So you want to hunt sheep? Part 4 - But, was it enough?

Kyle Sinclair-Smith

As we got closer to Father’s day, I kept a close eye on the weather. About two weeks out, they were calling for a bunch of rain on Friday and Saturday. I was a little concerned as our hike was not about getting out and looking for sheep but rather a nice family day in the mountains; with a side of sheep spotting. About a week out, the forecast changed dramatically and for the better. With no rain in the forecast at all now, I decided to do a pre-hike with a friend on Saturday with the sole mission of finding sheep. With the sunrise at 5:30 am on Saturday, I woke up and started getting ready at 3:30 am. Our plan was to meet at 5:00 am and I had about an hour drive; this meant leaving the house no later than 4:00 am. I was very excited for this hike for multiple reasons. First and foremost, this would be my first hike in the mountains since I started training. This would be the first true test if my results that I was seeing on the treadmill would translate into results on the mountain. Secondly, I would get to try out my new backpack somewhere other than a treadmill or low foothills. Back in January when I started this journey, one of my ways of training was to walk on my treadmill at an incline with a weighted pack. When I first started, I was using a ten year old day pack that was barely able to hold the sandbag. On top of that, straps were frayed and buckles were broken. Right away I knew this pack would not cut it for a sheep hunt so I started my research into backpacks. With all the great expedition-style packs out there, this was a very overwhelming task to say the least. After looking at all the major brands such as Exo, Mystery Ranch, Kuiu, Sitka, Stone Glacier and Kifaru; I was no further ahead than when I started. The sizes, configurations, external load shelves, different frames, different bags and accessories was a lot to take in. I have never hunted sheep out of a pack before, the biggest problem was that I had no idea what I actually needed. I ended up having lunch with a friend of mine who I’m pretty sure has hunted with every pack out there and got his take on the situation. Immediately he suggested Stone Glacier. Being inquisitive, we then proceeded to discuss all the pros and cons of the bags that he has used. Not wanting to make the wrong decision on a financial purchase of this size, I did even more research that night. Lying in bed that night, I thought to myself “what are the guys using that live out of their packs season after season?” This is when I took to Instagram. What I found was post after post of hardcore mountain hunters coming out heaving and using Stone Glacier to do it. Now I fully understand that a good portion of these guys probably get them given to them, but I don’t believe that they would run them if they didn’t work; free or not. At this point I had now decided I was going to buy a Stone Glacier, but which one? I decided to give them a call and ended up chatting with Lyle Hebel. After discussing what I wanted the pack for, my style of hunting, and some key features I wanted, I ended up settling on the Sky Archery 6200.

Everything was going to plan for our Saturday hike. We pulled up to the trailhead right at 5:30 am and were greeted with a small rain shower. Lucky for us, it was over just as fast as it started. We jumped out of the truck, got geared up, loaded up and started up the trail. Our plan was to head up the one ridge and then ridge walk the mountain up the valley. This would give us the ability to cover a good amount of ground on foot and even more with our glass. The hike was going well and we had a spring in our step. An hour later we reached the peak and started heading north along the ridge. This is when I found out that Google Earth scouting was very deceiving. Turns out that we would have to drop down 50% of the elevation that we just gained, ascend that 50% we just dropped and another 50% to get up on the ridgeline that we wanted to walk. I tell you what, that sure took the wind out of our sails. We decided that we would drop down to a known trail and then follow that back to where we intended to get to. It was an amazing day. We saw some beautiful country, found rams, and most importantly, I crushed the hike. At no point in the day did I get to the point that I felt like I couldn’t do it. Now don’t get me wrong, I got winded, I had to take breaks, but I never got to the point that I wanted to quit. That day we ended up doing 11 km with 1300 m of elevation gain. When I got home that night I still felt great, I had no soreness or cramping. This was a huge win for me and fueled me to push even harder.

The next day was nothing short of spectacular. We left Okotoks and headed for our ranch to meet my Dad and Grandparents. From there we were headed west and we were ready to hike. For this hike today, I would be packing my son in his carrier backpack and my wife was carrying a day pack with our food, water, and toys. Even after my hike the previous day, I was feeling great and chomping at the bit to start covering ground. We took our time picking our way up the mountain and really took everything in. My son decided his toy would be a stick and it would be used for hitting me in the back of the head. I still believe that it was his way of trying to get me to go faster. We got to our alpine meadow where we planned to have lunch about an hour after leaving the truck. It was the perfect day making memories. The weather was beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking, and most importantly I was surrounded by my family. It was a very special moment for everyone. My grandparents are in their mid 70’s and we all realize that they won’t be climbing mountains forever. That day will be one that I will cherish forever; it’s not often that you get a picture of four generations on the side of a mountain.

While we were having lunch, a lone Ewe walked out into the meadow and started feeding. At one point, she was as close as 15 yards to us and was not concerned at all. Not only was it great to see this beautiful animal in the wild and so close, it was very energizing as my wife had a non-trophy sheep tag for this zone. Our plan was that come September, we would come up here to see if she might be able to get a ewe with her bow. The main reason that we wanted to come so early in the season is because we wanted to take our son with us. The hike into this area we pretty easy and I was now in good enough condition that I could carry my son, and my wife would take what food and water we needed for the day along with her bow.

I will have to admit that on the way down, I was very proud of myself. In two days I hiked 16 km, gained over 2000 m of elevation and felt great the whole time. To me this was proof, proof that the training was working, and proof that I could actually do this. It was at this point that I realized that I was in condition to hunt sheep. I wouldn’t say I was in “Sheep Shape”, I still had a long way to go and I was going to get there. But I was at the point that climbing a mountain was no longer a dream, I could now do it. So now I could get up a mountain without dying, the only thing left to do was to find rams. How hard could it be?