2014 Sheep Hunt

Day 1 – Fresh Legs!

2014’s DIY Alaskan Dall sheep hunt has come and gone. A redo might be possible, but that is likely wishful thinking. Again the full curls have eluded us. It started out with the success of last year fresh on the mind, but as the days evaporated so did hope. This year we covered more miles than the last 2 years combined and saw our fair share of rams, just never one that crossed that magic full curl requirement. As time progressed we continued to pursue new ground from which to glass, then hike, then glass, and then hike some more. We pushed ourselves and our gear and left the mountains knowing we gave it our all. In retrospect we would have changed a few hikes and perhaps hiked even farther, but for on the fly decision making we gave it our best and left knowing we certainly did not fail due to lack of effort.

Around mid-trip I began to get that sense of impending failure, that self-doubt that it just wasn’t our year. At that point it would have been easy to quit, but our hardest efforts were yet to come and I pushed through the mental challenge to put forth the perseverance needed to fully vet our targeted area. We learned more about the terrain and practiced our stalking as we tried to somehow make that last 1/8^th curl grow before our eyes.

Swarovski Spotter was amazing!

We faced rain, high winds, hail, thunder and lightning, heat, cold, and fog. In other words it was a classic Alaskan adventure that tested our gear and found it satisfactory. We both thoroughly appreciated the light weight Sitka Dewpoint Rain Gear. The combined set weighed as much as our jackets of previous years and it kept us bone dry. More importantly it dried quickly.

First Lite’s Red Desert boxers are outstanding and we appreciated the performance that only merino wool can bring. Socks were a combo of Darn Tough and First Lite’s Mountain Athlete Compression Sock. Both socks performed extremely well and we preferred these thinner and trimmer merino socks vs. the bulkier socks we have used in prior years.

I alternated between the Sitka Core and mid-weight Merino shirts experiencing the pros and cons each material brings. The Core excels at keeping you cool during extended exertion in warm weather, but fails in its ability to insulate when wet. The mid weight merino is not as great in warm weather exertion, and does not dry as quickly as the Core series. However, merino’s ability to provide insulation when wet is a key feature for mountain hunting. I much prefer merino for both its insulating and it’s odor control. Future sheep hunts will be combination of a very thin merino for high exertion days and a mid weight for cooler days. However, I have struggled to find a long sleeve light weight merino-T for high exertions and look forward to testing some of the newer light weight merino options.

I got turned on to using knee pads in the mountains after seeing the guys, chiefly Aron, on Rokslide utilizing the Arc’Teryx Knee Caps. I used them for a season or two, but became intrigued with the integrated knee pad found in some pants. After testing a few different pairs I chose the Sitka Mountain Pant. My buddy followed my lead and we both punished these pants as we stalked rams in the rocks and lived in these pants for 9 days. We both preferred to have belt loops vs. the integrated belt, but the pants met our expectations. If we could change one thing it would be to increase the breath-ability on the front of the thighs.

Stone Glacier, No lid

We continue to be impressed by the rapid boil rate and efficiency of the MSR Reactor Stove. The 1.7L size works perfectly for two guys and kept us to one boil at both dinner and breakfast. I ran a new pack this year and the Stone Glacier Sky 7400 continues to impress, I’ll provide more details here at a later date.

A few other gear items to mention and I will follow up with more detailed reviews on these products as well. First Lite Lightweight Merino Gloves, Hammock Gear Burrow 20, Thermarest NeoAir Xtherm, Sitka Gear 90% Jacket, and my trusty Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3.