My First Elk Hunt in a Nutshell

Thursday night
Drive to Steamboat Springs; find a motel room; curse the weather

Friday
Pull out the camp that was set up on Thursday; find a motel room; curse the weather

Saturday (opening day for 2nd rifle season)
Hike in 2 miles, dragging an empty cart; sit in the cold; curse the weather; hike out; drive to a different hunting area (California Park) for some recon; dinner at the Condo; curse the weather; sleep at the motel

Sunday
Drive to California Park; hike 5+ miles through knee deep snow; kick-up some Does (no Doe tag); a hot sunny day without a cloud in the sky; curse the weather; sleep at the motel

Monday
Wake up at 0-dark-thirty; drive to the trailhead; hike in 2 miles in the dark; sit in the cold; watch a spike meander up the hill and disappear into the woods; hike around a bit; sit in the cold; listen to a cow bark an alarm; watch the cow walk down the hill, turn around, and walk back up the hill and into the trees; hike out to the trailhead in the dark; drive back to Steamboat; drive to the Condo; eat dinner; drive back to the Motel; set the alarm for 0-dark-thirty; pack-up the truck; curse the weather; sleep

Tuesday
Up at 0-dark-thirty; blah blah blah; hike out mid-morning; wait for Cody to hike out; drive up the valley, seeing tracks all along the way; return to the trailhead; confirm that Cody is almost back to the truck; leave for home

Wednesday
Recover

Thursday
Curse the weather! 2'+ feet of new snow!! Plow the driveway; sledding with the kids; "Burton" lives up to his name

Friday
Curse the weather; prepare for Saturday

Saturday
Up at 0-dark-thirty; breakfast at Crooks; drive to the trailhead with Kirk and Lance; hike into the valley...
Someone else (reportedly) "smacks" a 4x5 so close to the road that it takes very little effort to drag it to the tailgate and throw it in the back with a little help from two other fellas passing by...

Sunday (daylight savings time ends; fall back one hour)
Up at 0-dark-thirty; breakfast at Crooks; meet Mark; park; hike; sit; curse; leave
Home; nap
Into the woods; sit and wait
Listen to a cow calling the other girls
Creep up; they're gone
Pack up; curse; season over...

P.S.
356 days until the 2007 2nd rifle season! Fewer days if I buy a bow!!