2026 Bear Hunt Day 2 - In Camp

After a much better night's sleep than the previous, I was up wwwaaayyy too early.  I read the entire internet before packing up and hitting the road.  I know they don't like it when I get to camp too early, but I can only putz around my hotel room for so long.  When I briefly thought about turning on my work computer, I knew it was time to go!

Not being in any hurry, I methodically made my way toward the border.  There were almost no other cars on the road, even in Warroad.  I got to the border and had a brief conversation with the Canadian Officer, then parked and headed in for the firearm paperwork.  I always appreciate the professionalism of the Canadian Border Security Officers.  I handed over my paperwork, had another brief friendly conversation and was on my way - a guest in a foreign country.

I continued on into Canada.  Traffic stayed exceedingly light all morning.  The drive was wonderful - scenic and easy.

I stopped once for coffee when I saw a sign for a "Coffee Bar", but that was a mistake - a big one.  The coffee was terrible, little more than brown water.  It was actually worse than the hotel coffee earlier in the morning.  So it goes...

I was glad when I finished Lies My Teacher Told Me.  OK read?  Meh...  Recommend?  No...  I finished the drive with some Garrison Keillor and an older podcast before turning everything off and just thinking back to my first bear hunt all those years ago.  I do that a lot on the final stretch of road.

I got gas and made my final few km into camp.  I parked at my cabin and walked to the lodge.  Carter and I talked for a bit; Maureen also stopped by.  It felt like visiting family.

I threw a lure for a bit while waiting for the cabin to be ready.  I caught two pike - this has to be a good sign - right?  One of them was even a reasonably decent size (not a monster).

With my cabin ready, I allowed myself a brief nap.  It was going to be a good week.  Another pike at the dock and a bit more forced down time before heading into the lodge.

Dinner was chicken cordon bleu while we all started to get to know each other.  The real adventure starts in the morning.

2026 Bear Hunt Day 1 - Driving and Driving Some More

The hotel was ... 3 stars at best.  I can't blame the hotel for all the other denizens slamming their door, but I can blame the hotel that every single one of them felt like it shook the whole building.  I had to resort to turning up the AC fan and wearing ear plugs, even then it seemed like my neighbors were coming through the walls.
Not surprisingly, I woke up with a headache.

But a couple cups of barely adequate hotel pod coffee put me in a good start.  I wasn't in a hurry so I stuck around long enough for hotel waffles.  There were ... ok ... maybe hotel waffles should be reserved for motorcycle trips.

I was on the road right around daybreak.  Traffic was minimal at first.  It picked up around Madison, Wisconsin (predictably), then slowly drained away through the day.  By the time I was in northern Minnesota, there were so few cars it was almost eerie, but in an oddly tranquil way.  It started to rain around Wisconsin Dells and rained for several hours until I got somewhere just south of Superior, Wisconsin.  Most drivers were taking it easy, so it wasn't a bad drive even with the rain.

I continued listening to Lies My Teacher Told Me.  It didn't get better and didn't get worse.  I learned a little, disagreed a little and drifted off a little.  While it probably helped make the drive more enjoyable, I'm ready for it to be done.  My biggest take-aways from it are 1) History is complex and 2) History is better explained as the unintended consequences of millions of poorly-made decisions (and I still say Loewen should STFU and write a better textbook...).

I watched the miles count down through the day, stopping for some new and ever more questionable snacks.  With my recent oral surgery, I still feel the need to be a bit careful about what and how I eat.  At one point somewhere Squaw Lake, I looked at the beautiful scenery, the near complete lack of any other cars and just thought, "This is absolutely incredible."  And I meant it.

I kept driving, stopping in the town of Baudette to get gas before stopping for the night.  In the morning, I'll be crossing the border on my final leg to the land of black bears (and wolves and pike and smalleys and, and and).

2026 Bear Hunt Day -0.5 - Sometimes Struggle Is The Solution

A picture came up in my history feed a few days ago from our 2017 Total Eclipse adventure.  It reminded me of how much things have changed in the last nine years.  Minor health issues; reminders that my body has an expiration date even if I don't know when that is.  A special needs dog; the universe revolves around her as she slowly becomes the dog she might have always been.  It's been three years since I've done any kind of motorcycle trip and six since S/O and I have done one together.  Work responsibilities have increased, even if I'm convinced most of what I do doesn't matter.

“The universe is Time's body.” - John Crowley, Little, Big

But sometimes it seems like something has been lost.  I have no reason to complain; I know I'm incredibly fortunate.  We lose things because we first have things to lose.

And if I look at it objectively, it is hard to say I've lost much when I'm on a 1000+ mile journey to hunt and fish.

I was mulling this over as the week before bears progressed.  I took a few hours of precious vacation time to mow the fantastically long lawn on Wednesday, packed up Thursday and had a final shortened day at work Friday.  I was able to leave with Inbox near zero so I'll count that as a win (big time).  I was on the road shortly after noon.

I easily settled into the drive.  Indianapolis was bonkers, but at least there was less construction than I recall from my last time through; Indy NEVER has no construction.  Then traffic lightened considerably for the remainder of the day.

I was listening to Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen.  It was mildly interesting and informative, but he certainly seemed to be selective on what he chose to complain about and his principles were applied erratically (so maybe the aren't really principles).  It wasn't bad, but it was too easy to let my mind wander, especially since it was quite repetitive.  I'll need to finish the book to make a final judgement, but all I can say is after writing a 20 hour book, he could have just written a better textbook.  But I guess complaining is more fun, and I suspect writing what he would consider a "good" textbook would end up being even more cumbersome than the 1000 page tomes he says are terrible history text books.

I easily found my hotel in Northern Illinois.  A quick gas stop and some soda from Walmart and I called it a day.  The real adventure is almost about to begin.

2026 Hog Hunt Day 6 & 7 - Letting Him Walk

Rick and I went out to feed on a very cold low-country South Carolina morning.  When we got to Fish Snatch, Rick looks at me and says, "Take a look.  Don't get lost."  I wasn't too happy that he wasn't going to help since I'm just colorblind enough that finding blood trails is a challenge, let alone dry blood trails.  I understood the pig is likely still running around, and even if not, the chance to find it is remote given the pig's reaction after the shot, but respect for the animal requires a good faith effort.

I spent a chunk of time looking for blood, then following what looked like a scurrying-type path and general small-grid searching.  I would have liked to have spent about 10 times the amount I did, but there were places where it was so thick that a hog could be 10 feet from me and I wouldn't see it; the unrealistic part of me was hoping it would be in one of the open areas.  After a while, I realized it was futile.  

I was surprised that there were a couple of dead hogs in the form of old scattered bones - I know locals often shoot and leave lie since they don't care about hogs (I strongly disagree with this), but there are other interpretations.  I grabbed an old lower jaw bone off the ground and told Rick that it was all that was left of my hog.

