We started off our trip last week with the most fun family photo session ever. We woke the girls up early, and headed to Loveland to get our family photos made for this year. It was so cold, and the girls were not having it. We couldn’t even get Audrey, the baby who never stops smiling, to smile. Thankfully, Kelsey was awesome, she even had cookies ready to bribe Addie! They turned out more perfect than I could ever imagine. Then we headed out to Glenwood Springs (the cutest, friendliest mountain town ever) for Nick’s hunt.
Nick picked up an Elk and Mule Deer tag in a unit way up in the mountains. He set us up in a hotel walking distance from shops, food, all of the hot springs, and whatever else we wanted to do. The girls and I had a mini vacation while Nick had to survive the wilderness. We all went scouting the afternoon we got there, and drove THREE hours in the snow from the town up to the top where Nick was supposed to get out to start hiking. My phone told me it felt like it was -7. There was no service, wind that could knock you over, snow, complete cliffs and inclines, and he was going to be all alone in the middle of NO WHERE. The way up the mountains was one of those one way dirt roads right on the edge of the mountain, where you look straight down a cliff. We passed crosses with names of hunters, everything was labeled dead horse, grizzly bottoms, or deadman something or other. We already had a scare this summer with Nick in an accident, and I was absolutely freaking out. I love hunting, but I don’t think I’m THAT serious.
We had a plan that the latest I would hear from him was 8pm, and if I didn’t hear from him by 9, I had a number to call to start a search for him. The first night it became dark way sooner than the night before. It was completely dark, and not a word. I text his mom to pray with me, and I grabbed the girls and started praying. What I didn’t know is that Nick had his phone fall somewhere on his path. He had to track his way back through brush to find it. It was getting dark and he was already supposed to be on his way back to call me. He somehow came across it, and was able to find his way back in the dark up a mountain. He called right before the cut off and I told him he had to call off the hunt and come vacation with us😂🤣. Which did not happen, but there were no more scares the next couple days.
The last day a winter storm came through, so Nick had to call the hunt to an end a little early. It wasn’t a successful hunt, but the girls and I had a blast in the friendliest town ever. Also, it seems the entire town hunts, and that’s all they wanted to talk about wherever we went!
Hopefully next year we both are able to get a tag in an easier unit (for my sake), but until then it looks like we’re just having whitetail and pronghorn meat for the year!
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