The Hunt, Cont.

The caribou hunt has been put on hold for now.  The season in that area stays open until March 31st, so hopefully we'll have another opportunity.  As of now though, Andrew doesn't feel comfortable taking the snowmobile that we have.  When the 1985 Tundra was given to him last winter it was known as the "Pyscho Machine" and it still lives up to its name.  Occasionally it decides it just doesn't wanna move.  Idles just fine, but bogs and sputters when you throttle.  If you keep on trying, eventually it will take off again, but it's frustrating when the machine stops on it's own while going uphill.  It is hard to rely on such a rebel machine.  And with a thread-bare track,  it's one of those times that the reward doesn't outweigh the risk of being stuck miles from the truck in well below zero temperatures, especially with an animal in the sled.

As for the hunt...on opening weekend there were quite a few hunters at the trailhead despite the mercury reading 40 below zero.  From the parking lot Andrew rode north on the Quest Trail twelve miles and gained nearly 2,000 ft. in elevation to get to Rosebud Summit.  The riding was extremely rough on humans and machines.  This year, completely opposite of last year, there is hardly any snow on the ground causing lots of sharp rocks and grassy tussocks to be exposed.  Andrew said that several times he found himself on his back without any warning because some object in the trail tossed him and the machine.  By the time he reached the summit he was completely drenched in sweat even though he had been riding with all his jackets and pant vents unzipped.  That's how hard he was working to keep the machine upright.  Above treeline you can see for miles, and as he sat on the ridge glassing for critters all he could see was other hunters riding the ridges.  He realized then that he should have waited until Monday to go out when most other people would be at work and the temps were forecasted to be ten to twenty degrees warmer.  Being wet from sweat makes it really hard to keep warm sitting around at -30 with a steady 10 mph breeze, which works out to a windchill of 53 below!  After a while he decided to call it a day and head back to Two Rivers.