I know you guys are saving the world but there have got to be a few that just like to be in the mountains... Here is a story I wrote about a day I had a few years ago. It is still way white out to be walking yet today...
The Best Trophy of All
A few years ago, after an extraordinary winter, I was having the best year ever on finding fresh elk antlers. I was hiking a long ways to get into the ?honey hole? and came up with a plan to access it from much closer to my truck. It involved a rather severe river crossing made even worse by the very high run-off from our record snow pack. Cody, Topaz, and I left the truck at about daylight that very cold, foggy May morning and dropped a mile to the river, crossed a dike above about 80% of the river but the water was so high a side channel had to be crossed as well. This was about 25 feet wide and mid-thigh deep. I could not tell how deep it was, of course, as it was brown with eroded dirt, so I cut off a long pole and used it to probe ahead and brace myself against the current which was enough to make 16? whitewater waves in the channel. I stripped down to my skivvies and socks so as to have dry pants for the day?s hiking, put my boots in the pack along with my spare socks so as to have comfy footsies as well, and waded on in to the freezing water.
Cody, being a young pup, plunged right on in behind me, got swept down river maybe 20 yards before he was able to clamber out on the other side which was a 4 foot snow bank. Topaz has never been a strong swimmer and he knows it, so he balked at my choice of crossings and paralleled us on the first shore looking for a better way. About 50 yards down river he found what he thought he was looking for, but the river had laid a trap. The side channel hit a beaver dam and it had stopped a large number of floating logs creating a filter driving the water underneath them before forcing it to boil up through the debris and over the dam before re- entering the main river channel.
Topaz saw the flat water and jumped in, but it was still deceptively fast and, as they say, still waters ran deep? He was in trouble immediately and I had just gotten my pants back on (but no boots) up on the snow bank. As soon as I saw what he had done I yelled out loud ?I'm gonna lose my dog? to nobody in particular, and without pausing to think tore down the snow and into the frigid water. Topaz realized he was in trouble and turned directly into the current sealing his fate as he slowly lost ground to the suction of the sweeper. I went in neck deep and got pinned against a RR tie at the lead edge of the sweeper as Topaz was being sucked under a few feet farther out. I hooked my left arm over the tie and pulled myself out to my best buddy. I lunged out and got his upper lip as all that was left above water was his nose. I lost my grip and gave one more lurch and could see his eyes lock with mine from under the water as I made a desperate grab and somehow got a handful of collar and wet dog, and pulled hard to get him out of the suction and on the upriver side of me.
Almost instantly I realized how much trouble we were now both in, all I had was an arm around the tie for leverage and now I had to keep us both afloat and out from under the logs. It crossed my mind that the brainless puppy on shore might be the only smart one of the trio, and maybe the only survivor. I held fast to Topaz? collar and slowly hitched my way back the tie in reverse until I could touch with my toes and then we were home free. Up on the snow bank I stripped down buck-ass naked and wrung out as much water as I could from everything I could- it was a bit chilly as I recall, standing wet and naked on 4 feet of snow. But I had dry SOCKS to put on!
I headed as fast as I could up the hill into the ?honey hole? trying to warm up by going up the steepest way. When I finally stopped shivering I realized how screwed I still was, I now had the same river between us and the truck and a private ranch below me. In order to not trespass I would have to go 7 miles before dropping off to a road with no truck waiting for me. Princess had just made me get a cell phone but I had no confidence that it could have survived the swim, but when I dried it off it actually worked and I called her and arranged a pick-up 10 hrs later on the county road.
I started finding fresh antlers everywhere almost immediately, which made me almost forget my chattering teeth. Topaz was hiking right on my heels in a very subdued manner, there was no doubt he realized just how much trouble he had been in, as he is usually a very boisterous hiking companion. I glassed up a big 6 pt. across the gully and started working my way around the side hill to reach it. As I neared the 6pt. I heard him huffing up the hill behind me and looked and he had a fresh 5 pt and was bringing it to me from below. Now Topaz NEVER fetches ?to hand? and always makes me play a game of ?keep away? to take it from him, this time he walked right to me, looked me right in the eye and laid it in my hand with a wag of his tail? ?thanks dad for saving my ass?? but only that one, then we were ?even? and I had to take the rest! I ended up with 9- 6 pts and 10 rag horns which was about all I could handle for a rough 7 mile hike out across the mountain, so I started the long cold slog to my pick-up point.
That night after a hot meal and hot shower I reflected back on my awesome success on finding some of the biggest elk antlers I have ever picked up in 20+ years of pursuing them. But when I reached down next to the bed I was able to rub on the ears of the real trophy I brought off the mountain that day?
