Thought that I would share some of my mountian excitment with you all.  Last weekend I went on a backpacking/ elk scouting/ deer finding/ fly fishing expedition.  As always I had fun and learned a lot.  When I am scouting for elk, I am not always looking for the elk themselves.  Thye roam over a large area and just because I find them in August doesn't mean I will find them in the same basin come September.  The mule deer are a little easier to pattern this time of year.  They should still be in the high country in bachelor groups and doe/ fawn herds.  So this year, I wanted to check out a new area, I have had this itch to get into some remote backcountry, away from other hunters and atvs, alone with myself.... so I scoured my map collection, as well as photos and satellite images.   I came up with what I thought should be a prime basin.  There was a big burn that blackened part of the basin two years ago.  That is a good thing.  The basin has two bigger lakes and four smaller ponds/ puddles.  Elk and deer need water.  Lots of little hidy-holes in the basin also.  And several large open avalanche meadows.  All good sign that elk and deer should be there.  The bad news is that the trailhead is only two miles from the first big lake.  The good news, there is almost 4,000 vertical feet gained and lost in those two miles.  Its a ball buster for sure!  I figured the hike would keep 99.9% of other hunters out.  Unfortunately, I now think I fall in that 99.9%... I am in realtively good shape, I am young, but there is no way for me to effectively get a deer, much less and elk, out of the basin effectively.  Too steep for horses as well... but I did have a fun time, never saw any elk, but did see several BIG tracks in the mud.... I think there are a couple old bulls hiding out for the summer.  Lots of deer, even a couple wide old non-typicals.  Didn't get any usable pictures of the bucks, but here is what I do have to share.

The trailhead.... you can't even see the ridge that you cross yet.  57 # pack... I figure that is what my elk bow pulls, so it would pull it to full draw...


Can't you just see a ghostly bull coming out of the woods here, letting loose a big old bugle?


Another meadow, another dream bull....


The view looking backwards towards the trailhead.


Into the basin


Hey, wait, thats me, get out of the picture!


Some alpen glow as I was glassing the basin.  Not a soul is down there....


One more view from the top of the ridge...if you look closely you can see the burned areas.

Once down into the basin, I enjoyed a beautiful sunset...


...that kept getting more vibrant


I set up camp, ate and crashed in the pitch black, no moon yet.  Really had no idea what my real estate looked like.... until morning.  Like they always say, location, location, location.  Not a bad seat in the house.



After glassing all morning, no pictures of that, I did some wandering, looking for sign and such.  Found some wildflowers instead.


and this little doll that I watched bed down.

can you see her?


This avalanche chute was breathtaking.  The power must have been IMENSE, all the trees are laid down like toothpicks, all headed down hill.  The picture absolutely doesn't do it justice.  Great place to find bears if there weren't quite as many hikers.

Another view of the chute... right into the lake.  Good area to go flyfishing, right there in the tangle.


Another  one of me, pack loaded up, headed back to my sweety-pie.


The trail along the lake.  See that notch up ahead?  That's where I am headed.


The ridge-summit is closer.  Remember this trail for a few minutes.


Massive scree piles, built up over the years.



Looking back towards the lakes... remember the trail?  See it down there?  Way down there?  I am now halfway up the ridge.  

And one taken looking the other way from the same spot.  Still can't see the top though.


I made it back up.  Tired, sweaty, hungry.... breathless from the elevation, the exertion.... and the view!


Cool little creek.  Cold water, tastes GREAT, but you had better purify it or filter it, you don't want the beaver fever!


The road out.  A smooth patch.  Did I mention it is 10.5 miles up a rugged road?  


A final picture to leave with you.  This is where I will be this year.  If you know where it is, PM me.  If not, stay tuned for further adventures.


Thanks for letting me share.
Mike

Great pictures! unfortunatley I won't be able to have views like that or hear an elk bugle again until next fall!

Great pic's.  Really pretty country!

Beautiful!  Thanks for your effort in sharing this.      Just like I was there.

Ninja -- This is the most massive effort I've seen yet on TG to share your fever. You obviously are (as a trad hunting friend recently said of me) "in full velvet"! Thanks mucho and more power to you.

However ... your sideburns are way too long for a recovering Jarhead! Goldurn hippie! dave

Wow beautiful country! God Bless America!

MY LORD that is beautiful!!  Thank you for the inspiration.  If you don't mind I'm gonna use a couple of those for a screen saver. That'll be my motivation to get me through the next year or so till I can move out that way.  
Thanks

WOW, Beautiful Pics...  Good Luck

Awesome.  Thanks for taking us along.

Thanks for sharing.  I had to cancel my plans for an Idaho elk hunt with a buddy from Boise this year due to work.

awesome man cant wait for the end

Awsome country. Now I know what I'll be missing since I can't make it out there. A couple years yet. Good luck with your hunting.

Man, that's God's country right there!  I'm planning to head out west next fall. Man, this just gets me going. Thanks for sharing!  Cheers, Matt

I'm drooling!  What a beautiful place!  Something about the amount of effort put in that always seems to make it even better.  You got to see a place that very few people have the motivation to ever see.  Thanks for giving us a glimpse.

Nice photos - you sure picked a nice area to hunt elk!  Scouting = success, usually.  You are in for a fun fall, I think.
Good hunting.

Hey Ninja,

Can't wait to join you in a few weeks, thanks for sharing the pics.

Well that certainly wets my whistle for my little trip! It looks like an area around Del Norte CO I hunt. My stuff is packed, my pack weighs 58#, and I'm setting on ready...

Thanks for sharing boss.