Brian and I didn’t have a real plan when we left camp this morning. As we marched through the darkness, we both decided to stop on the edge of a meadow and wait for daylight. After standing there for about 20 minutes, a cow and calf made their way out of the timber and headed into the meadow to feed. They seemed on edge and it didn’t take long for them to return to the timber.
After wandering around for a while, Brian and I decided to head back to camp. We hadn’t heard anything bugle and not many animals appeared to be on the move. When we got back to camp, Dad and Dave had some company. A man named Wilber, who is a local, and a guy named Dave from Minnesota, who was hunting with him, were visiting. As Wilber talked about his many experiences in the surrounding mountains, I sat down and talked with Dave. He was a genuine guy, and I enjoyed his company. He came to Colorado with his wife and 18-year-old daughter. His wife will be staying at camp while he hunts with his daughter.
Sometimes the people we meet while hunting make our trip. These two guys were really nice. My dad was fascinated with Wilber, and the visit made my dad realize that he still has a lot of time left to wander around in the mountains of the West. I’m thankful for their visit for a variety of reasons. I guess it’s one of those things that happen every now and then that are unexplainable, and I will not search for the answer. I do know that both of these men will be friends for life, even if we never speak again. They share our values and our passion and that is enough for me.
Tonight, Brian and I went for quite a hike and got caught in pouring rain. We found a rub of a lifetime and some good sign. I’d love to see the bull that made the sign.
We didn’t hit our route very well, and we ended up coming out in an area well away from where we wanted to be. When the rain started coming down in buckets, we had to keep walking. By the time we got back to the truck, we were both spent and soaked to the bone. My heel is shot tonight. It has been getting worse by the day, but tonight it is shot. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to walk very far tomorrow.
Here are a few pictures of the storm we encountered on our journey this evening.