With a mix of new people coming in, I moved my stuff around once back in the lodge and had the usual down-time.  Then it was time to head out for the last night of hunting.

I was dropped off on the Zombie Hog Stand.  It was another gorgeous blue-bird day - cool with a biting breeze; I  was dressed well for it.

As I sat down and got situated, I began to have a confidence crisis due to my miss the previous evening.  Part of me was almost hoping not to see anything.  I tend to overthink everything; I swear my brain needs a good therapist more than anything.  I have definitely been overthinking my shooting recently.  And while I had shot hogs at this stand more than once, the distance felt oddly long.

For most of the afternoon, absolutely nothing was moving.  It was a nice afternoon and I was just enjoying the afternoon.

As it started to get dark, movement on the left turned into a boar walking out to the corn.  What to do???  With my setup, I was rock-solid and I did have enough light.  But shooting while a bit unsure of myself???  I put the cross hairs on the pig's head, then backed off, on, off, on, off.

I was not in the right frame of mind.  At some point indecision becomes a decision.  I settled for a picture.

(and yes, I realize this isn't a clean head shot, but gimme a break - lining up the rifle and camera while not dropping either is a bit challenging)

Ethically this felt like 100% the right thing to do; I was at peace with this as darkness claimed the situation.

I was going home with a good chunk of hog meat (room in the freezer at home remains a question).

Some deer came in a chased off the hog which ended my 2026 hunt.  Back in the truck, Claude hadn't seen any pigs.  Denis had seen a bunch, but was holding out for a big boar.

Back in the lodge, Rich and Rich were in camp from Ohio.  They seemed pretty nice, but I only had a chance to talk to them for a short time before Rick and I went to Denis' house for dinner.  It was fun having all of us there to BS and talk about the week (and just about everything else in life).  Denis got a bit distracted and the ribeyes were, ummm, extra, extra well-done.  We all made the best of it.

As I was getting ready to go to sleep, I remembered Rick had not cut my shirt tail.  This may come back to bite me at some point in the future.  Karma is a bitch.

_____________________

I was awake early and ready to be home.  A quick shower and I was out the door.  One of the Rich's was sleeping on the couch so I tried to be extra quiet as I scooted out.

The interior of the Maverick had the lingering smell of smoke from my hunting clothes.  And it wasn't a good smoke smell - a serious cleaning and deodorizing was going to be needed for my camo.

I was glad to be on the road.  I had the roads to myself for several hours.  Bridges and roads appeared to have been pretreated for snow even if the forecast had changed to make freezing precipitation unlikely.

I was listening to River Man by Ben McGrath for most of the ride home.  It was an OK book, but definitely not as good as the review I had previously read about it.  I didn't find Dick Conant (who it is about) as even remotely compelling.  And while McGrath is a good writer, the tone of the book was like that of someone who had worked in New York for far too long and had only recently discovered that there exists people, places and things in flyover country.  As a journalist, McGrath didn't call out as even potential-BS some of what was shared in the book.  I can't believe he hasn't talked to enough people to see this?  I've certainly met my share of characters on some of my epic road trips enough to nod my head at the main-character syndrome half-truths (or sometimes less than half).  The book may factually represent what McGrath saw and heard, but should have been a bit more careful in bleeding reality out of it.

As the book ended, I did reflect a bit more on Dick Conant.  Society is very quick to celebrate eccentric people who throw off the shackles of work-a-day life and travel the world in a canoe.  But we don't often acknowledge that the higher likelihood is eventual tragedy like what almost certainly happened to Conant.

He had saved [100,000 straightened] nails and wasted life. - Donald Hall

And yet (there is always an "and yet"), whether we are talking about Dick Conant, Hall's Washington Woodward, myself, or Ben McGrath, I'm not sure it is fair to call a life wasted if it is/was lived deliberately.

I continued motoring on.  The Saturday traffic was highly tolerable all day.  I was home before 2:00.

S/O and I took care of the pigs shortly after I got home.  Loins were packaged for the grill, all eight quarters will be dynamite on the smoker, and there was enough good trimmings for eight burgers.

Until next year, I'll have some reflection to do after this year's hunt.  Two pigs with one shot.  A miss.  Maybe the first time I've let a pig walk...

2026 Hog Hunt Day 1 - Paper Boy

Everything seems ... unsettled.  The world, the US, work, me.  I'm not even sure my mind has grasped that the 2025 calendar has been thrown away.

I survived the first full week of work.  It wasn't terrible and things were in a good enough place.  I'm currently bossless and with the retirement of my shortest-term boss ever.  Technically I report to their boss now, but that gives me a direct reporting relationship to someone over 4300 miles away.

I've also had several subtle reminders of mortality (see - unsettled).  I've been on the edge of a migraine for several days; I'm worried the stress, even if it is "good" stress, of the trip will trigger it.

I kept myself busy on Saturday by packing up for the trip south.  My freezer doesn't have much room, but any change to that is theoretical at this point.  Winter would not be winter without a week spent in South Carolina.

Sunday came and I hit the road early after feeding the dogs and a quick shower.

The weather was cold and windy with some snow squalls, so I was hoping that any slow downs would be on empty roads.  As it was, the few snowy areas had no effect on the roads.

I did not get any kind of glorious sunrise on this trip.

I listened to the book Paper Girl by Beth Macy for almost the entire trip.  I'm not sure this was the best choice given how unsettled I felt, but it was a very engaging read.  It was part politics (at times a bit too much), part memoir, part history, part ... story of Urbana, Ohio and the surrounding area.

I found myself criticizing the author a few times for being so closed-minded and criticizing others for the same behaviors she demonstrated, but it was her story to tell and I thought it was done with honesty, integrity the way a personal memoir should be.  In the end, I think there are two lessons.  One - don't take politics so seriously!  There is NO reason to let it kill friendships or personal relationships.  It just is not that important.  And two - there are no easy answers.  None.  So see lesson one.  Hearing all the family strife, poor life decisions and upheavals in personal relationships sure made me appreciate S/O as well as my siblings.

I ended the drive listening to a recast of This American Life which was similarly unsettling.  This brings me to a third lesson, which is that I'm in South Carolina to hunt wild hogs and I need to get into that mode.

The drive was easy enough.  Traffic remained light through most of the day.  Once south of the snow I definitely wasn't in a hurry which makes the drive even that much easier.

As I got out of the mountains, the snow and cold gave way to sun and quite warm temperatures, but it was still quite windy.

Once at the lodge, I had the place to myself.  I generally farted around a bit before Rick came over.  We went to see Denis and Claude at Denis' house for a short visit before calling it a day with a plan to feed up stands in the morning.

