Chapter 10 – the wrap up The next morning, this was the view we awoke to. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_075222_zpsu56eaxde.jpg And this was where I had scrambled up… http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_075917_zpsfabloaln.jpg Beautiful. Oscar set out alone this morning for a quick hunt. The rest of us got up, got some breakfast and got a nice fire going. It had been 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 Centigrade) the night before. Hayden and Troy. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_084711_zpsgc9odbnk.jpg Hayden, Troy and Lionel, who was feeling better. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_084720_zpsdhfb5ycs.jpg Oscar returned to enjoy the fire and Lionel snapped some great pics for us. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_085313_zpsghb1z520.jpg We’d soon break camp and start our trek back to meet Will. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_105542_zps3kipzmu9.jpg We returned to the base camp sharing our stories on the ride back. Bails, Joe and Andy had arrived at base camp while we were up at spike camp and the many extra hands helped make for quick work of breaking down and packing up the remainder of gear at the base camp. We quickly got on the road and headed back toward Denver. The views outside Frisco from the car as spectacular for the end of September as any we saw. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_142542_zpsvncdiue6.jpg http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_142548_zpsppgxor5w.jpg The motley remaining crew of campers back at Wills house, helped unload the gear. After a few showers and change of clothes, we went to dinner. http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t667/wl704/CO Elk Hunt 2016/20160924_200730_zpsowjrhpow.jpg The next morning we’d depart in different directions. Will, Lionel and Troy to South Dakota for a deer hunt. Bails, Andy and myself to the airport. Oscar would fly out the next day and Joe continued his adventure across the states. It was a great time. I hope I have the opportunity once again…its addicting. I’m truly appreciative to Will for hosting the camp, sharing his elk-hunting wisdom & experience, his hospitality and even opening his home to those of us traveling through. Awesome and Thanks once more!
I did leave out one detail... (just one :D) I'll share as a final 'lesson learned'...waking up to 20 degrees after stripping off damp clothes the night prior, shouldn't have resulted in the surprise the next morning...yup my clothes and boots were frozen solid. The wool layers thawed and dried quickly and I fortunately had some dry layers in the tent, a puffy and a spare hat to warm up before we got the fire started. Extra weight on the way in and worth its weight!
Awesome read Bill, it was a pleasure to meet you and hope to see you again, think of the flight delay as an opportunity to get to know each other better
Bill wl704 I am so sorry the wind changed on you and the bull trotted off...what a bummer...and you tried so hard to be undetected on that stalk. LOL I can see you missed the space heaters in your spike bivy camp.... frozen clothes in the morning... not a heart warming feeling. : 0 Thank you so much for sharing your adventure in the Rocky Mtns of Colorado elk hunting. It was a great read ! I had lots of problems easily accessing the photo gallery, did anyone else, it was slow loading, pop ups interfered, kept on loosing photobucket web site, and when it did hold, the speed was so slow. Maybe it was my ISP. Not sure. But thank you for loading all those great photos. Oh...sure glad you did not have an accident climbing the steep ridge back to camp on Day 7. I had a similar event in 1970 by Buena Vista on a deer hunt. I ended up with a sprained ankle, and seeing stars for a few moments.. .I think...may have been longer, from a nasty fall descending a mtn side. Colorado is no place for the faint hearted, it is rugged country ! Thank you Bill ... and glad all you elk hunters arrived home safely. HH Richard
It's been butts and elbows for me since everyone left. I am so happy I had the opportunity to read this post! It was an awesome account of your adventure Bill. Looking forward to seeing all you blokes in 2018. Get your deer preference point for 2017, you'll be sure to draw a tag in 2018. Bill, if Denver is any part of your travel plan, you'll have a place to lay your head in my home. We'll leave the light on....
