Let It Snow

We got more snow today. Yikes. Another few inches. It's ironic actually, as I used to hate winter. Now, it's not so bad. I used to hate snow. Now, when we get a few inches, it's no so bad. I used to hate driving in the snow. Well, I still hate driving in the snow. I don't think that will ever change. I used to hate the cold. Now, cooler temperatures are OK, although frigid temperatures still suck.

Today, I went to the casino for a few hours. Upon leaving, the snow was already coming down. By the time I got across the river, the visibility was 1/2 mile or below, and traffic on the interstate came to an extremely slow pace. The roads were horrible. I guess the first snow that came down actually melted, then flash froze as temperatures still tumbled down. The roads were extremely icy as a result. It was scary. Actually, it took 1 and 1/2 hours to get home, in what usually takes only 30 minutes. Wow, I couldn't believe how slick it was.

And so, after arriving home, I decided that snow wasn't so bad. It's actually kind of pretty, especially when the wind doesn't blow. It blankets everything, and hides the ugliness. Our dog didn't like it very much, but otherwise, it's beautiful.

Hunting Success

Phew, I can only say that I got my tuckus kicked today. Ron got his elk. And, it took us ALL day to get it off the mountain. I am so sick. My cold is settling into my chest, and I feel horrible. I'm so glad that we're going home tomorrow. I don't want to be here anymore.

This morning started as it did yesterday. We were up at 430 AM and on the road by 500 AM. It was a foggy morning. Dense fog had settled into the valley. It seems the fresh snowpack, along with clear skies and very cold temperatures allowed dense fog to develop. However, as we ascended in elevation, we quickly drove out of it with a veil of fog below us. It was weird.

Upon driving up the trail to the mountain, we came across a spike elk. He was alongside the trail, and then bolted around the corner. As we drove further in, he stopped and looked at us. He was 25 feet from the truck. We drove around for awhile, commenting on how nice it would be if an elk would scamper onto the trail we were driving. We found a point to drive out onto. It didn't offer the best vantage point, so we found another point. And, it didn't take long. It was about 630 AM, just 5 minutes after the legal time to start shooting.

Ron got out of the truck to hike down the hill just a bit. He asked if I wanted to come. I was feeling very sick. I declined, and said I'd watch the hills from the truck, and if I saw something, I'd come get him. It wasn't more than 5 minutes and I heard a shot. Then another. And finally a third. I glanced over to my right, and saw three elk running down the hillside. They were about 300 yards away. Then they were gone. I got out of the truck and ran to where Ron was standing. He said he saw 4 elk, and thought he hit the third one, because the shot ended with a thud. We waited. We scanned the hillside. But, we didn't see anything. Then, on the far hillside, about 600 or 700 yards away, we saw three elk, standing, waiting, looking back. But, we didn't see the fourth elk. It gave us more confidence that Ron indeed had a hit with his third shot.

We decided to drive around to the next point to look back into the valley. At first glance, we didn't see anything, although Ron did see a patch but he thought it was rock. So did I. I took a second glance though after hiking down the hill about 100 yards to get a better look. Sure enough, I saw a leg. It wasn't a rock, but Ron's elk afterall. I looked up the hillside from where it was and saw a blood patch on the snow. It apparently ran about 50 yards from where Ron hit it, then stumbled, and rolled down the hill into a thicket of trees. Jackpot. The hunt was over.

However, the work was just beginning. Ugh. The euphoria was quickly overshadowed by the realization that this was going to be a next to impossible task. We had to hike about 1/2 mile down the mountain to get to her, and upon arriving at the scene, Ron realized that this was the biggest cow elk that's he's ever shot. He estimated that the elk weighed at least 500 lbs. Indeed, we found out that it weighed over 650 lbs from the butcher. Damn. It was huge.

Ron quickly got busy doing what was necessary. Even though I was born and raised on a farm, I've never seen this in person. Let's just say it wasn't what I expected. It was worse. Because the elk was so big, we decided to cut in half, just under the rib cage, and haul each piece out individually. Ron brought along an old army stretcher for just this purpose. So, we hiked back up to the truck to get all of the necessary gear. It was going to be a long day. And, my cold was getting worse.