2025 SC Deer Hunt Day 1 - Ford Maverick Junked

Things are complicated as I get in my vehicle and head out.  Every time I think I'm caught up with the monstrosity of middle age, a new fiend pops it head out.  In hindsight, my 20s were all about drinking beer.  My 30s were all about wondering if I should sell everything and travel on the cheap for the next 30 years.  My 40s were all about scratching my head and both saying and asking, "This is it?"  My 50s are starting to look like lurching from one issue to the next.  But in all fairness, I won't really know what they are about until they are almost over.

S/O's Mom isn't doing too well, so we are scrambling to keep things going while her family is dealing with that; I have empathy.  I almost thought I should cancel this trip, but it sounds like things are under control (enough, for now).  I became an orphan last year.  I'm not afraid of dying, but I am terrified of the season before it.

I struggle not to drown at work.  A Quality audit coming up brings mountains of busy work and too many reminders that what is important for the audit is the Appearance of quality - the actual thing????  And yet another special project means something is rolling down hill to me.  I know I have a lot going for me.  My job is pretty good and I get to work with some phenomenal people.  And the reality is that I generally get along with my management quite well.  Having accepted that my career is over makes it easier to look at what I do as a job - all while counting down indeterminately.

I was on the road a little after 4:00 for the drive.  The early part of the trip was easy enough.  I made my way south into Kentucky.  There was unease, but I was mostly looking forward to the hunting and the trip in general.

I was listening to The Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben.  I suppose it kept me entertained enough, but I can't say I liked the book.  The "what" of animals was interesting enough and I learned a few things.  They "why" started out ok, but then got progressively weirder as the book went on.  It read more like a mix of opinion, editorializing with just enough supportable facts to keep things going.  I was glad when I hit the return button on the Libby App.

I had another beautiful sunrise nearing the KY-TN border.  Sunrise over the Cumberlands is pretty amazing.  As I was making my way towards the Cumberland Gap, my Ford Maverick became junk as I crossed 36,000 miles of the factory warranty.  It would have by time in a few weeks - so good enough.  The trucklette is now junk?  Definitely not, and anyways, the powertrain warranty still exists; I also just got a letter that my truck's half shafts are warrantied for another 100,000 miles.

About half of the miles on the Maverick are from my road trips to outdoor adventures.  No question every mile was 100% worth it.

The previous year I had to take a different route due to Hurricane Helene's impact to the Asheville area.  Interstate-40 is open now, but down to one lane.  It was interesting to see the enormous scope of the construction.  Thankfully, the slowdown wasn't too bad.

Traffic got oddly worse once onto I-26.  But I wasn't in any hurry.  I continued making my way south and east, even if the drive seemed more painful than usual.  Perhaps it was just my mood.

I finally got to Rick's.  There were two guys getting ready to head home in the morning.  We talked for a bit before Rick showed up after dropping other hunters off.  The lodge would be a bit crowded, but so it goes.  

But then the two guys decided to leave to get a head start on the drive home.  I blessedly had the lodge to myself.  It also meant I had a room to myself.

Dinner was a late cowboy stew and cornbread before calling it for the early morning.

2025 Bear Hunt Days 10,11 - Post Hunt Scramble

I was up early and with almost everything, especially my now frozen bear, packed up, it was a quick shower and I was ready to go.

I walked down to the bay to say goodbye and was struck with an absolutely astonishing moonlit goodbye.

But all things really, really must come to an end.  I jumped in the Maverick and headed out.

There was some fog as I made my way through Manitoba, but it was never bad enough that I had to slow down very much.  In a few spots the temperatures had dropped to well below freezing.

I stuck to paved roads and made my way through the two towns, before the final stretch toward the border.  Traffic was light and the final goodbye to Canada was once again stunning.

The border took a few minutes to fill out the form to import my bear.  The form was different from the example they gave me to follow, but I did my best.  The rather bored-looking border guard said, "Perfect!" and I was on my way.

I was listening to Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  I don't read much fiction, but I've heard several references to this book recently to the point I felt I had to listen to it.  It was good, but only good - brutal, dark.  The end was predictable.  It was worth listening to.

I made my way to my sister's in Wisconsin.  It was a long 12 hour drive to get there.  Because I left early, we had quite a bit of time to catch up.  It was great to see her for a bit.  Around dark we called it a night.

______________________

After coffee with my sister, I was back on the road for the final leg home.  I was out of books, so I was just listening to podcasts.  Hidden Brain was oddly refusing to hold my attention.

I have planted several paw paw trees as well as given away seedlings.  I knew there was a Paw Paw in Michigan, but I did not know (more realistically did not remember) that there is one in Illinois as well.  I didn't stop...

Traffic was tolerable most of the day.  I timed Indianapolis well.  Working my way toward and down the familiar roads near home, I was looking forward to the familiar.

Once home it was a scramble to take care of the bear and get it in the freezer.  It was a late night (by my standards) and there was still much to do.  But work starts in the morning.

As I went to sleep, I relived many of the past week's amazing moments.  I thought back to bears and fish and the people I hung out with.  I am truly fortunate to be able to pursue my outdoor interests.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 2 - Embrace The Miles

I was up and on the road just a few minutes after 5:00.  This felt late by my internal home clock, yet still early.  But the gas station that was supposed to be open 24 hours was closed, so the only coffee I had was the small pod in the hotel room.  No reason not to hit the road.

Predictably traffic was non-existent.  I contentedly motored north in the dark morning.

I finished listening to Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed.  My opinion of the book was unchanged.  It was worth listening to, but not one I intend to come back to.  The last essay was by Tim Kreider and it was by far one of the best.  I was glad (and a little relieved) since I've struggled to like some of his newer writing.

I thought about listening to some podcasts, but jumped right into The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohllben.  It was at least mostly about the interconnectedness of the natural world.  It took me a bit to get into the book since so much of it was condescending.  There were several times it said things like:  This probably surprises you...  Or:  ...but it's more complicated than that.  Or the worst:  You might think ... but you would be wrong.  

If I would have had another book that I wanted to start, I definitely would have killed it.  But I soldiered on.  The book did get better - or maybe I got numb to the condescension?  I liked some of the facts and comparisons he gave, even if a few might have been whitewashed to show a point of view.  I did enjoy the basic premise of the book about how interconnected things can be. 

I thought the solutions he gave were far too simplistic and tailored to how he could live his life - a great frustration of mine when anyone gives simple solutions to complex problems.  While humans are doing at least some terrible things, we ARE part of the world; we can't live in a cocoon.  He did acknowledge

 this complication near the end of the book.  Tying it in with the previous book - he never gave the difficult solution of population reduction.  I know this will never happen, but trying to fix global issues with addressing the ever-increasing scourge that a growing population brings is akin to choosing immobility as your mode of transportation.

While the book was a bit of a downer, I was comforted by the book I read the previous year (almost to the day) and its conclusion that on the geologic time scale, humans do not matter.

