Elk Camp Interrupted

The plans had been planned, the gear had been inventoried, the tents had been repaired, and yes, the date for Elk Camp was nearly upon us. It was October 18th and I was due to head for the mountains on the 23rd. Here's where the plans made and dreamt of were going to head downhill in a hurry, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. In fact, there wasn't much I could do period. Yup, the fear of all Elk Hunters had found me. I had been attacked by that most hated malady, the FLU!!! Now this wasn't just your average, everyday, run of the mill flu either. I had been somehow or another exposed to the PIG FEVER. So, I'm thinkin', I'll be able to kick this thing and be on the road to Elk Camp by the 24th or the 25th, tops. The good thing about that is that the season opener really wasn't until the 28th and this would give me a couple or three days in the woods before opening day. You've got to understand a couple of things here. You just hafta head up to the hills early so you can set up camp, haul firewood, scout for Elk, relax a bit, make final preparations, and take in all that is Elk Camp. This takes several days, or at least three at the bare minimum.

The 23rd came and went with me still unable to expend much more energy than it took for me to walk from the bed to the chair to the terlit and back to the bed. I was as weak as a pussy cat and not getting my strength back in any hurry. On the 24th I headed out to the shed to start getting boxes of gear and tents and such and putting them in my silver enclosed trailer. (I gotta tell ya, I really like this trailer. It keeps everything dry and protected and best of all the paint matches my Durango and well, by golly, the Durango and trailer just look darn good goin' down the road together.) Back to the gear, I carried about 3 boxes and I'm worn clear out. This does not bode well, for I have several boxes, two wall tents, two wood stoves, tent carpeting, tent frames, fold out kitchen, tables, chairs, stools, cots, pads, sleeping bags, etc., etc. to pack into this trailer. Not to mention the water jugs, gas cans, chain saw, ladder, coolers, food box...........I think you get the idea, once again I can't get to Elk Camp without a whole bunch of gear and gadgets galore.

On the 25th the Pig Fever broke and I was sweating and shivering and a just plain old mess, but afterward I began to feel better. Problem was, I still didn't have any strength or stamina. I'm figuring now that if I get to Elk Camp at all it's gonna be a whole lot later than I'm very happy with, no, I can't really explain how I was feeling and use the word happy, cause I wasn't. By Tuesday the 27th, I'm finally finding the strength to pack the trailer. It's already four days after I was supposed to have left and Deb and Spence were planning to meet me at Elk Camp on Thursday. Crapola, I'm just gonna hafta wait and go up there with them. I won't make a bit of sense for me to leave on Wednesday and them leave on Thursday. Well, by Wednesday the 28th at noon we're ready to head out, but it's really too late to make it all the way to Elk Camp and get set up before dark. We make it as far as LaGrande and spend the night.

After breakfast the following day, we finally head for Elk Camp. We get there and get camp all set up and once again I'm so tired I can hardly move. I'm thinkin' now that maybe I shoulda just stayed in town and skipped the whole thing. Well, I thought it for a fleeting moment or two anyway. So there we were, at last in the mountains, but the first two days of the four days we had to hunt were over. I've got my wife and 16 yr old with me and Spence is keen to get out and find himself an Elk. Problem is, I don't have the energy to do much hiking, so I ask my buddy Brad if Spencer can tag along with him and head into one those big Elky canyons while Deb and I hang out up on top and take it a little easier.

I'll tell ya more about this here interrupted Elk Camp later. Stay tuned for more..............