Current Status : Home, Safe, and buying steaks.

Well, we're home, and we all survived, but we were shut out. We had a wonderful time, got into some elk a few times, but just weren't given the shot. We made a ton of bad mistakes (being our first times), but we learned from them very quick.

A bigger writeup will be coming soon to detail our hunt, rate our gear (Badlands Sucks!!!), and let everyone know some pretty good stories.

But, for now, catching up with life...

Current Status: New Meadows

We are getting close!

Sent from my iPhone (so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors).

Current Status: Bravo and Delta teams green light

Just wanted to say from Brad and Randy that we will see you when we get back!!!

Current Status: Alpha Team Green Light!

Bows are checked, bag is checked and I'm killing an hour in Hartford.
11 hours to Boise.

Current Status: Counting Down

One week from today, Brandon, Randy, and myself will all be in the great woods of Idaho.
Last night, I laid everything in the dining room of my house to start checking things off of a checklist of items I've created, when I realized:

This is a lot of stuff. This picture doesn't include my rig, my bag, and some odds and ends I need to pick up at Cabelas and Wal Mart, and it's still a crap load of stuff.

I can't freaking wait.

Current status: shooting very well

I only shoot 2 arrows at a time, so it is only a 2 arrow group. But,
1" at 60 with broadheads just made my day! As brad and I were
discussing, I'd never shoot at an animal that far, but it's good
practice :0)

Testing mobile posting

Let's see if this works. There should be a pic of my dog Trucker
covered in mud.

Current Status: 15 days

OK, so I jumped the gun on posting "less than 2 weeks" on the title. But, it's close. I leave for Idaho in 15 days (Tuesday) and Brad and Randy will follow in 17 days (Thursday).

I'm probably not going to have much to say in the next two weeks, as I am extremely swamped with research/school work until we leave. Randy will have to take charge on the updates.

I'm also going to try to set up the "mobile" blogger setting, so we can update from our cell phones. Some of those remote, Idaho peaks get cell service, just because they are so high and open. We'll see what we can do...

Less than 3 weeks

While Brandon is on vacation and Brad is well on hiatus I figured I will update everyone on my status.

So far since the announcement of my participation on this trip I have started my preparation. My biggest concern was getting back into shape for the rough and vigorous trip we are embarking on in less than 3 weeks. Well I have been working out nearly every day (as long as my work schedule permits it) I have lost just over 10 pounds. I have been hiking with brad, riding the stationary bike, doing the stair master (which is the devil), and hiking with my wife while on vacation. I have also been lifting especially my back and shoulders to carry that heavy pack.
My diet has been working well too. With only minor deviations ( I love fried clams) I have stayed true to it. I have also cut out all beer except one night at the "The Saw Doctor's" concert that I was at while on vacation. I am definitely feeling a lot better about getting into shape. Now I am not going to fool myself into thinking that I am not going to struggle and have the mountains kick my ass. However, I feel more confident that I can make the entire trip with out taking away from Brad and Brandon's hunt.

When it comes to my gear I cannot thank Brandon, Brad, and my father in-law Phil enough, for loaning me nearly all of my gear. I have a few odds and ends to pick up and still have to buy my food. However, to have spent as little as I have I feel very lucky (though i am now broke. If people want to send donations to my wife so she can pay the bills while i am away that would be appreciated) .

Finally, I have been reading and listening a lot about Idaho and Elk hunting. I have finished Cameron Hanes's book about back country hunting, which was a wealth of great information and have started reading another elk hunting book. Like I said when i first started I know exactly zip about hunting so in order not to ruin this trip for my two friends i have tried to understand everything from where we are going, to the rut, stalking, bugling, and back country hunting (like my new hunting lingo?). I also ask a lot of questions and listen a lot to Brad and Brandon and try to pick up anything I can.

Well with less 3 weeks to go I/we still have a lot of preparing to do, but I feel a lot better then when I startedpreparing for this trip. I can't wait to be in Idaho and away from civilization (namely my work THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE my wife in case she reads this)... Breathing in fresh air and doing something that i never would have even thought of attempting and being with 2 really great friends!

Current status: hiking poles?

I have been spending a bit of time on a hunting forum geared specifically to backcountry hunting in the West. Almost all of those guys carry hiking poles (or trekking poles) when they hunt the backcountry, if not for every day use, then for packing out big loads of meat. So, into the world of hiking poles I go...

I borrowed a pair from a friend that hikes last week, and my first experience wasn't great--I fell and bent a pole. Ugh! I gave them another shot yesterday, as I made a 6 mile hike around West Rock Park here in CT. I was carrying about a 60lb pack and took 2.5hrs to make the loop.

Somewhere in the middle of the hike, I realized the poles had fell into a rhythm with me, and I wasn't even thinking of them any more. Besides transferring some of the weight of the pack onto my arms, especially when going up hill, they also saved my knees some on the down hills. One of the biggest energy saving aspects I noticed was that when I did stumble, I could easily catch myself with the poles, rather than abruptly come down on a leg at an odd angle. It's hard to explain, but stumbling for balance takes away energy something like when a boxer fails to land a punch--somehow missing drains you more than hitting. The poles kept me from tripping up on my size 13s all morning.

The downside is they are either heavy or expensive, and maybe both. I found a pair at walmart for $12, but they probably weigh 1.5lbs/pair. REI sales plenty that weight under 1.0lb/pair, but they also cost $75-200! Thankfully I have the borrowed poles, which weight about 19oz/pair.

I've done a lot of tinkering and playing with gear to shave every ounce, and I'm not sure taking a 20oz set of poles is what I want to do. The other problem, of course, is that your hands are not free to carry or do much else. If I use them, they'd be mostly for the "hiking" portion of the trip (eg, getting there, moving to new places, and packing out game). They telescope down to about 2' long, so they can be stored in the pack while hunting, so my hands are free to carry a bow.

For now, I'm 50:50 on the poles. I'm going to keep using them to see if I really like them. I do, after all, have a whole 4 weeks until the hunt (*giggle, giggle*)