Ultimately, I give the book a C+.  I had another of his books on hold with Libby, but I got rid of it since I was concerned it would be too similar (and condescending).

The day had started out wonderfully cool.  Going through Wisconsin I did hit a bit of mist/rain.  Then it stayed really nice for the rest of the day.  It was, quite frankly, a wonderful day on the road.  I did get a bit wistful every time I saw people on motorcycles who were obviously touring.

I ended up stopping more often than I usually do for drinks or snacks - odd since I had a whole buffet of food with me.  I'm embarrassed to admit I gorged on too much trail mix so I had to buy some more.

US2 was a bit annoying with convoys of pokey drivers.  But once I turned on to MN46, traffic almost instantly disappeared.  It was quite glorious.  

I motored on to my hotel in Baudette.  The owner was painting, but we talked for a few minutes as she checked me in.  I really do want to come back to fish for sturgeon - still a bucket-list fish for me.

After getting settled, I walked around the dock a bit.  The afternoon was spectacular.  I thought about how fortunate I am to be able to go on these adventures.  I stared across the river at Canada.  I thought about bears, about how special it is to have this enormous friendly border.  I thought back to the book I had listened to and while there may be problems, we are still fortunate in North America to be able to easily go places that are a salve to the soul.

Despite being a good day, it was also a tiring day.  I knew I'd be up too early but turned in early anyway.

2025 Bear Hunt Day 1 - On The Road

Given the amount of people I've talked to over the years about going bear hunting with me, I was surprised when Doug said "yes" and followed through.  We talked some logistics a few weeks previous which gave me an opportunity to really start planning.  This helps the mental state as the days counted down.  Prep for an audit at work, months in advance, is growing in pain.  The redundant (often dumb) requests demonstrate a house of cards.  A break is needed.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't know Doug that well, but he's organized a few fishing trips.  After we talked logistics, he gave me a heads up that some family issues were brewing.  This was followed a short time later by notice he was not going to be able to go.  I felt really bad for him.  He dealt with it well, by letting me know when he could and also letting Vance know.  It is still a bit frustrating; I'm sure it isn't the first time this has happened.  For all involved, including myself I suppose, I hope the best.

So I'm solo for yet another grand adventure.  I'm good with this too.

Prep for the trip progressed as the days counted down.  I wasn't going to subject Doug to my audiobooks, so I had to scramble to find some since I would be by myself.  I tried using ChatGPT for book suggestions, but as that effort progressed, it started hallucinating like crazy and suggested books which I do not believe exist.  Good job ChatGPT - I guess you can write those books or something.

I packed up everything on Thursday in preparation for a Friday departure after work.

Friday finally came; I saw a few deer on my way into work.  This isn't unusual, but it can feel like a positive omen when heading out on an adventure.

Being a day before a long weekend, work was relatively quiet.  I left after a sufficient amount of time and effort.  Leaving from work meant a quick jump onto the freeway and I started to head north and west.  Traffic was tolerable.  Indianapolis was hairy, but at least predictable.  There were only a few traffic slow downs after Indy, and they were pretty short.

I was listening to Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed - a collection by writers on the decision not to have kids.  It was good but not great.  A few of them I related to, but most sort of fell into not having kids.  It kept me entertained for the afternoon.

Soon enough I was at a Days Inn hotel.  I didn't like parking right next to a gas station, but it should be OK.  The hotel smelled like curry, so I didn't feel too bad about eating a noddle bowl for dinner.  I resisted the urge to buy junk food at the gas station.  

I waited for dark - actually looking forward to a long day on the road.

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 4 - Home

After getting up, I was ready to head home.  I spent a few minutes choosing my route.  Since I was leaving early, I decided I would risk the 401 to avoid the tolls on the 407.  I also had a quick couple cups of coffee, hopefully giving me just the right amount of caffeination for the trip.

As promised, Denis was up around 4:00.  We loaded up my fish and a few Coho salmon for me to try.  The amount of fish was truly shocking - I've had hunting trips with less (but then again, I've had hunting trips with nothing in the cooler).  I tied down the cooler and I was on the road by 4:15.

I followed the GPS to the 401 and it was the right decision.  It was a bit busy nearer Toronto, but there were no slow downs.  I did have to pay attention - mostly because I was on unfamiliar roads.

I listened to the end of The Secret Life of Groceries.  The end of the book was probably the best part - if also a bit sad.  It got into the psychology of buying, which was interesting.  It also got into the food supply chain - specifically a lot about the seafood supply chain; every time I read about seafood and all that goes into it - I'm appalled at humanity.  The world is doomed and humanity might deserve this.

I guess I did feel a bit better that the fish in my cooler were obtained ethically and in a conscious manner.

After finishing Groceries I listened to Ologies podcasts for the rest of the day.  I almost gave up after the first one - which wasn't very good.  But I was in a hairy spot so I just started another one as the easiest thing to do, rather than find one of my other podcasts.  I was glad I did, since most of the rest of them were good - which just enough humor to get me to laugh a few times in each one.

I avoided buying fuel for the Maverick in Canada, but the level was lower than I was comfortable with.  I did get absolutely fantastic mileage the whole time I was there - even more surprising since my speeds wouldn't suggest it should be this good, but I'll take it.

I crossed the border back into the US at Windsor since this would put me mostly south of Detroit.  The line was moderate, but it was still the right decision.  It was mildly infuriating when a dude forced his way in two cars ahead of me.  But we already know that a small percentage of the population has no redeeming qualities (the internet has reinforced this...).  The border itself took 30 seconds to get through.

I continued my way towards home.  Traffic was actually worse in places than near Toronto.  

Soon enough I was home with enough time to unpack and take the dogs on a quick walk.  Fish were still frozen so it was just a matter of transferring them to the freezer.

I know I'm very fortunate to have friends like Denis and now Julie.  Fishing for big salmon is something I've always wanted to do.  I hope to be able to do this again.

And barring anything unforeseen, I'll be back in Canada in a few weeks!

2025 Lake Ontario Fishing Day 1 - Breezing Through the Border

I think I first met Denis in 2013.  Since then, we've hunted together in South Carolina more times than I can recall.  Denis has a big boat and as he's (I think) partly retired, he spends much of the summer catching fish on Lake Ontario. 

We talked in 2024 about me coming out to fish with him, but that ended up being a busy year for him and for me it was the year of health challenges.  Fast forward and we made plans to go fishing.

I was a bit apprehensive - which was stupid.  It is way too easy to get caught up in the work-eat-sleep routine and to take work too seriously.  It didn't take too long for me to realize how awesome this would be.

The summer so far has been exhaustively hot and humid.  Friday came gloriously with cool air and decreasing humidity.  This allowed me to spend Saturday getting caught up on some chores around the house as well as spending time doing some maintenance and small repairs (that required doors/windows to be open).  I felt wonderfully productive, if somewhat tired.

