A Hotshot can call only a few things their own: boots, nomex, sleeping bag, pack, the seat in the crew truck. The pack becomes home; it’s lived out of, it’s on the back for every mile walked, with you when a Pulaski is swung, a burning tree is cut down, a burnout is lit. It shapes to the body, the body shapes to it. It carries everything needed for a 16, 24, sometimes 36+ hour shift. For the six months of primary fire season, each IHC can be dispatched anywhere in the nation, will log more than 1,000 hrs. of overtime in a busy  year, and clock tens of thousands of miles on their crew buggies. When it comes to home you don’t want to compromise. You want comfort, you want it to last, you want to trust that it will keep you safe from the elements. You want the best. Much of the same can be said of a Fire pack.

Over the past year, The Daily journalist Eric German spent time with the American River Hot Shots to get an in-depth look into the life of a Hot Shot, and Solana Pyne captured video. Read their story here, check out the video below, and wish the Hot Shots a safe 2012 season.

     Mystery Ranch Hot 3

Click here to view the embedded video.

The following footage is from Lane Lamoreaux, who jumps out of McCall with Sam. Before the 2010 fire season our repair guy retrofitted a stock Hot 3 for jumping. It was fairly straightforward: a few of the right buckles, seamed into the right places. Lane’s been exiting the aircraft with it ever since. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stop 1: City of Rocks

Eager, with the car ride taking a toll, we decided to stop for a quick pump in Idaho’s City of Rocks.  Granite sport climbing seemed a great precursor to traditional climbing in the desert.  The weather was  warm and there was very little snow, so we jumped directly onto a 5.11 slab which was a little demanding after 5 hours in the car, but we fared well.  An open bivy on a cold night left ice in our water bottles – it was good to feel like a dirtbag again.  The next morning we visited the crags again. Justin lived in Sun Valley years before and had some unfinished business. He was able to put down two old nemeses: Spuds in the Gym, and Bombs Over Tripoli, both high quality 5.12s. The trip was starting off right.   Though technically desert, this was not the splitter sandstone and warm sun of the South… the road beckoned.  We tossed our packs in the car, our destination was down the road.

Stop 2: Indian Creek

The long drive to Indian Creek forced us to pull off the road before the main area for another roadside bivy.  Wind, sand, thorns, and being 200yds from the road didn’t make for a place of respite.  After waking groggy, eyes filled with sand and sleeping bags infested with thorny prickers, we drove into the the canyon.  The perfect cracks were on all sides. Our demeanor instantly changed: this was where we needed to be.  We rallied to secure a camping spot, gathered our gear, and made a beeline for the cliffs.

It had been years since I‘d climbed any true splitter cracks, so we started with a pair of classics.  Justin, the seasoned vet, blasted up the first pitch of the extension of Chocolate Corner called Ocean Negro, for an impressive 5.12 onsight.

Later, we sessioned the incredibly frustrating Half Man, Half Alligator Shark 5.13 on top rope, and flamed out on Swedin-Ringle.  It certainly felt like now we had finally found where we needed to be.

Stop 3: Bridger Jack Spires

After getting our crack fix in Indian Creek proper we decided that the next day was a rest day — maybe play tourist in Canyonlands.  After pulling hard for 3 days straight, and traveling, we were whipped, but when we gazed at the Bridger Jack Spires perched directly above our camp, the plan quickly changed.  The towers pulled us toward them like rare earth magnets- we could not escape their thrall.  Entranced, we geared up and made our way to the base.

We climbed the route on Easter Island called Thunderbolts (5.10), and another tower called Sparkling Touch (5.11).  Both were fantastic routes with great summits.   To summit a desert tower can become an addiction: from these vantages you can see endless winding bluffs, stone towers in the distance, serpentine creeks and green glowing veg patterning the desert floor.

I tweaked my shoulder on Sparkling Touch’s 5.11 mantle.  Though oxymoronic- it was a very productive rest day.  The next day we planned to climb another tower, the King Of Pain, via the route Ziji, which is one of the more difficult lines on any of the desert towers.  Ziji means “monumental elegance” in Tibetan, this word to me seems to exemplify the desert tower climbing experience.  Justin crushed Ziji, onsighting the whole climb.  I floundered up the route, especially the second pitch, which for me was really rattly, fingers certainly not my strong suit; few jams on this pitch felt solid.    Ziji is an aesthetic and exhilarating route with offwidth climbing, to fingers, to loose scary blocks, the route has it all- a true classic hard tower testpiece.  Time to relocate once again.

Stop 4: Castle Valley

We decided to go to the tourist mecca of Moab, to take a real rest day, get some lip balm, and come up with our next mission.  We were having fun climbing towers so we decided to go to Castle Valley, Disney Land of tower climbing.  After setting up camp at the trailhead we talked about our options.  We convinced each other that doing 3 towers in a day would be an awesome objective.  Going from North to South climbing The Priest, The Rectory and Castleton in one perfect sweep.

