Wapiti with an Arrow: October 2006

Weekend of Adventure

Weekend of adventure. Have you ever had one of those? Where there are big ups and downs throughout the entire thing…nothing too bad or too good…but just enough to balance everything out, but still leaving you conked out on Sunday night?

I had one of those weekends. It all began with the plan to go hunting on Saturday. Luckily, on Friday night, I was attempting to start the truck and all I got was “click click click click.” Great. This is AFTER putting in the clutch, inching back and lodging the brush guard against the carport support. It wasn’t in there bad and if I could have kept rolling, I could have angled the truck downhill and popped the clutch…but no. I got stuck blocking the roadway. So, I ran inside and got the landlord who pulled me to a point where I could ease it into another parking spot out of the way. He jumped me once and then it died. Meanwhile, my cousin was on his way over. The landlord said, “You’re cousin is on his way? Well, then I’m going back inside.” Thanks a lot. Butch finally arrived and with his big diesel engine, it didn’t take any time at all to jump the truck again, I took off, trying to recharge the battery. On my way down a steep switchback, the engine died, the power steering gave out, and I was pretty close to going over an embankment. But, I muscled it to the bottom of the hill, got another jump, made it to a gas station down the road and it died again. “This just isn’t going to work” we both said. Butch pushed me into a parking space and he took me to a bonfire they were having. After sitting out there for a bit, and drinking a bit much, I asked if he was going to take me home. He said, “No. You are staying here and tomorrow morning we’re going to fix your truck.” Ok.

So that’s what we did. After a bunch of messing around getting a battery, finding tools, getting the wrong tools, going to Ace and getting the RIGHT tools, blah blah…we had the new battery in. After about a minute of idling with my foot on the gas, the computer finally reset itself and it ran fine! But, by this time it was about 12:00 and I really didn’t want to take the truck up into the woods. So I drove around town, starting and stopping, testing in “secure” areas where people could help me out if it decided to quit again. But all was well.

So, instead of getting firewood on Sunday I headed into the woods. I found a neat place close to town (rather than the two hour drive I normally do) that was full of tall hemlock with an open understory. Very pleasant to walk in, something I haven’t been able to say about this area until now. I poked around for a couple hours…ran into a deer scrape trail…and cruised along that for awhile. Now, I’ve seen this bowhunting video clip where this fella throws his arms in the air and whisper-yells, “WE HEARD A BUGLE! WE HEARD A BUGLE.” You know they were just getting more and more disappointed for NOT hearing something, then when they did it was a big relief. That’s what happened to me when I saw a NICE buck running through the trees. Did I mention it was a beautiful morning until I stepped into the woods? The rain started, then the wind blew about 20 miles per hour…so my scent was swirling all over the place…no chance to REALLY get on something in conditions like that. But I saw my first deer with horns over here. I will go back to this spot! Well, I tracked him for a bit, then decided I was done and plenty wet enough. So I walked back up to a spur road I had crossed on the way in and headed east for a mile...the wrong direction of course. I finally figured this out and turned around…the place I had marked when I hit the road off the ridge was 200 yards from where I came up out of the hole! But, it all worked out. (I had been starting to worry a little bit.)

I got to the truck, put on a dry coat and headed off to where I THOUGHT was going to be a pass. Nope. I ended up at some random saddle. In looking at the map, I was on a completely different road than I thought I was on! Hmmm, wrong turn at the LAST saddle I guess. In consulting the map, I decided to check out a WMA while I was over there. In driving down this road I found a grouse and made my first kill! Hitting a grouse in the head at 20 yards with a .22 pistol is some good shooting. I was pleased.

I drove down to the pavement and made a turn to where I thought I should go. Of course, again, I took the wrong road, and ended up somewhere completely different than what I thought! “Jeez, what is WITH me?” I thought. Driving on a narrow, windy road in the pounding rain…I almost got my deer! This little doe ambled out in front of me….the antilock brakes work well! But, after an hour, I was home.

So you see the ups and downs? Truck dies so I can’t hunt on the gorgeous fall day of the weekend. Got the truck going and got to hunt on the lousy fall day of the weekend. Saw a buck, found a nice area. Almost got lost in the rain and cold. Got turned around on the roads, but found a neat area. Almost hit a deer, but found a turkey, and killed a grouse. Then, realized the comfort of a warm house and bacon and eggs for dinner!

What a time.

It was a "hunt"

This was about all we did

So this kid, in a strange non-blood way, is actually related to me. (One of those "by law" things that when you have a relative who marries a gal with kids, then that guy HAS a kid...you know.) He was a lot of fun, and definitely the center of attention around this hunting camp.