One of my repairs was going to need some subsequent work, but it was good enough and didn't stop me from heading out early Sunday after some quick coffee.

I was out the door and on the road around 5:15.  Predictably, I had the Sunday morning road to myself.  I was listening to The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr.  The first  section of the book felt a little like and advertisement for Trader Joes - although he does make a disclaimer that he's agnostic on the chain.  It might have felt a little more real had I ever been to a Trader Joes, I suppose.

My mind did wander a bit, which is to be expected.  But the book was pretty good.  At some point I realized I wasn't going to finish it, so I switched to some rather forgettable pod casts for the last few hours.

I bypassed the Detroit/Windsor border and continued, crossing at Port Huron.  This may have added a few minutes, but I was anticipating the crossing a drive to be a little easier.  I breezed through the border within a few minutes.  The line of trucks coming into the US was crazy; I couldn't help but wonder if it was to avoid the next round of tariffs?

I  realized this time was my first time out of my home state since January (I think).  This is a bit sad.  Although I guess I could count my dog walks into Indiana.

Once into Canada, the traffic was nonexistent at first.  

It got much hairier and uglier as I got close to Toronto.  The roads seemed overly complicated, but I just followed the GPS - or tried to.  I'm a bit terrified I'll need a second mortgage to pay for the 407 tolls - but I guess that is just part of the trip.

I made my way to Denis and Julie's campground.  Denis was out getting the boat ready.  I had never met Julie before so we had a while to get to know each other.  It was fun and she was easy to talk to.

Denis showed up on his motorcycle late afternoon.  It was good to see him as well.

Dinner was beef steak and veggies before turning in relatively early in preparation for a fairly early morning.

2025 Hog Hunt Day 7 - Home

I was up and on the road early.  I knew there was going to be rain and while I didn't see any snow forecasts, there is always a chance of the unexpected in the mountains.  

I made my way north and west while listening to Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational by Michael Shermer.  It was far better than the book I listened to on the trip down.  The first part of the book is more academic and I did find my brain wandering a bit.  The second part of the book was more conversational and fun to listen to.  Although the section on how to talk to conspiracy theorists was just off.  Just about everyone I've ever heard who holds nut-job conspiracy theories believe it as dogma, and it is not rational.  Maybe just my personality, but I'll continue to nod my head and quietly judge (while enjoying the ride).

I missed not one, but two turns on my route.  I have no idea how I missed the first one - just a total brain fart I guess.  But Tennessee - why the snot do you have I-26 labeled as "Future I-26"??????  Maybe we are now in the future...

I was trying to figure out if the Cherokee Reservoir was low because of dam issues (Helene?) or if it was just a really dry year.  But the lake was basically a mud pit.  If I lived in the area, I'd wait for it to freeze in the coming weeks and go find all my lures I'd ever lost!

US25 through the mountains was tolerable, if a bit frustrating once I finally did get behind the conga line created by a single slow driver.  I just used it as a reason to practice my patience.  But overall, the US25 route was far preferrable over the West Virginia tolls.

As I got closer to home I started to see snow again.

Once at home, SO had left for family issues so I had the house to myself.  The dogs were thrilled to see me.  This also left taking care of the hog as a solo job.  I didn't even bother unpacking the truck, but spent most of the rest of the day cutting and grinding and freezing.  I had to remind myself that if I could get the entire pig taken care of, that would leave me two blessed days to recover.  While part of me was a bit disappointed I could not shoot one of the hogs in the two wads of them - my freezer is thanking me.

As always, the pig hunt was a great way to start the year.  I still have some things to mentally process about this year's hunt.  I'll have time to do that in the coming days and weeks.

2025 Hog Hunt Day 1 - Snow Fever

The last few winters at home have been a bit boring but boring in a good way.  The few heavy snows that I can recall were mostly weekends or near holidays.  That changed the previous Monday when about a foot of snow fell near home; the drifting made it worse.

A second round of snow, if slightly less significant, fell Friday.  This created some anxiety about the drive south, but at least I was leaving on Sunday.

Yet being a chronic worrier, I still left early in the morning worried about road conditions, worried about the route (I-40 remains closed), worried about home, worried about the dogs and SO, worried about work.  But I was also leaving anticipating another week of wild hog hunting.

Sunday morning came and after taking care of the dogs and a quick shower, I was on the road.  Early morning felt like even less traffic than usual - maybe a lingering hangover from the roads.  I made my way south.

I listened to The Knew by Sarah Kendzior for the entire trip.  I thought it was going to be a book about conspiracies that were/are real and it was ... sort of.  The book was really repetitive and rambled all over at times.  It seemed to often confuse and equate that which is illegal, unethical and just distasteful - which greatly distracted from her main thesis.  It also came across as though once someone has done something that fits into one of these categories, everything they ever do will be criminal.  I can't say I disagree with some of what she said, and there were some good nuggets.  But it was all doom and gloom.  I suspect if you gave Kendzior a delicious tuna sandwich, she would look at it and assume that four sea turtles were killed in its preparation.

She ended up in a circular firing squad by insinuating that everything bad could have been predicted by listening to prognosticators of conspiracies, but didn't seem to acknowledge that for every conspiracy theory that ended up being mostly correct, there are probably 80 of them that are mostly wrong.  The book was a solid 1.9 stars; while some books make the drive very short, I think The Knew made it longer.  I ended up finishing the drive with a podcast about coffee and caffeine - which was far more enjoyable.

But overall the drive went well - I can't complain and no sea turtles were killed.  There was lots of snow near home and significant ice remaining around central Kentucky.  I was able to see a glorious sunrise near the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

Instead of stopping at my "usual" place for gas and coffee, I went a little further.  I was glad I did since the gas was a bit cheaper and the coffee was not terrible.  I'll take both as wins for the trip.

Precipitation decreased once out of the mountains until it was gone as I descended into South Carolina's low country.

I was ready to be out of the vehicle by the time I got to Rick's.  Weather was a balmy mid-40's and very sunny! 

As I was unpacking, I realized I forgot my soft gun case for while going to and from the stand.  I always forget something, and I guess this year it is the case.  Overall not a big issue - most guys don't even use one.  But I guess it will be something for me to worry about.

Rick had vaporized shortly after I got to the lodge, so I had the place to myself as Gary (hunted with him a couple times before) was already out.  This gave me a chance to recover as much as possible from the drive.  I probably should have walked down to the river, but just didn't feel like it.

I had a noodle bowl for dinner and shortly after dark Gary was back.  He had seen one deer but no pigs.  Claude and Denis are staying at Denis's house, leaving more room in the lodge!

The adventure was just beginning.

2024 SC Deer Hunt Day 1 - A New Route

It has been a chaotic week.

