Ahhhh, June is here and man is a good month. It means the September Elk hunt is less than 3 months away. The month of September has quickly become one of my favorites because it holds fresh mountain air, bulls a bugling, and with any luck, back breaking meat trips out of the deep dark canyons of Colorado. Pup and I just heard on our Colorado draw results and although we didn’t get our first choice, plan B is in effect.
So with the month of June comes the time to get serious and kick it up a notch. The first item on the list was one I have been contemplating on since I left Colorado last year. My tent situation. Pup and I shared a tent last year and although sharing is a good way to cut weight, it can leave one guy in a real pinch in certain situations. Not wanting to hinder our chances we decided we had to be able to operate on our own. This left me the task of finding a one man tent.
Diving right in I started analyzing different makes and models. I knew I needed a one maner that was light, affordable, and most of all something that would hold up. Trust me when I tell you the last thing I need to worry about is my gear. For the record and I’m being totally 100% honest here…..that is why I shoot a Pearson, carry a Badlands, shoot Trophy Taker, and wear UA. I don't have time for something to go wrong 7 miles into the backcountry. If it does, I'm wasting a day and a ton of energy to correct it.
So I looked and looked and after much discussion finally settled on the Nemo GoGo. The GoGo is small and light at a packed weight of just 2.5lbs. Probably the most interesting feature of the tent is it’s basically “poleless”. In place of traditional poles, it uses a single, small, circular air bladder for structural support. The air bladder needs just 7 psi to work and inflates in about 1 minute. Start to finish you can be in the tent in about 5 minutes. The Nemo showed up on my door last week so Big O and I broke it out. The set up was pretty easy, with the exception of corralling Big O, and it is exactly what I’m looking for……one more item checked off the “to do” list.
The second order of business and one that really never stops is to continue to prepare myself physically. Just Sunday, I hit the trail for 2hrs, 41mins & 17 miles of mud and hills. For me, (and I know this is not true for everyone!), I truly believe that success, sprinkled with a little luck, is a direct product of both physical & mental preparation. And again, for me, this is about the best training there is. Hitting the trail and pounding out the miles up and down hills only to come back 3 hours later broken down, muddy, and down right exhausted is perfect prep. If pain and misery on the trail will be bring me closer to success in the mountains then sign me up, I’m all for it. I want to put my body and mind through enough torture that when it comes time to hit the mountains there is no stop and no failure. It’s all out, pedal to the metal 137%. I made a pledge to myself the first time I went West that I would never come home empty handed due to my lack of drive or effort. I promised myself to leave it all on the mountains. Every ounce and every drop of energy I had. So to this I push on to be the best bowhunter I can be. That’s why I do what I do….period….to strive, to drive, to push, to be the best bowhunter I can be. Stay tuned, 33 days left until the BT50K.
So with the month of June comes the time to get serious and kick it up a notch. The first item on the list was one I have been contemplating on since I left Colorado last year. My tent situation. Pup and I shared a tent last year and although sharing is a good way to cut weight, it can leave one guy in a real pinch in certain situations. Not wanting to hinder our chances we decided we had to be able to operate on our own. This left me the task of finding a one man tent.
Diving right in I started analyzing different makes and models. I knew I needed a one maner that was light, affordable, and most of all something that would hold up. Trust me when I tell you the last thing I need to worry about is my gear. For the record and I’m being totally 100% honest here…..that is why I shoot a Pearson, carry a Badlands, shoot Trophy Taker, and wear UA. I don't have time for something to go wrong 7 miles into the backcountry. If it does, I'm wasting a day and a ton of energy to correct it.
So I looked and looked and after much discussion finally settled on the Nemo GoGo. The GoGo is small and light at a packed weight of just 2.5lbs. Probably the most interesting feature of the tent is it’s basically “poleless”. In place of traditional poles, it uses a single, small, circular air bladder for structural support. The air bladder needs just 7 psi to work and inflates in about 1 minute. Start to finish you can be in the tent in about 5 minutes. The Nemo showed up on my door last week so Big O and I broke it out. The set up was pretty easy, with the exception of corralling Big O, and it is exactly what I’m looking for……one more item checked off the “to do” list.The second order of business and one that really never stops is to continue to prepare myself physically. Just Sunday, I hit the trail for 2hrs, 41mins & 17 miles of mud and hills. For me, (and I know this is not true for everyone!), I truly believe that success, sprinkled with a little luck, is a direct product of both physical & mental preparation. And again, for me, this is about the best training there is. Hitting the trail and pounding out the miles up and down hills only to come back 3 hours later broken down, muddy, and down right exhausted is perfect prep. If pain and misery on the trail will be bring me closer to success in the mountains then sign me up, I’m all for it. I want to put my body and mind through enough torture that when it comes time to hit the mountains there is no stop and no failure. It’s all out, pedal to the metal 137%. I made a pledge to myself the first time I went West that I would never come home empty handed due to my lack of drive or effort. I promised myself to leave it all on the mountains. Every ounce and every drop of energy I had. So to this I push on to be the best bowhunter I can be. That’s why I do what I do….period….to strive, to drive, to push, to be the best bowhunter I can be. Stay tuned, 33 days left until the BT50K.
No comments:
Post a Comment