❘❘.
external-frame Cabela’s. And so in went
my week’s food along with spare clothing,
raingear, sleeping bag and roll, a mini-
reader with three books on its hard drive,
toiletries and first-aid, knives, flashlights,
duct tape, para-cord, spare batteries and
camp shoes. My Kimber plus a box of
Federal Premium . s were tucked
into side pockets where I could get to them
relatively fast. I filled my squeeze bottle
with filtered river water and clipped it to
dangle from a -ring.
Knowing it would be grunt-worthy,
I staged the pack on a rock, then sat in
front to shrug into the shoulder straps. I
"turtled" over onto hands and knees, then
stood up—rggh! Oh yeah, I was up,
but weaving like grass in the wind. Waist
and chest straps cinched, I lurched down
to the river and back, then looked up top.
Yikes! Did I need all this? Could I carry it?
■■■F
ortunately, I could, largely because
ofwhat else I brought. Over the
course of seven sheep and goat hunts I’ve
learned what’s essential and what works,
particularly that much of what you can’t
do without doesn’t go in your pack or
weigh you down physically.
And so in order of importance here
are my recommendations.HEART
Not the cardio kind (that will come later),
heart is a term we so often use to express
positive mental and emotional traits.
English is full of heart-based idioms:
■ Take heart, have heart—courage,
overcoming adversity, strength of will,
determination. You need these in spadesto cope with the psycho-physical grind.
■ Follow your heart—introspection,
self-realization, intuition. Every day,
you’ll need to win an internal debate.
■ From the bottom of your heart, heart-
felt—capacity for deep feeling, sense of
humor, appreciating challenge. If you
can’t truly enjoy the process, the place
and the fellowship, what’s the point?
■■■C
limbing up to the Ram Hole
wasn’t a killer. Though plenty steep,
it’s not the highest mountain in sheep
country. Tough, but not treacherous. We
were on pace to reach the spot by or
o’clock where chief guide Jordan Wallace
wanted to camp, then would settle in for
a good rest. But wait ...
Over a finger ridge, sheer cliffs blocked
our trail, and there was no going around
them, either up or down. The onlyrecourse was to backtrack, a detour that
took us back in time. Now we would have
to traverse the other side of the moun-
tain, and I could swear my pack was
getting heavier.
Sidehilling led us to a giant scree field,
where the powdery black grit gave way
with nearly every step and was vertical
enough for treachery. It took an hour to
cross that half-mile and according to Jor-
dan’s map, more hours loomed ahead.
At dusk, more than hours after
leaving our lovely base camp, under
full packs all the way, we climbed into
a saddle between two towering knobs:
camp. It took all kinds of heart to spike
out that day, but once there, with vistas
overlooking endless sheep habitat, our
hearts beat faster for a different reason.
■■■
A TAG
Basic economics impact the sheep scene
more than any other kind of hunting.
With demand far exceeding availability,
the odds of drawing a permit are minus-
cule and the costs of booking where the
tag is included are sky-high and climb-
ing. Residents of the
. . states with
open seasons certainly have a leg up, but
except for Alaska, their chances remain
slim, and some of those states offer or
fewer resident permits, and one or two,
if any, for nonresidents. If you can snag a
permit in a state that sanctions
sheep
hunting, you can save a bundle, if at the
risk of being penny-wise and pound-
foolish. However, that rules out AlaskaFollowing a bushplane ride to the hunting area with outfitter
Dave Leonard, the author's party went on foot and mostly
straight up. Packing into spike camp may not make for the most
exciting day, but getting to the sheep is the first big hurdle.The author's partner, Chuck Wahr, fin-
ishes packing for a week-long spike-out.
If it's not packed, you don't have it. But
if it is, you must carry it.Photos: Author