• Work:  An absolute mess.  Too much to do made worse by management-created problems - years in the making approaching rapidly.  I turned a coworker away when she asked me for help and my frustration was up to 11.  To be clear, it was something my manager doesn't want me doing and it isn't part of my job, but having accepted the blunt realization my career is over, I generally do what I can now to help people.  I feel terrible about this.
• Weather:  Hurricane Helene came through turning everything windy, sultry, humid and wet.  Gross.  The week ahead looks like wet will continue.
• Home:  The lawn needs mowed (of course) and fall chores are lurking.  
• Personal:  A family issue is looming.  I may be a terrible person.

But!

• I was able to leave work with my inbox in a decent place.  And the work will be there when I get back.
• While Hurricane Helene was brutal*, we did need the rain and there was no significant damage locally (I'm not minimizing the devastating impact Helene had South).
• The world won't end due to long, sodden grass.  I have must-use vacation days coming to take care of fall chores.
• While I may be a terrible person, I'm also able to accept my faults.

*Apparently Helene was more brutal than I originally knew.  I-26 was shut down and I-40 was gone in Western NC. I know this is much worse for many people in that area.

_______________________________

After a Saturday getting a few things done and packing up the trucklette, Sunday morning arrived.  With all the roads closures, I had to choose a new route.  I also parked my Garmin GPS to take advantage of the slightly more real-time traffic and road information with my phone.  This was not to be my typical brainless drive that I'm used to.

I was out the door around 3:30.  It was raining, but roads were clear.  I had to argue a bit with my phone to get it to go the way I wanted.  It did give me a route through Western North Carolina, but I didn't trust it.  All it would take would be one road closure to create problems.  Plus, the roads that were open were likely to be difficult.

So I routed east then south.  The drive went easy enough.  I was listening to How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key.  I had almost deleted this book since his other book was only mediocre.  I was sooooo glad I didn't though.  This was a totally different book and was beautifully written - it was almost lyrical in many places.  It was both funny and sad, sometimes at the same time.  In fact, I'm I actually glad I read his other book since it did, in some ways, set things up for this one.  One of the negatives about listening to books is I couldn't write down some of the better quotes.  And searching for them didn't help me find them either - possibly because his writing can be pretty polarizing, and this is (obviously) a polarizing subject.  I was surprised how much of a religious tone the book had since that wasn't a major tenet of his other book, but unlike some reviews I saw, I didn't find this off-putting; he was telling his story.

But the book made the drive go exceedingly fast.

Right near the West Virginia/Virginia border there was a bear dead on the side of the road.  It briefly brought me back to Manitoba.

The only negative with my route was that I was on 2-lane roads for the last couple hours.  But I guess ... that is the same with my other route too.  I'll probably get to see how it is on the way home.

I got to Rick's just as three guys were getting ready to go out.  I was in the small bedroom with Kevin who I hunted with the previous year.  I unpacked and got as settled as I could.  As I was unpacking, I realized I forgot my binoculars.  I don't use them for hogs, but not having them for deer could be a real handicap.

There were three other guys plus Kevin in camp.  Kevin wasn't hunting either so we lollygagged around camp and took a walk down to the river.  The three out hunting all saw several deer, but no shooters.

Dinner was rice and black eyed peas before turning in relatively early.

2024 Bear Hunt Day 2 - Stuck In The Middle

After a very hot and humid summer, it was almost nice to wake up to an almost cold room (without using air conditioning).  Outdoor temperatures were near 50, so not exactly cold by bear hunting standards.  Vance had asked that we not get to camp before 2:00.  I wasn't sure that was possible, but having a slow morning wasn't bad.  Still, too much time can be ... too much.

After I couldn't stand it anymore, I packed up all my stuff and hit the road.  I was early, so I took my time.  It was about an hour to the border and I breezed through.  Including gun paperwork, I could have gotten out of there in about three minutes, but it took four since the printer wasn't working.  I was in Canada!

I made my way north toward camp, stopping for coffee first, then fuel closer to camp.  Lac du Bonnet was really smoky.  I was worried there were forest fires in the area, but apparently the smoke was from almost a thousand miles away in Saskatchewan.  I worked my way towards camp.  There was no one parked at my cabin, so I parked there before going to the store.  I talked with Maureen for a few minutes and saw Julia as she was running around getting things ready.  I knew my cabin wouldn't be ready for a while.  After being in the trucklette for so long, I was happy to walk all the way to the power dam.  On the way back, I saw Vance and I jumped in the truck to tag along while he baited land-site baits.

We caught up as we went stand to stand.  All of them had been hit well.

We went to Rice Lake and took the side-by-side for some of them.  On the way back, the side-by-side slid off the firm (and I use that term loosely) ground and into the bog.  We were stuck - as in stuck stuck...

We tried a few things to get moving before Vance slammed a pick-axe he had along for beaver dams into the ground.  I gunned the side-by-side and worked the winch while he held the winch cable to the axe.  We did this several times until finally we got unstuck.  I gunned it to higher ground while Vance yelled, "Go Go Go."  Except he was actually yelling "Woah Woah Woah."  Thankfully the axe didn't damage the side-by-side and the cable didn't get caught in anything.  We were back in motion and I got my Junior Guide Badge.

Baiting the stands was fun.  There was some monster bear poop by one of them and full of blueberries - probably nearing the last for the season.

Beavers had dammed up several areas and Vance partially dismantled them; it seemed futile.  Beavers are quite the engineers.  I can't help but admire them at some level.

Once back in camp I had a few minutes to unpack and start to organize my stuff. It felt really good to be back at bear camp. I have had a few days off and small adventures over the last several months, but I was really looking forward to a week of hunting and fishing.

I went down to the lodge and other people filtered in.  I will be lucky if I remember even most of their names before the week is over.  Dinner was a Thanksgiving feast before calling it an early night.

2024 Bear Hunt Day 1 - Bombing The Nursing Home

It got cool enough overnight that the air conditioner quit, but it was humid enough outside to make it just clammy in the hotel room in the morning.  So after a quick shower and some futzing around, I packed up and hit the road.

It was early and still dark.  I love watching all the wind turbines all blinking in unison.

I passed through the most evil toll both in the world - Illinois tolls really suck - and I was into Wisconsin.

It started to get light right near Madison.  Traffic picked up just a little bit, but it was still early on a Saturday so it was never an issue.  Then I continue north and west.

I finished listening to The Ends of the World and it got a lot better as I got into it more.  Early in the book felt very repetitive, but later in the book there were a lot of interesting anecdotes about prehistoric animals, when they actually lived and how much time separated some of them.  I also came away with the belief that geology, paleontology and astronomy are all somewhat petty and driven too much by egos.  Being a scientist myself (chemistry), I can say I see this all too often at work...

