Bookcliffs elk hunt

My friend Paul, that I have been hunting with for over 10 years, drew out a premium archery elk tag in the Bookcliffs, Utah.  I offered to help him out along with a few of his family and long time family friends.  I love going out there even though the folks I have hunted with there for the prior 2 years came up empty handed.  Its a 5 hour drive from my house.  The last hour and a half is around 70 miles on a gravel road.  Lots of oil wells out there but the area was preserved for wildlife over 10 years ago and there are a lot of deer, elk, bison, wild horses, bears, cougars, free range cattle and more.  Its awsome what the Utah fish and game department have done there. 
So, I started hunting with Paul on his third day of the hunt and hunted with him three of my five days out there.  The first day it was like the sound of music and wild kingdom coming together.  The elk were bugling everywhere and the big bulls were gathering up their cows for the mating season.  They were also chasing off the less dominant bulls which was a riot to watch.  This is what elk hunting is all about.  I would have had a great time even if Paul had not killed a nice bull.  We hunted long and hard the first two days when Paul's long time family friend offered to go with us mid-day to a place he had heard bulls the evening before.  Well, 5 of us marched in 3.5 miles to this meadow on the top of a mountain.  The elevation is around 8,300 ft at camp.  The bulls were bugling on all sides of us and we heard one that seemed less than a quarter mile away that was making a lot of noise.  Paul decided to move forward.  We waited for hours, hearing bulls come close to where we thought Paul had set up.  Finally, a bull came in to challenge the bull that Paul was after.  The bull came across a canyon and up the hill within 20 yards of Paul's son who hid behind some scrub oak.  I also ducked as fast as I could to the ground only seeing a glimps of the bull.  The bull had no idea we were even there.  It kept to its task, moving on to challenge the other bugling bull.  As Paul heard the new bull closing in, he turned his attention to it, moving down the hill a few yards to get a closer look.  Then, he set up behind a tree and as the bull came closer, he drew back and closed the deal, hitting the bull with his arrow at around 45 yards.  The bull turned and ran back in its tracks but it was too late.  It fell about 50 yards later.  We all helped de-bone the bull for the pack out. What an experience.  I have killed several bull elk with my rifle, but this was the first time I have been with someone who killed a bull with a bow and arrow.  A great hunt that will create great memories and stories for a lifetime.

Red Castle, Utah

Wow! Another great four day adventure to Red Castle.  From Mountain View, Wy we traveled 20+ miles down a dirt road back into Utah to the trailhead.  Then we hiked 13.5 miles to our campsite, in very tall pines at 11.5k feet elevation, just below Red Castle Lake. The weather was perfect, upper 70's during the day, low 40's at night.  We spent two entire days fishing and hiking around.  I caught at least 30 trout in two days. Of course we threw most of them back but ate trout for lunch one day and once for a late night snack.  The campfire, majestic setting, solitude, amaizing sunsets/rises, and stars that you thought were just out of arms reach made for some extreme relaxation.  It takes a lot to silence my mind.  This trip accomplished that every day. Heading for the Bookcliffs soon for some hiking, wildlife photography, and to help a friend with his archery elk hunt.  Should be some more great memories.

The next hike

The Wind Rivers left their mark on me last week. Wow! The timing was perfect for me. Now, off to the Uintas here in Utah back to Red Castle in two weeks and maybe at hike to Kings Peak, tallest peak in Utah, later this month. Down 18 pounds this year - I can tackle most any of these hikes in North America now. I am so lucky to have a great friend like Larry to go with.

Wind River Mountain Range, Wy, 2011

Wow! Wind River Range in Wyoming is one of the premier hiking trips in the US and one that I will never forget. We started from the trail at Pole Creek near Pinedale, Wy. We hiked into our base camp at Pole Creek Lake and then explored from there. The best part of the trip was exploring the outlet from Pole Creek Lake and following the river to these beautifull waterfalls emptying into Thousand Island Lake. The fishing was the best day ever for trout. Larry and I caught around 30 big fish between us. After a while I would almost giggle every time I got a big hit on my lure. The timing of this trip was amaizing. With all of the vast world and possibilities out there, where do I go next? What is really important in life? 4 days in the wilderness, miles and miles away from the hustle and bustle, can really help you get back to who you are in this world. It was an awsome trip. I think I got it :).

Last Days at AMEX

25 years at AMEX over this week. May sound weird but I loved every minute. Best part of my career was the last 4 years when we were the best site in the world for service and I was the leader of the pack. And, I had the best team and friendships. I am free now to explore the next adventure. We will see where I go from here.

Washington Lake

Fun daddy dughter camping at Washington Lake for 3 days. Jess loves smores and campfires. She hates bugs so getting her out of the camper was a challenge at tiimes. Nice to get away with just the two of us. This site is at 10k foot elevation so notice the snow on the mountain. The campground opened a few weeks late this year and cut our trip by 4 days on the front end due to snow and tree removal. Snow was all around the trails. Fishing was great!

boulder mountains

Lots of fun fishing in the Boulder Mountains. Came back through Escallante on Hwy 12. Hells Backbone, most interesting stretch of road I have ever been on in UT.