Justin was psyched, as he always is, and decided to hike up and stash some gear at the bases of the climbs so in the morning we could get up to the towers fast and light.  Desert tower Disney Land did not disappoint.  That night tons of people from all over the world came to assault different routes.  The parking area was clamorous all night, keeping both of us up.  We watched the sky turn from black to blue that morning , cooked breakfast, and blitzed up the trail, passing climbing parties with their heavy packs.  We quickly made it to the base of the Priest and proceeded to climb Honeymoon Chimney.  This route has some amazing positions and of course lots of chimney climbing including a full body bridge move on the final pitch.

Things were going smoothly for the trifecta.  Next on the list was Fine Jade on the Rectory.  We rounded the corner to look at the route and quickly realized it was not gonna happen.  The ride was full.  There were 4 or 5 parties on the route.  Yeah for Disney Land!  We decide to go for Castleton but the tower was literally crawling with people.  We went for a seldom climbed route called Burning Inside and no one was on it.  Justin gunned the first pitch but I just could not get through the crux.  I fell out once, then got back on and cranked on a finger jam.  The rock broke and I punched myself in the face with a fist sized rock.  I got back on and tried again, and reinjured my weak shoulder from a couple days before.  It was time to quit, the desert had won.  Despite this seemingly epic fail there was a moment, hanging on the rope, overhanging rock above, spinning slowly in space, when the desert showed herself. It was then I realized I could take that full breath.  The desert is place of monumental elegance, delicate, just as harsh, and demanding respect. Asking reverence.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Randy Newberg, of On Your Own Adventures, called and asked if I would be a guest hunter on his show for a Montana wolf hunt.  I was excited and thankful that he would call me to join him, especially considering I had zero wolf hunting experience.  Randy and I talked, and we both understood this hunt wasn’t likely to end with much in the way of wolf footage, and even less likely to end with a dead wolf.

But Randy and I both have the same philosophy when it comes to hunting: The odds might be stacked against you, but the odds drop to zero if you don’t at least give it a try.

We spent five straight days hunting for one of Montana’s most elusive creatures.  Our expectations were low, so we were thrilled when we spotted our first two wolves late in the afternoon of the first day. Under normal circumstances, we would have had a shot at them, but the camera guy was unable to locate the animals in his viewfinder, so I had to pass on the shot. I was learning, painfully, that trying to capture the harvest on film adds a significant level of difficulty.

Nonetheless, it was more excitement than we had expected for the first day.

The subsequent four days of hard hiking and glassing in sub-zero weather, left us with little to show for it.  We were fortunate enough to see wolves again, but we couldn’t get within range. When the professional camera guys ran out of time, Randy and I decided we would still try to get a wolf anyway.

But two weeks later, Randy called again, and said he was able to get the camera crew for another five-day window in January.  So we held off for them, and when they arrived, we went back to our old location.  It seemed most of the elk had moved out, and we figured it was likely that the wolves had followed their food. That meant  starting our second five-day hunt at square one in a brand new area. The entire first day was gobbled up by learning the lay of the land. On the second day, we loaded up our Crew Cabs with spotting scopes, cameras, tripods, and the rest of our necessities and cruised to a high vantage to glass as much country as possible.  We did the same on the third day as well.

In the late morning of the third day, I spotted a group of bull elk about four miles away, all of them necks wrenched and looking back. Something had their attention, so I watched. Nothing at first. For ten minutes they stood frozen peering back over their shoulders down the hill below, their antlers curling high above their bodies, full of tension, ready to dart.  And then, 30 yards below the bulls, appeared a beautiful black wolf, lined in silver.  And so began the chase.

The wolf kept its heading, straight away from where we’d been. But three hours and nine miles later, we found ourselves in the one position we’d dreamt of but never thought possible: closing the distance on a Montana wolf, now within shooting range.

The cameras were set. I threw the bipod down on the rifle and readied for the shot.  Randy called out the range at 510 yards. The wolf was on the move, and we yelled to stop it from disappearing into a draw.

“I got him,” the cameraman said.

I settled the crosshairs, and began squeezing the trigger.  At the report of the rifle, the wolf disappeared into the draw.

“You smoked it!” Randy yelled.

I wasn’t so sure. The wolf came up out of the draw, and we could see it had been hit. We shot again, and it went down quickly.

Walking up on this wolf was utterly amazing. It was bigger than I had imagined it would be, and its fur was long and wild.

The odds were stacked against us, more than any other animal I’ve ever pursued, and yet it worked out.  This may be the first wolf ever harvested on film in the lower 48, and it’s quite possibly the first wolf to have ridden in one of the best hunting packs in the world. It quite simply doesn’t get any better than that!

Stay tuned! The hunt will air this summer as part of On Your Own Adventures with Randy Newberg on the Sportsman Channel.

After winning the Mystery Ranch 6500 in the BAYED contest on On Your Own Adventures Forum – Hunt Talk, I’ve been trying to give this pack the workout it deserves.

