Friday, November 11, 2005

Hunt 2005 - Day 7

On the morning of the last day we pulled out of camp on our way to the towers. Dave drove the motorhome, I pulled the atv trailer with Dave's truck, and Dalton drove my truck. We had to stop in Delta to get diesel for Dave's truck and when we were pulling out I lost those guys on the highway. We wasted an hour looking for each other and it made us late to our spot.

As we were riding up the road, we saw the game warden's pickup. When we got to the top we seen his atv. Since I had lost my wallet, I decided not to carry my rifle even though I was perfectly legal. You must have your license with you, and I figured it wasn't worth the hassle. I resigned myself to bird dogging for Dave. Dalton couldn't carry a gun either, because he already bagged his elk.

After watching the valley for a while, we decided to head on up. Dave and Dalton on would walk the ridge, and I would go through the middle. I wanted to make it all the way to burn, but after hiking until 11 am, I realized I didn't have time. I seen a hunter way up on Indian Point; some day I will have to get there. I believe he came from the top.

I met up with Dave and Dalton at the high tower and ate lunch. Itstarted to rain, so we decided to start hiking back. We had seen no elk, but had heard shots and guys on the radio chasing a bull. As we hiked down it was raining pretty good and we could see it was snowing higher on the mountain. Dalton was getting cold and didn't like the pace Dave was setting, so he got pissed and walked out ahead of us. Freezing rain is by far the worst conditions to hunt in. Even though I was very cold and wet, I was enjoying the unique experience of the outdoors. The smells and moody views in the rain make me feel close to nature.

Back at the ATVs we knew it was going to be a muddy mess getting down the road. I was soaked to the bone, cold as hell, and covered in mud by the time we got to the pickup. After arriving at Dave's house, we spent until midnight cutting up Dalton's elk. Dennis and Tammy came by to check out Dalton's bull.

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