After hiking back down to the elk once more, we tied the hind quarters onto the stretcher, and realized that it was going to be nearly impossible. It simply weighed too much. Ron decided to skin the elk right then and there, to remove as much weight as possible. After about 45 minutes, the elk weighed about 50 lbs less, and we again tied the elk to the stretcher. We began the trip up. It was hard going, and we could only carry the elk for about 10 seconds before having to stop for a break. For some reason, my left arm couldn't take the weight. I did slip on the snow earlier in the morning, and must have tweaked my arm some how. So, 10 seconds at a time we hauled the elk up the mountain. At one point, I thought I was going to die. The 10000 feet of elevation was killing me, and my cold was really straining my system. I couldn't catch my breath, and I started to hyperventilate. I lied down, and really thought it was the end. I'm not joking. I think my heart rate was over 250 beats per minute. I told Ron that if I died, to tell my wife and daughter that I loved them, and that I was sorry. But, eventually, I caught my breath and prevailed.

Unfortunately, only half the work was done. We had to make another trip down the hill to get the front quarters and head. I really didn't want to do it, but we had no choice. At this point, my cold was overtaking me, and I was feeling very bad. I couldn't keep my sinus under control, and I was coughing nearly constantly. Breathing that cold mountain air at 10000 feet was making it worse. I knew that I was getting very sick, but I didn't tell Ron a thing. I took a deep breath, and hiked back in to do what I came to do.

The second trip was just as bad as the fist. Ten seconds at a time, and after about an hour, it was over. Both halves were in the truck, and we were heading down the mountain. It was about 530 PM. The sun was just setting, and it was beautiful. I felt horrible, as my cold was really moving into my chest. I really thought it would have turned into pneumonia if we'd had stayed one more day.

We did stop at the meat processor on our way into town. Ron wanted to get the elk quartered and cleaned up for the trip home. The sun was down, and it was getting cold. It took about an hour to get the job done, which didn't help my condition any. By the time we got to town, I just wanted to sleep. We did head up to the restaurant to eat, however I wasn't hungry. I did eat some soup and had a couple of crackerss, but that was it. We went back to the motel, I took a warm shower, and am heading to bed.

We're getting up at 430 am again tomorrow to make the trip home. I'm thankful that Ron got his elk. He hasn't gotten one in 3 years, so it was his time. However, I'm also thankful that we're going home. While I learned a lot here, I doubt I'll ever come again. It's just not my cup of tea. I'm glad that I was able to help Ron get the elk off the mountain, but I don't want to do it again.

Hunting Trip Day 3

Today was an uproductive day. We got up early and headed out. We were on the mountain by 545 AM or so. I don't really remember though. I was really tired. We headed to Battle Ridge and decided to sit in the truck on a ridgetop, in hopes that an elk would come along. It was snowing, and had snowed another few inches overnight. We decided to not head to the mountaintop, as it was snowing too hard, with visibility only 1/2 or 1 mile. We didn't see much, but did see a bull elk sitting about 1000 yards away. We pondered if he was wounded, as it seemed weird for him to just be sitting there. Nevertheless, Ron didn't have a bull tag, and we would have had to hiked down into the valley, and back up the next hill. With the ongoing snowstorm, we decided to not attempt it.

We drove around to several other spots throughout the day. At least another dozen or so snowy trails, driving, parking, scanning the hillsides with binoculars, but not much to see. We headed back into town so Ron could pay for the motel. Because of our late arrival last night, he wanted to make sure that the motel owner wasn't getting worried.

On our way back to the mountain, we picked up a hitchiker. He was heading home to Laramie, after spending the summer and fall in California. He was a drifter, but seemed to be a good kid. He was cold, and hungry. We gave him a juice and snack, and wished him well.

We headed back to the hunt, to try to find something for sunset. However, we didn't see a thing, and decided to head back into town for dinner. So, a wasted day. I am getting a cold. I think the exhertion from yesterday led to a period of sweating, and then I got chilled. Hopefully, it won't be that bad, but I really don't want to go out tomorrow. I may ask Ron if I can hold back. I'm not sure I should be up on the mountain with my cold as it is. It will only get worse if I go. I'm sure I'll give in though. Afterall, what if he gets an elk. He'll need my help to get it out. That's why I'm here.

I can say, I'm really not enjoying hunting that much. I've discovered that the men really like to tell their stories, to outdo one another. But, I can also see how it makes them feel good. And, I think some of the guys really need to hunt to be able to feed their families. It seems it's a time for men to get in touch with nature, to relive times gone past, but also to just enjoy nature, and get away from the hustle and bustle for awhile. Still, it's not something that I think I'd enjoy, and doubt if I'll ever go again. Actually, it's kind of boring too. It's a lot of sitting, and talking, and looking, and waiting.

Hunting Trip Day 2

Well, we almost got stuck up on the mountain again. I have to admit, this hunting trip has stressed me out beyond belief. Let me explain.