There was one laugh-out-loud moment when the author was talking about the possibility of the dinosaurs' end and the huge asteroid that hit Mexico being completely coincidental since some believe the asteroid happened after the dinos were already dying out, and it was referred to as the "Bombing the Nursing Home Theory" - which I thought was really funny (maybe you had to be there...).  I also really liked how he went into detail about how some animals have adaptations to conditions and predators that no longer exist - meaning animals like pronghorns that are laughably fast compared to their predators are essentially running away from ghosts.  Although I guess they still can't outrun bullets.  All in all it was a pretty good book.  It ended on a mixed note which I found oddly comforting.  No matter what we (humans) do, on the geologic time scale, things will end up where they end up.  I am cosmically meaningless.

I didn't want to start a new book, so I listened to pod casts the rest of the trip.

The drive went well enough.  Temperatures started cool but got warmer.  Traffic remained light to tolerable the whole day.  I realized as I got near Eau Claire that I had finally started to relax a little bit.

As I continued heading north, the area got beautifully boggy and northy.  This kind of scenery always tells me I'm headed to an adventure.

I continued on to Baudette where I had a hotel at a fishing resort right on the river.  I loved the place - I may have to come up early on a future trip since I have never caught a sturgeon.  The view was absolutely gorgeous and right across the Rainy River was Canada.  I couldn't help think of my 2021 trip where I stared across the same river in Fort Fort Frances at the United States.

After wandering around for a little while I returned to my room to veg out before preparing to head across the border to bears in the morning.

2024 Bear Hunt Day -1 - A Year Older

I've been managing some health annoyances for years.  They were noticeably worse last year to the point that I was wondering if travel was going to have to be parked.  Either that, or I was finally compelled to "do something" about them.  This has not been easy ... or cheap.  I hate trying to navigate the complexities of the health care system.  I've spent more time with doctors over the last year than the previous 20 combined.  In a case of life imitates art in the form of The House of God, I was turfed to many doctors before I reached the actual surgeon.  But a few weeks ago I held my breath and put my life in the hands of a doctor.  My follow-up visit with the surgeon was exceedingly brief, "My work here is done."  I'm uncomfortable that things may deteriorate again, but am hopeful a few lifestyle changes will minimize that chance.  There are frequent reminders that I am aging, but all this crap has made me feel quite old at times.

And yet, more than anything, I'm ecstatic that my recovery has been rapid since I'm about to head north for my ninth bear hunt.  Unquestionably, I am very fortunate.

After a harried Thursday at work, there was nothing that required me to be at work Friday so I decided to work from home.  As a day before the Labor Day weekend, I was expecting it to be quiet.  And it was not.  I did get a quick dog walk in; it was so heart-warming seeing my older dog happy to have a cool morning walk and my younger dog able to walk with her bestie.  Oddly, I think my younger dog must have knew something was different since she slept in the "old dog spot" for quite a while.

Eventually early afternoon came around and I dumped a quote by Tupac Shakur into my Out of Office notification, wrapped up a few things and shut down.  I packed up my last things and was on the road.

I initially listened to the Henry James' story The Jolly Corner.  Spencer Brydon ends up walking his boyhood home being haunted by the ghost of who he could have been.  Timing was odd for a story about unlived lives.  A guy I used to work with just received a prestigous promotion at work.  It is totally deserved and I'm really happy for him, but it did make me think about how things could have been different for me.  Actually this whole concept of unlived lives is something I've been noodling all year...

Then I switched to non-fiction in the form of The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen.

The drive went well enough.  Indianapolis is perpetually under construction.  There was one slowdown just as I was getting out of Indy, but it didn't last too long.  Then on into Illinois and my hotel.

The hotel was nice enough (I guess), but had been refinished by someone who doesn't know plumbing.  But it was only for one night.

2024 Hog Hunt Day 1 - Leave the Freezer Behind

In between deer hunting and pig hunting, I usually like the cooler weather.  But as pig hunting approached, a winter storm blasted across the country.  Thankfully the worst of it stayed North, but brutal winds whipped through home.  I'm still grateful that the new (2019) roof means I don't have to worry (too much).  Temperatures plummeted as well meaning propane will be the heat of choice at home.  I rarely use the LP furnace and worry about it atrophying.  Being a chronic worrier is at times debilitating.

After packing up on Saturday, early Sunday morning came.  I took care of the dogs, packed up a few last things and hit the road

A brief snow squall had come through at some point making the roads a little snowy in a few places.  I didn't worry about it too much until I hit the interstate into Kentucky where the roads didn't seem to be treated at all yet.  With temperatures in the low teens, black ice was not impossible.  Thankfully the roads were almost empty at that early hour.  I only saw one car that had gone off the road as well as a tractor-trailer which had some kind of horrific and onion-spilling wreck.  It didn't look like anyone was hurt, but there was a big fuel spill flavoring the onions which had also spilled out all over.

The wind was also still considerable - only a minor consideration except that it had dire consequences on my fuel mileage.

I was surprised how quickly the temperatures rose.  From low teens near Cincinnati, it was already well into the 20s near Lexington and, at least in the lower elevations, temperature was already near freezing when I got off the interstate south of London.

I was listening to the book Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner.  It was a very good book, even if some of the events were hard to listen to.  I also thought the Freudian dream interpretations was just ... weird.  It was definitely not what I remembered it was when I downloaded it many months ago.  It was engaging to listen to so it made the drive go very easily.  I listened to all but the last "patient" because I knew I wasn't going to be able to listen to all of it before getting to pig camp.

I got gas and some coffee at the same Weigel's as a few months ago and the coffee was still terrible.  You'd think I would learn?  But no.

I was shocked at how the low the water levels were around Tennessee though.  I hadn't realized the extent of the drought in that area.

Eventually I got to Rick's - tired and ready to be done driving, but enjoying the 60F temps even if it was a bit windy.  I felt bad leaving SO at home to deal with the cold and the wind.  And I missed the dogs - of course.

I vegged in the lodge for a while before Rick got back from hunting doves.  Denis and Claude showed up a while later giving us a chance to talk a bit before calling it an early night (for me).

2023 SC Deer Hunt Day 1 - Dark Matter

I didn't start hunting until I was in my 20's which is unusual.  Generally if someone isn't born into that tradition, it doesn't take hold.  This does allow me to look back on those first few years - even those first few hunts - in a more lucid way.  The anticipation, the frustration, the mistakes - oh the mistakes...  One of the biggest struggles then - and now - is where to hunt.  Hunting magazines always talk about the accessibility of public lands in the US, and this is both unique and amazing.  But the reality is finding places to hunt continues to be a challenge.  Public lands near where I live can be "busy" during the hunting seasons.  And I won't say they don't know what they are doing, but I've run into too many people in these places who have a very "unconventional" hunting style.  I no longer hunt public land.