The Best Trophy of All
A few years ago, after an extraordinary winter, I was having the best year ever on finding fresh elk antlers. I was hiking a long ways to get into the ?honey hole? and came up with a plan to access it from much closer to my truck. It involved a rather severe river crossing made even worse by the very high run-off from our record snow pack. Cody, Topaz, and I left the truck at about daylight that very cold, foggy May morning and dropped a mile to the river, crossed a dike above about 80% of the river but the water was so high a side channel had to be crossed as well. This was about 25 feet wide and mid-thigh deep. I could not tell how deep it was, of course, as it was brown with eroded dirt, so I cut off a long pole and used it to probe ahead and brace myself against the current which was enough to make 16? whitewater waves in the channel. I stripped down to my skivvies and socks so as to have dry pants for the day?s hiking, put my boots in the pack along with my spare socks so as to have comfy footsies as well, and waded on in to the freezing water.
Cody, being a young pup, plunged right on in behind me, got swept down river maybe 20 yards before he was able to clamber out on the other side which was a 4 foot snow bank. Topaz has never been a strong swimmer and he knows it, so he balked at my choice of crossings and paralleled us on the first shore looking for a better way. About 50 yards down river he found what he thought he was looking for, but the river had laid a trap. The side channel hit a beaver dam and it had stopped a large number of floating logs creating a filter driving the water underneath them before forcing it to boil up through the debris and over the dam before re- entering the main river channel.
Topaz saw the flat water and jumped in, but it was still deceptively fast and, as they say, still waters ran deep? He was in trouble immediately and I had just gotten my pants back on (but no boots) up on the snow bank. As soon as I saw what he had done I yelled out loud ?I'm gonna lose my dog? to nobody in particular, and without pausing to think tore down the snow and into the frigid water. Topaz realized he was in trouble and turned directly into the current sealing his fate as he slowly lost ground to the suction of the sweeper. I went in neck deep and got pinned against a RR tie at the lead edge of the sweeper as Topaz was being sucked under a few feet farther out. I hooked my left arm over the tie and pulled myself out to my best buddy. I lunged out and got his upper lip as all that was left above water was his nose. I lost my grip and gave one more lurch and could see his eyes lock with mine from under the water as I made a desperate grab and somehow got a handful of collar and wet dog, and pulled hard to get him out of the suction and on the upriver side of me.
Almost instantly I realized how much trouble we were now both in, all I had was an arm around the tie for leverage and now I had to keep us both afloat and out from under the logs. It crossed my mind that the brainless puppy on shore might be the only smart one of the trio, and maybe the only survivor. I held fast to Topaz? collar and slowly hitched my way back the tie in reverse until I could touch with my toes and then we were home free. Up on the snow bank I stripped down buck-ass naked and wrung out as much water as I could from everything I could- it was a bit chilly as I recall, standing wet and naked on 4 feet of snow. But I had dry SOCKS to put on!
I headed as fast as I could up the hill into the ?honey hole? trying to warm up by going up the steepest way. When I finally stopped shivering I realized how screwed I still was, I now had the same river between us and the truck and a private ranch below me. In order to not trespass I would have to go 7 miles before dropping off to a road with no truck waiting for me. Princess had just made me get a cell phone but I had no confidence that it could have survived the swim, but when I dried it off it actually worked and I called her and arranged a pick-up 10 hrs later on the county road.
I started finding fresh antlers everywhere almost immediately, which made me almost forget my chattering teeth. Topaz was hiking right on my heels in a very subdued manner, there was no doubt he realized just how much trouble he had been in, as he is usually a very boisterous hiking companion. I glassed up a big 6 pt. across the gully and started working my way around the side hill to reach it. As I neared the 6pt. I heard him huffing up the hill behind me and looked and he had a fresh 5 pt and was bringing it to me from below. Now Topaz NEVER fetches ?to hand? and always makes me play a game of ?keep away? to take it from him, this time he walked right to me, looked me right in the eye and laid it in my hand with a wag of his tail? ?thanks dad for saving my ass?? but only that one, then we were ?even? and I had to take the rest! I ended up with 9- 6 pts and 10 rag horns which was about all I could handle for a rough 7 mile hike out across the mountain, so I started the long cold slog to my pick-up point.
That night after a hot meal and hot shower I reflected back on my awesome success on finding some of the biggest elk antlers I have ever picked up in 20+ years of pursuing them. But when I reached down next to the bed I was able to rub on the ears of the real trophy I brought off the mountain that day?
