Introducing The Backcountry
A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of doing a backcountry elk hunt with our good friends Jeff and Janie Roberts. For the first time, my wife would pack into the mountains and live with what was on her back and get an experience that she’s never had. Before this trip she had never seen an elk in the wild, caught a fish on her own, or slept through a thunder and lightning storm while being in a wilderness all night. It was a weekend of many firsts and I think it sparked an interest in what I am very passionate about.
Throughout the years, hiking with friends and family has always been a hobby of ours. Once our twin girls were born we bought two child carrier packs and had them hiking with us within the first five months of their lives. They will be turning three years old in a few months and are pushing thirty pounds. We still carry them in packs, so Brea is no stranger to a little bit of weight on her back. Packing in and setting up camp in the dark was something that she had never done before and we did just that. I think there was some fear of the unknown, but the feeling of joy quickly overcame any fears that were lingering. First nights camp was a little over two miles and roughly twelve hundred feet in elevation gain. Nothing too crazy but by the time we got there, we were ready to have dinner and relax. In no time, we started hearing the screams of bulls echoing throughout the forest. This was just what I had hoped for. A few hours of sleep at most is what we got that night, but we weren’t complaining. Hearing the elk talk all night made it hard to sleep and we were too busy asking each other, did you hear that?!
Morning came, and all we could talk about were the elk that we’d heard all throughout the night. After coffee and breakfast it was time to set out for more adventure. Along the way to our destination, a lake caught our attention so we decided take take a break and get our lines wet. No luck here so off to the next spot, making sure to let out some cow calls every couple hundred yards. Eventually we arrived to to our destination and it was nothing short of beautiful. A big meadow nestled in between two high mountain lakes. To our surprise, there was nobody around and we had the whole area to ourselves. Jeff didn’t waste any time letting out a bugle in hopes for a response. Not only did a bull respond, but he ended up pulling in a 7X8 bull elk across the meadow from 800 yards to 60 yards right in front of us. The bull was really fired up and ready to fight, screaming the entire time while making his trek towards our location. From never seeing an elk, to getting this experience was something we will never forget. A lot of hunters go their whole lives and never get a show like that. All of it was captured on film as well, so we will have that to look back on and show our friends and family. 
It was mid day and we decided to do some fishing. I didn’t expect much action but to my surprise, the fish started striking our lures in no time. Jeff had the hot lure and what I had tied onto my pole wasn’t producing any strikes. I swapped it out for the same lure that he had and before you know it we had a pile of beautiful brook trout. Lunch time! Fresh fish cooked over a campfire while overlooking a backcountry lake is tough to beat. I guess if we had notched a spike tag and had surf and turf, it might’ve been a little better. Later that evening, two men on horseback came through our camp and one gentleman happened to have drawn the any bull rifle tag for the area we were in. They were scouting for the week and we got to swap hunting stories with them for the evening. Really nice guys. It seems like no matter who you run into in the backcountry, everyone is always really nice and pleasant to talk to. A couple hours later Jeff let out another bugle and we got another encounter with a nice bull and a few of his cows. Of course no spikes. Before long, dark clouds started rolling in and thunder started cracking in the distance. Little did we know, this would be the worst storm that any of us had ever stayed the night through. Even for Jeff and I, and we’ve spent a lot of nights in the mountains. 
After a long night in our tents watching the lightning and hearing the roaring thunder, the rain finally stopped and it was morning. Somehow Brea and I stayed dry but water got into Jeff and Janie’s tent, so we started a fire to dry out some gear. On our hike back down to the truck, we reminisced about the prior days events and how much fun we had. Also, how scared we all got riding out the storm. Even though we didn’t see any legal elk, it was a great trip and I’m glad that I got to share the experience with my wife. If you’re an outdoorsman, try taking someone out who has never been. At least, you’ll make good memories and just might spark a new passion for the person who has never had the experience of what the outdoors has to offer.