Immediately, this pack became my go-to pack while shed hunting and bear hunting in the spring and carrying the spotting scope and other goodies.

Over the summer I took it everywhere with me.  The 6500 carried my gear deep into trail-less areas several times, on quests for cutthroat and golden trout.

Trying to get away from the crowds while paddle-fishing on the Missouri, I got a chance to haul out my first critter for the pack.

The pack even got to come to work with me a few times. Working on the Charles M. Russell NWR, I helped dig out a 75 million year old Elasmosaur fossil.  I packed in bags of plaster and five gallon water jugs for the crew using the NICE Frame and Load Sling.  I even packed out the skull of the beast encased in rock and plaster. It was the heaviest load I’ve ever carried.  The pack did great!

August through November the pack never went more than a few of days without getting sweat on it.  From bowhunting antelope in the breaks to chasing elk up high in the Gallatin Range, the pack came with.  After having many close calls during archery season, I ended up empty handed for elk with a bow.

I was, however, able to harvest a six-point bull as soon as rifle season began.  The bull came out pretty easy with the NICE Frame and Load Sling.  Help from my friends was an added benefit!

Although my buck from this year didn’t require packing, the 6500 was still there carrying my gear on our float trip in which we accessed land-locked public land via river.

Throughout the year, the NICE 6500 accompanied me on many adventures.  It’s the best pack I’ve ever used.  I am planning to add more MR’s to my collection for day hunting and skiing as soon as funds allow.

Thanks Mystery Ranch Backpacks and On Your Own Adventures for the amazing pack!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Freeskiing World Tour in Revelostoke!  Here are a few shots from our very own Meg Haywood Sullivan. Thanks again Meg.  For full coverage, follow this link:

http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/story/_/id/7429572/kye-petersen-angel-collinson-win-revelstoke-freeskiing-world-tour&Asf

The next stop on the tour travels to our neck of the woods.  Good luck to everyone at round 4 of the tour, at Moonlight Basin, Montana.

Poppin new Saddle Peak colors..

Fresh

Finally, somewhere has snow this winter...

“You going to be able to make it to The Hills this year?”

That’s what I asked Sam as soon as my unsuccessful bow season ended. Sam is my hunting partner of six years, but he’s never around these days, busy training for the 2012 Paralympics’ Cycling events, while traveling the country as a motivational speaker.

“The Hills” is our annual hunting trip, and since Sam grew up hunting, he should know that tradition is everything.

He could only squeeze one long weekend out of rifle season, and it was all we needed to pack up the Sprinter and head north. We drove five hours and talked about where we might find some big Mulies, knowing that in late October, the deer hold high, waiting ’til mid November to head down to the wheat fields to rut. We settled on putting our MR packs, and our legs, to the test and hauled up to a high ridge line where we could set up camp.

The weatherman called for 50 degrees and calm and was wrong as usual. What he meant was 30 degrees with 70-mile-an-hour gusts – not necessarily the conditions you want when camping on a ridge. But we stuck it out like most Montanans would.

Our morning hunts were focused “grocery shopping” with our Mule Deer B tags, while afternoons and evenings were geared up for getting into the big boys. Our MR packs worked great for hauling our gear during the four days we spent hunting and stalking. They were, in all honesty, the most comfortable packs either of us have ever worn.

I only wish I could tell you first hand how great they are at packing out a mule deer.

But the vivid dreams of harvesting record-setting big game were met with the reality that the animals didn’t get our memo, “We only have FOUR DAYS in the field this season – so you better show up!”

Regardless, Sam and I share similar sentiments. It never is about how big of an animal you harvest – but who you’re hunting with. It’s about the lessons learned in the field, and stories shared around camp.

Sam has been traveling to The Hills with his father since he was 12, and I pray that Sam and I can continue that legacy with our own sons. They’ll get to experience for themselves what Sam and I  see every year: mountains sprouting out of nothing, wild places, and the opportunity to explore them in the way the one who created them intended.

Who knows what we’ll get to fill our Mystery Ranch packs with next year. I’ll guarantee you I’ll be dreaming about it for the next 11 months.  Sam, on the other hand, he’ll be dreaming about “Gold in 2012.”

What: The 13th Annual Powder Blast

Where: The Emerson Center for Arts and Culture

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, October 28

Why: Fabulous Mexican fare, Lone Peak brewskies and live music by The Sierra Padres – all to raise some dough for the Friends of Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. Why the heck not?

Tickets: Get ‘em at Northern Lights Trading Company, Timber Trails in Livingston, Grizzly Outfitters in Big Sky, or right here.

Cost: $30 per person.

We’re stoked to be a major sponsor of this event. Thanks Friends of the Avalanche Center!

What: After 2 years of filming, Sweetgrass Productions brings their ski epic, ‘Solitaire,’ to Bozeman.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, October 11

Where: Emerson, 111 South Grand Ave.

Why: See for yourself…

Click here to view the embedded video.

How: Tickets. $10 in advance, $12 day of. Available at Northern Lights Trading Company or buy online here.