I've been privileged to have access to private land and am so grateful for this, but this can also be complicated (for many reasons).  So when 30 acres went for sale early this year I saw it as a chance to own my own destiny - until I saw the price.  Reality took over and the price decreased over the year until it became more tantalizing.  Then it dropped again; SO and I talked it, and looked at the property and put an offer on it.  The reasons why we were outbid are numerous and hopelessly complicated.  There was enough deer sign to make it interesting.  We could have afforded to pay more.  I wasn't afraid of the phenomenal amount of work it would take to make it into my playground.  But ultimately I realize the reasons boiled down to simply:  I didn't fall in love with it when we looked at it.  Our bid was, and is, open-ended.  And if the current sale falls apart, I would still buy it.  But I did - and do - have to admit that on a rational level, buying it doesn't make sense when the annual property taxes alone would pay for a good chunk of out-of-state guided deer hunting.  But I'm not always sure the rational and feral circles in the Venn diagram that is my brain ever really intersect.

Which does get to an even bigger-picture issue: Why do I hunt?  Quite frankly, I don't like killing.  The grocery store is cheaper.  Hunting is time-consuming, difficult and can (at times) be mentally excruciating.  There are a million reasons to never fire a gun again, but there is a visceral gravitational pull - even if I can feel it without knowing its origins.  Dark matter.  I don't have an answer for this yet.  Maybe I never will.  And maybe someday I'll wake up and gravity will cease to exist overnight and I'll be done hunting forever.

With these internal Guantanamo Bay routines in my head, I headed out the door early to head south and hunt deer in South Carolina. This was planned well before ever thinking about buying my own property, and generally the deer around home are larger than in South Carolina.  But EHD has hit the local deer herd very hard, so it was a good opportunity to try it.  Rifle hunting in September though?  When in Rome...  At least it was the first full day of fall.

I was headed south by 4:00AM, having the road to myself.  The drive went fast and I got off the interstate near Corbin, KY, just as it was getting light.  I made my way southeast stopping at my "usual" gas station for fuel.  I risked getting coffee and regretted it.  It did help me stay alert, but it was absolutely terrible coffee.  The fog as I started through the mountains was intense in a few places, but also a very dramatic view.

I was listening to Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking through the whole day.  I was worried it was going to be too self-helpy, but it ended up being pretty good - a solid four stars.  It was a bit redundant and it did get me thinking about work a bit too much, but I was glad I listened to it.  I was able to relate to a lot of the book and even to the property we didn't buy.  The only part I hated was her bit about Tony Robbins - that guy is pure snake-oil salesman and he is so LOUD.

Traffic was far heavier than I'm used to seeing in January from around Asheville.  I was itching to get off the interstate and so took a new way once out of Columbia.  I was glad I did since the two-lane roads were almost empty, and much prettier.

I got to camp about 2:00.  I met the other guys in camp and talked for a bit.  Since it was still fairly early, I decided to go out.  It was crazy hot and humid - it felt like home in July.  So I put on a camo t-shirt and hunted in shorts.  I think I've only done this once or twice before.

I was dropped off at a box blind where one of the other guys had sat the previous day and seen a hog.  It took a bit to get situated, but once I did, it was comfortable enough.  It wasn't too long before deer started to pop out.  Deer filtered in and out through most of the afternoon.  A few times they ran off and I was hoping that the hog would pop out, but it never did.  At one point I had a mess of turkeys come in behind me right by the blind.  It startled me a bit when I first saw them - not as much as they were startled.

The only mildly interesting deer I saw was a crab-claw spike.  All the rest were does.  But it did give me quite a bit to watch through the afternoon.

It got dark quickly after sunset in the heavy pine trees.  I worked my way out and Rick was waiting for me.  We picked up everyone else and headed back to the lodge.  No one had shot anything, but everyone had seen deer.

Dinner was pork chops and taters.  After a long drive and hunting, I was ready to turn in.

2023 Bear Hunt Days 9 & 10 - Perspective

After a very late night (for me), I woke up and packed everything up as quietly as I could.  I met Vance and Dave by the boat house and got my bear loaded up.  It definitely wasn't frozen yet, but it was between cool and cold.  Since it was fully boned out, it easily fit into my two better coolers - including the hide and head.

Once settled up, I was sadly on the road.  Normally I like to be on the road crazy early, but the late night made that impossible - plus a couple extra hours of time in the freezer would help.  Leaving always comes with the somber reality that weeks like this past one must come to an end.

It was getting light soon after I left but I still saw one last hazy Manitoba sunrise.

I again took the 30 miles of gravel a bit to fast, but the Maverick handled it like a champion.  Traction control may be nanny-state, but it is probably a good thing sometimes.  At one point I saw an enormous feline in the road which I am still wondering what that could have been.  Maybe a lynx?

The border crossing was the easiest one I've ever had getting back into the US.  I think the border guard was more concerned that I didn't have a front license plate than anything else (this is no longer a requirement as of ~2020).  He asked if I had a license for my bear and walleye and said, "Have a nice day."  

I was listening to Ann Patchett's These Precious Days - I don't remember when I got this.  I had read her essay on getting rid of things and found it very good.  This was repeated in this book and unfortunately was one of the only good parts of the book.  Too much of Precious comes across as poorly attempted introspection, but falls into being self-centered instead.  As the book droned on, I was desperate for it to end and glad when it finally did.

Temperatures through the day rose steadily.  At one point I looked down and saw a temperature of over 100F and thought that my temp gauge must have been malfunctioning.  Nope...

This had me worried about the not-frozen meat in my cooler.  I talked with Little Sis a bit back and forth and she was able to find a grocery store that had dry ice - and! - went and got some for me.  She is absolutely the hero for the day.

Soon enough I was at her house and we moved my coolers out of the broiling outside.  Meat was cool, so it will be OK.  Even with the late start, we had a chance to visit for a while before letting the day end.

_______

After a couple cups of coffee with my sister, it was time to make the final leg home.  I packed everything up and hit the road.

The final drive home was uneventful.  There were only a few spots with moderate traffic, but being a holiday and relatively early, the roads were mostly clear.

There must have been some kind of Jeep gathering at a vacation area near home.  I realize jeeps handle like crap on the road, but live a little and use the right pedal a bit more...

I spent some time while driving reliving some of what was a very memorable bear hunt.  I've never been down to the wire like that.  While I never saw anything, I did like hunting the two mornings, although I don't think I'll immediately volunteer for this in the future.

I think for me, the short bit of time between when the sow with cubs had left and my bear came in really defines the hunt for me - as well as me as someone who hunts.  After the sow and cubs left, I said to myself that seeing them was a good way for the hunt to end.  And I meant it.  I'm still glad I was able to take a very large bear, but perspective is something which is helped by occasional reminders.

Once home it was a mad scramble to take care of all the bear meat, clean and pack thing away.  The next adventure is only a few weeks away.