Today, we arrived at the repair shop at 700 AM to get the starter fixed. At first, I thought the guy was really going to take us for a ride, as he wasn't saying much, and just seemed to be intent on screwing us. Then, he opened up a little, and realized that we weren't that bad afterall, and realized that it was just a frayed wire that shorted out the starter. So, after a couple of hours, we were ready for the hunt.

We arrived up on the mountain about 1000 AM, and learned that a herd of 250 elk had come out of the valley, ascended into the mountains, and then scattered as hunters descended upon them. We tried to drive up the mountain along a very steep, narrow trail. The snow was 20" to 30" deep here, with only about 12" of clearance on either side, with a steep dropoff on the driver's side. Again, Ron thought nothing of trying to climb the trail, but I was on the edge of my seat. In fact, we actually got stuck half way up, which literally scared the daylights out of me. Even the 4-low option couldn't get us out. The only choice was to back the truck down the mountain, and that was dicey at best. Probably one of the scariest times in my life. Finally, we got to a point where we could turn around, and made it back down safely. Thankfully, there was another trail up, which we drove without any trouble.

Once we got to the mountaintop, we drove back into the woods to see what we could find. We found hundreds of elk tracks, fresh ones at that. Sure enough, it seemed that the elk had scattered on the mountaintop, and were now back in the dark forest. It was a good spot. We drove around for another couple of hours. We did stop to put chains on the front tires. Ron assured me it would only take a few minutes. Well, 30 minutes later, the chains were on, and we were 4-wheeling even moreso than before. Damn, it's still scary.

Eventually, we found a trail that Ron wanted to follow. It was a ATV trail that went down the mountain. He wanted to hike it to see if we could stumble upon a few elk who were resting within the woods. I hiked along for the company, but regretted doing so. Ron walked down, down, down. I kept asking how far he wanted to go down, and he kept saying just a little further. He did comment though that we'd better stop soon, because we'd have to climb back up the hill. After about 45 minutes going down, it took us almost 1 and 1/2 hours to come back up. Wow, that was a hard hike. It really challenged my ability, especially after hiking through 10" of snow. We both vowed that we'd never do that again.

After arriving back at the truck, we had some juice and a snack and decided to find a good spot for sunset which was quickly approaching. We drove down and around, as we thought the elk might be down in the valley. We finally found a couple of trails, with a fork in the road. Ron decided to take the left fork up, but it was a tight squeeze. The trees were scraping the sides of the truck. When we got to the top, Ron asked if we should take the other trail down. I looked at the trail, and did see tire tracks, so thought it was a safe trail. I said go for it.

However, upon entering the trail, we quickly realized it was a huge mistake. Before we knew it, the snow gave way, and we were heading for a set of deep ruts, at least 4 feet deep. There was no way to stop, and in another few seconds, we were high centered with nothing but air underneath of the tires. Damn.

The sun was setting. We got out of the truck, and realized how dire the situation was. There was nothing to do. Ron said that we had to start getting trees to put into the ruts. It was our only hope. However, he didn't have a chain saw, and didn't have the special type of jack that he needed. It was hopeless. We tried everything. We gathered as many downed trees as we could. We broke smaller branches, trying to build up support for the tires to grip. We used a winch attached to a tree to try and pry the truck out.

Thankfully, we did pass a camp about a mile down the road, so I offered to hike down to the camp to ask for help. After hiking down, I realized that no one was home. They were likely still hunting. I waited for 1/2 hour, and still, no one showed. I hiked back up to the truck, and we both conceded that our best option was to ride the night out in the truck. We had plenty of food, and were going to start a fire. It wasn't cold, and the wind wasn't blowing, but a storm was brewing. We could tell that it was going to snow later that night. I knew we'd survive, but it could be a long, cold night.

We both decided to hike back down to the camp, to see if the tents were open. If another snow storm was brewing, we thought about seeking shelter there. One of the tents had a wood stove, so at least we would be warm. However, the hunters were back, after getting a huge cow elk. They offered their help, and we went to work. He got his chain saw, and special jack, and we hiked back up to the truck. We cut down a few more trees, and used the jack to get the best leverage. Finally, the tires were able to get a grip, and we got the truck out. There were still 4' deep ruts down the rest of the trail, so Ron had to straddle the ruts as best he could, then make a cut across for the last leg. Upon doing so, he tilted the truck up on two wheels, to an alarming 45 degrees, and one point, I thought he was going to roll it. But, by some miracle, we made it out alive, with no damage to the truck. It was almost 1100 PM. The clouds were moving in, and snow was beginning.