Went up to visit my cousin's camp along Pend O'reille this past weekend. I arrived too late to go hunting on Saturday morning, but figured an evening hunt was planned...or a trip out on the big boat to do some fishing. BUT, to make a short story even shorter...no one really wanted to go out. "We'll spend all day tomorrow on the boat fishing." Cool. No problem with that. So a camp life it was. The most memorable thing that happened was that we got to introduce Drew there to shooting an air rifle for the first time. That was fun and he was pretty excited about it.

Then, at about three in the morning, the weather predictions came true and it rained. Rained. Oh yea, then it rained. And this wasn't a "misting" this was RAIN. We hung out until about 10:00, then the guy with the boat bailed...he was done with it. Since none of us wanted to trudge around in the sopping woods...we also decided to call it. We cleaned up the camp, put things up, and took off.

The road into this place is extremely bumpy, and after 30 miles (roughly an hour and a half) I made it to the blacktop and zoomed home. Then, the rest of the next couple hours was spent trying to dry gear inside my little house (since it was still raining.)

That was about as uneventful as it gets. It was good though. I got to hang out with some nice folks, around a campfire, and swap stories. Oh, and I DID go look for grouse that evening...so technically, I DID hunt. HA!

Alright, this has nothing to do with hunting.

The photos that follow this were of my short (too short) weekend in Glacier National Park. My solo trip up there for the first time.

I took off at nearly noon on Saturday, too late for my taste, but it worked out that way. The damn cat wouldn't come in, I was disorganized (despite my best efforts) and I wanted to SLEEP! So I finally came to leaving, thinking I had no worries, but then I realized Montana is in a different time zone! Shoot! After driving for nearly five hours, I arrived at Glacier. I paid the stupid $20 ($25?) entrance fee for a WEEK pass (no day pass) and then went looking for a camping spot in Apgar. I thought I might be able to find a nice, quiet spot away from anyone who MIGHT be there.

Nothing doing. It was a three day weekend. Everyone and their dog was there. Not to mention they closed off three of the loops in Apgar...out of FIVE. FIVE! Shoot, so I cruised around and found the quietest place I could. Turns out, the three freaking motorhomes parked 40 yards away were a group! And after getting camp set up, a trip to the lake, they came back from whatever they were doing. And fired up the generators! ALL of them. Since they talked loudly, I could hear the reason was to, "have a nice hot shower tonight." Yea, after your long day of driving. UGGGH. So that when on for a bit, then they started a fire and all sat around, drinking, and talking too loud for the woods. Honestly. I learned that "Angie" is a government employee, something in taxes, her son "john" has a new girlfriend...blah blah blah....oh, and so and so got, "Eight miles to the gallon! How about THAT!" Yea, that's an achievement. You could hear everything they said at 40 yards! TOO much. I was fed up. Loud talking and generators until 10:00 at night will do that to you.

I bailed.

But not like you'd think! You see, the forecast was rainy, snow in the high country, and your general nasty-weather. But in my haste to leave I forgot my extra tarp and my CHAIR. The chair is the most important. So, I stopped in Kalispel and bought another folding chair and a small tarp. Ok. So when this all got too much for me at the loaded (literally) campground, I took off for the pass! Yep...and even saw a bear on the way! Once I arrived at roughly 7000 feet, I rigged the tarp over the bed of the pickup, threw in the sleeping pad and sleeping bag, and I had a camp! (see photos!) A quick supper of Raman over a camp stove in the leeway of a tire, and I was turning in! (Not after roaming around for a bit. Did I mention it was a full moon? FREAKING GORGEOUS up on Logan Pass, alone, in the middle of the night, in OCTOBER!)

So come morning, I was worried about getting "caught" camping on the pass. I wasn't sure if it was legal or not. So I was up at about 5:30 Montana time, took care of the "camp," and then just hunkered down. In the truck? NO. That would be wussy! So, I went on a hike in the dark (did I mention I forgot my headlamp? Yea, remembered the book...but no freaking headlamp! Ugh.) So I stumbled along a trail a bit. Waited, waited, waited for the sun to rise. It was 7:30 before it rose! Or at least when it was light enough for pictures to show up well. I seriously need another camera, one where I can leave the shutter open. It was simply magnificent up there during the hours of twilight. And snow. And clouds. But you could still SEE everything. Very weird. Wish I could have captured that.

So anywho, I made some coffee after it got light. Then I headed down and took photos the entire way. I think I have 112 total. Many were FUBAR because of the darkness, but I tried. I tried some in front of the Avalanche sign, some at the Logan Pass sign, etc.

Then I drove another (close to) five hours home. Took care of my gear (letting it dry now) and will get ready for next weekend. I shall head to my cousin's camp near Pend O'reille and go hunt some deer. The THIRD weekend of camping in a row. Shoot...love it.