see a bull
standing on the hill! I tried whistling to Eric as he was ahead of me
50yds, but he couldn't hear me and he just kept walking down the hill. I
had to dismount my pack, chamber a round (did not want to fall walking
down the mountain and shoot myself), take off my scope cover, and extent
my bi-pod. All the while Eric was still walking down the hill. How
the bull did not see us, I have no idea! I guessed that he was 250yds
as I did not have time for my rangefinder (it turned out to be 311yds).
What a blessing the bull ran down hill towards us and expired only a
couple hundred yards from the trail! We spent the entire rest of the
day packing out elk. It took seven trips to get all the meat off the
mountain. A huge thanks to Eric and his brother in law for the help!!!
(Our thunder snow sanctuary)
(View from our sanctuary)
(Back at base camp! Heat!!!!)
(Eric's Uncle tagged out while we were on the mountain too!)
The rest of the trip included packing out a calf and cow that the rest of our party took as well as butchering all of the meat. We finished cutting it up in time to enjoy a few hours on Wednesday (Oct 15th) around the fire before our long trip back on Thursday and Friday. The trip was a whirlwind, but I was still able to spend a lot of time with my dad, though not while hunting. Even though he did not tag out, we had a generous party and he still came home with some meat. We went 5 for 8 in our group in a 20% success unit! What a trip!!!
(My dad on Sunday)
(Pat with his cow.)
(Cutting meat)
(1,000 pounds of meat!)