We drove off the mountain rejoicing in the fact that we were able to get out, period. We were thankful that we found the camp, and that indeed they had come back. We were happy, but tired. So, the second day was exhausting, and exhilerating. I'm so glad that we got off the mountain. In fact, I'm not very excited about going back. I really don't want to jeopardize getting stuck yet again. I feel as if our luck is running out. We've been stranded on the mountain two nights in a row, but have gotten out OK each time. But, I don't want to push it. Tomorrow is another day though, and I know we're getting up at 430 AM to be on the road by 500 AM.

Hunting Trip Day 1

Today was a long day. We left home around 300 AM in the midst of a rainstorm, but after about 30 minutes of driving, it quickly changed to snow. The winds also increased to 30 to 40 mph. It didn't take long to drive out of the inclement weather though, as we were driving on dry pavement in about another hour after that.

The trip was rather uneventful. I took a nap. I read the newspaper. Soon enough, we were driving through the mountains between Cheyenne and Laramie, and then ventured off the interstate to go up and over the pass between Laramie and Walden. We arrived in Walden around 200 PM, and had enough time to do some scouting to find a good hunting spot the next day.

My father in law has hunted here for at least a dozen years, so knows the area very well. Snow was plentiful, about 6" to 10" at the lower elevations, but 12" to 20" up on the mountaintops. I also experienced my first 4 wheeling experience. Ron turned off the road, and was heading up the mountain on a small trail, with about 15" of snow. We bounced around, slid sideways, and eventually made it OK. It was kind of scary, but after I realized what the truck could do, it wasn't so bad.

We drove to another very remote spot, and stopped the truck. Ron wanted to take a quick nap, and I was playing with the GPS receiver attached to my laptop computer. After about 20 minutes, Ron woke up and tried to start the truck. It wouldn't start. There was plenty of juice, but nothing was cranking. Ugh. It was about 330 PM at this point. We flagged down a passerby, and he offered a jump start. It didn't work. It seemed that the starter had given out. My cell phone didn't have a signal. The guy in the other truck had a satellite phone, so we called a tow truck.

The tow truck driver said he didn't think he could make it out this far. We assured him the road was OK, and he would be able to make it with no trouble. He assured us he'd be there in 45 minutes. Well, 2 hours went by, and he still hadn't shown. We thought he stood us up, and were actually quite mad. Thankfully, another vehicle eventually came by, and offered us a ride into tow. Unfortunately, our hunt was getting off to a bad start. On the way into town, we met the tow truck driving out. He came upon another car in the ditch before getting to us, so had to take of them first. So, Ron headed back with the tow truck driver to get the truck and I headed into town to the Motel.

Wow, I almost thought we'd be spending the night up on the mountain. I didn't think we were going to find a ride back into town. I'm so thankful we did. So, we'll have to get the truck fixed in the morning. It's been a long day. So many adventures, and the hunt hasn't even begun.

The Hunting Trip Looms

Well, the big hunting trip is scheduled for this week. We leave for the mountains on Tuesday. The only problem, the place where we're going (near Walden, Colorado) is expecting 10 to 20 inches of snow. My father in law wanted some snow to drive the elk off the mountaintop, but now, I'm not even sure we can make it there. To get to Walden, we have to go up and over a 10,000 foot pass. Yikes. With that much snow, the pass might even be closed. I'm not excessively worrying about it, as this is mostly a vacation for me, but I also don't want to get stranded either. So, it will be an interesting week. After the winter storm winds down Tuesday, it should be dry the remainder of the week. I've got my pile of stuff ready to go. I'm taking several magazines to read, a couple of good books, and also am taking my laptop to watch a few DVDs. I also bought some new software to play with, so should have plenty to keep my busy. There won't be any Internet or cell phone access, but that's OK. It will be fun to just get away for awhile. I've got my cold weather gear ready to go, including long johns, and several layers of clothing, wool gloves, coveralls, the whole nine yards. I did buy a new pair of boots, a pair that has some insulation, and also are more waterproof than my old hiking boots. I've also got my daypack ready to go, and re-stocked my first aid kit. Ron has all of the food planned, and I bought a case of bottled water. So, all in all, I think we're ready. I've never really seriously been in the mountains during the wintertime, so it will definitely be a new experience. Until next week.

I Am So Motivated!

I attended the "Get Motivated" seminar this past Tuesday. It was a long day, but overall, I think there were some excellent presenters. We got there about 645 am, and were sitting in our seats about 710 am. It's a good thing we got there early, because the crowds were unbelievable, which eventually brought traffic to a standstill. In fact, the Get Motivated Seminar overbooked the event by about 2000 people, and initially, those folks were turned away, but eventually, they opened up a side room to let them in.

