Colorado Trip Report

[Nathan C]

The view alone is worth the climb.

[Nathan C]

It's a good thing the view is so nice, because the only game spotted is 23 bighorn sheep.

[Nathan C]

I cross back over the saddle and hipflex my way through deadfall, checking out some high benches. I'm still trying to relocate the herd.



Finding nothing I drop below camp and glass till dark.

[Nathan C]

No sightings, no bugles. But the scenery!

[Nathan C]

Day Five: Do or die

I need to relocate a huntable number of elk. Sign is drying up and is very sporadic and scattered. I start the morning by pushing farther along the bench than I have, covering holes in the map. There are only a few places the herd couldv'e gone without rappelling and I'm marking spots off the list.



Nothing. I spent half the day hipflexing over deadfall and crawling through chest high weeds and grass in aspen openings. Perfect elk habitat. Nothing.

I need a move. I pack up camp. I load up on water, because there isn't any where I'm going. I'm going up.

[Nathan C]

The plan is to head straight to the top of the ridge. I'm at 9800', ridgetop is 11200'+. It gains 1400" in a half mile.

I stopped by the kill site of my bull from 2012. Mother nature uses everything. From glorious animal to bleached bones in a couple seasons.







I paid my respects, said my thanks, and moved on.

[Nathan C]

CLIMB!!! I kept telling myself. I hate false summits. They get your hopes up only to kill them.

But the view got better.



And better.

[Nathan C]

[Nathan C]

Finally topped out.

[Nathan C]

Beautiful area. It's a dark timber ridge with a lot of blowdown that's started growing back. There is elk feed, bedding cover, everything they could want. But again, I'm only finding scattered sign of a few cows. My grand plan was to relocate the herd and camp on them. I'm not finding them.



But the views! Man elk hunting is good for the soul.



I waited till near dark glassing and listening. No bugles. No sightings. I bailed.

I descended 3200 feet over 3-4 miles back to the trailhead in 1:59 with full gear. My goal was under 2 hrs. Yes, I'm both anal enough and competitive enough to time it.

Day 6:

I spent the night on a futon, then strategy meeting the next morning. Midmorning I started hiking into an area I'd covered in 2012. It's lower and has a lot of aspens.

I hiked up 2.5-3 miles with 2000' of vert in just under 2 hours. I pitched the tent in what is affectionately known as "elk pee camp".