The guy with the binoculars isn't the sheep hunter, it's me, his dad. I thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone was thinking "Geez, he needs to drop some pounds if he wants to chase sheep!" And, you'd be correct. Though he invited me to join him, I regretfully knew that wouldn't be possible. My living at 800 feet and trying to acclimate to 13,000 would not only be impossible in a week but foolishly dangerous. And when it was time to move on a sheep, I didn't want to be an anchor holding him back. He was in phenomenal shape with his dream tag in his pocket and, as much as I wanted to share the hunt with him, I wasn't going to be a liability - that's my loss.
I do appreciate his efforts to share the adventure, from the excited phone call when he found out he'd drawn this tag, through his scouting and conditioning updates and checking in to reassure us that he was safe on this solo hunt. Through his occasional phone calls over the month of August it was evident how mentally tough one has to be to undertake such a task. His crushing disappointment on the second day of the hunt was described as "heartbreaking." And yet he crawled out of the sleeping bag the next morning and started all over again. And the same with the many days that followed because that's what was needed. Stay stubbornly determined and pursue the dream or pack it in and go home.
He grew tremendously over those weeks and learned a lot about himself and what he was capable of. Every day I'd wonder where he was and how it was going for him. I could only imagine the cold mornings perched behind a spotting scope at sunrise and the relentless winds as a constant foe. Or the stunning high country vistas viewed by the fortunate few. I always hoped that today would be his day to peer through his glass at a ram and break out in a smile, even though no one else was there to witness it. And though "that day" never materialized despite exhausting effort, he experienced a great sheep hunt. He joined the ranks of those that have tried and vow to return for more.
Because the dream lives on.
Topic: The Dream - Colorado sheep (Read 2181 times)