The speakers were engaging, and I felt in awe to be able to hear some of them. The first speaker was former Husker coach and current US representative Tom Osborne. He didn't really have a clear message, but he did pump up the crowd to get them ready for the day. After that, the next speaker was an immigrant at one time, but is now the Vice President of Operations for Zig Ziglar's motivational company. While he spoke very fast, he was very enthusiastic, and I actually enjoyed his presentation very much. His name was Krish Dhanan, and he had some very humorous stories to tell.

The next presenter was Top Hopkins, a former real estate guru. His presentation was on sales tactics, and the skills necessay to close deals. I found his presentation to be a little creepy, and he really opened my eyes to the slimy things salespeople will do to get you to sign the contract. It really kind of left a bad feeling inside, knowing how low salespeople will go. Hmm.

The best presentation of the day was Rudolph Guiliani, former mayer or New York City. Honestly, I think he's positioning himself for a presidential bid for the 2008 race. When he entered, the PA system played "New York, New York", red white and blue ticker tape shot out of cannons on the stage, fireworks were sent off (yes, this was indoors), and red, white and blue confetti streamers fell from the ceiling. It was really cool, I have never seen anything like it. His speech was so interesting. I just felt that he made such a unique connection with the audience, and he seemed incredibly genuine. His speech was definitely worth it, and probably the best speech of the day.

After that, we listened to Phil Town as he pitched his stock buying methods. I was initially really turned off by this guy, knowing that he was ultimately trying to sell his stock seminar for $995, discounted from the original price of $6000. What a joke. But, his enthusiasm was catching, and he really sold his product well. In fact, there were literally hundreds of people signing up for the seminar after his speech. I considered it, but feel that it's not in my best interest right now, although I truly believe his approach will work. He had some really good ideas, and he was definitely a good salesman. It's easy to see why he's a multi millionaire, especially when he convinces so many people to drop a grand to learn his program. Although, I'm sure there's another catch, in that you'll have to spend a lot more to really get what you need from the class.

Lunch was interesting to say the least. Just imagine 18,000 people all trying to eat lunch at the same time, from the few snack stands that were available. It was a disaster. I know some of the folks I went with didn't eat at all. I finally found a lunch area on the other side of the arena, without a line. All of the other counters were 100 people deep, and I walked right in and had lunch in 10 minutes. It was $10, and people were complaining about spending the money. But, you would have spent that much at one of the regular vending booths, so I'm not sure why people were grumbling so much.

After lunch wasn't as much fun. Zig Ziglar spoke for about 1 1/2 hours, and I was truly unimpresed. I've never heard him speak before, and frankly, I could have done without his presentation. I think perhaps he's past his prime. I understand he's been doing motivational speaking for a long time, and overall, I think he should retire. His message was so disjointed, as he kept going in to many different directions. In other words, I never got a clear sense of direction of exactly what he was trying to convey. I'm not sure why it was so hyped up, but it really didn't do much for me at all.

Then, John Smith spoke. He was selling he real estate investing seminar. He had a really weird sense of humor, kind of like Stephen Wright. Overall, he wasn't a really good presenter, but I did undertand some of his concepts. Like Phil Town, his ultimate goal was to get you to attend his 3 day real estate seminar, for only $99. I was shocked it wasn't more. There were a few people signing up, probably about 1/10 as many as signed up for the stock investing seminar. Basically, he buys real estate through various methods, cheaply I might add, then trys to get low income families into the homes. One of programs he runs is that if the families rent from him for 180 months, they get the home free and clear after that time. He does a lot of other deals too. I know thought that after hearing others talk, they didn't particularly enjoy his presentation, so I'm not sure how much of a connection he made with everyone else.

After that, George Ross from the Apprentice television show spoke. Again, he didn't really have a clear message that he was trying to convey, and was only there for the TV celebrity factor I think. He's 77 years old, and still going strong. I thought he was amusing to see, if only because he's become somewhat of a TV personality, but that's about it. I thought he might have had more to say, but he really didn't.

Beyond then, we left. It was already 430 pm, and the others that I went with wanted to go home. Suze Orman was speaking when we walked out the door. I know who she is, but don't really know what type of message she wanted to present. Jerry Lewis was also scheduled to speak. I understand his presentation was entirely humor based, and had some really good stories to tell, but again, we didn't get to see him.

Overall, I had a really good time, and felt that I picked up some valuable pieces of advice. These seminars are designed to expose you to a multitude of ideas. It's not intended that you absorb every bit of it, and encorporate everything into your personal character. It's a process. If you keep discussing these kinds of ideas, you become a better person because of it, without an overnight transformation. It was time well spent.