All in the Family featured the curmudgeonly Archie Bunker. Archie was television’s most famous grouch, blunt, blustering, straightforward and untouched by the PC crowd. He was the archetype of the conservative male. Michael desprately tried to reeducate him, but he persisted in his breviloquence.



Looking back at the last 40 years, we realize: ARCHIE WAS RIGHT!

2/27/2015

High Hopes

I've got high hopes.  No this post isn't related to the one below it.  I've completed my annual ritual of sending good money into the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in anticipation of winning the moose and/or bighorn sheep lottery.

In Wyoming the lottery is conducted via a point system combined with semi-random chance.  In other words preference goes to the person with the highest number of points, if everyone has the same number of points its random, otherwise its ranked. 

For the last 10 years I've always come in one preference point behind what was needed to get a moose tag.  Last year was no exception.  This year I've got just enough points to get a tag if the ranking works out like last year.  So, we'll see.

I've never been even close to getting a sheep tag.  After checking the 2014 results I see that I am getting close to having enough points.  This creates a dilemma for me.  I'm not in shape for a sheep hunt if I have to do it on foot.  I don't have anything like enough money to pay an outfitter for the hunt.  It might have been better to buy my point instead of putting in for a tag.  Part of me hopes to not draw the tag this year even though this hunt will be something that I will only be able to get once or maybe twice in my lifetime.

11 comments:

  1. I'm not in shape for a sheep hunt if I have to do it on foot.

    Huh? I hear you talking about lifting weights and all that. I'll bet you are in better shape than I am. Friend of mine bet me 50 bucks on who could lose more weight by the 1st of May. I'm down 7 lbs. You don't need a sheep tag to get in shape, but it would be a good excuse.

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    1. In SD the sheep hunting is about 4,000 ft and you are never more than 4 miles from the road. In WYO all the sheep hunting is above 10,000 ft and is in remote road less areas. My area if I get it is just outside YNP. I'm not worried about shooting the sheep, I'm worried about a killer hike up a mountain followed by several days of high altitude hiking and trying to sleep in a low oxygen environment. Then after killing one, I'd have 180 lbs of animal to hike out of wolf and grizzly country along with my camp pack.

      Adding it up, 60lbs of pack plus 12 lbs of other gear is only 72lbs plus a dead critter that's 252 lbs on my back with low O2.

      I'm lifting weights, but my cardio isn't even 1/4 of what it should be for that kind of exertion. You're right though it is excellent motivation for getting in shape.

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    2. oops that's 352 lbs to hike out. My brain must be O2 starved just thinking about the hike.

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    3. I never had a problem with the sleeping part, but trying to keep up with normal activities when you aren't acclimated to the lower oxygen. You tend to lose body moisture faster too. I wound up using nearly a whole bottle of lotion in a week because I got so dry.
      Don't get me wrong, I would do it all over again. Just with a little more prep to take the lower oxygen into consideration. If you really want to do this, your very creative mind will think up a way if you win that lottery.

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  2. WaterBoy5:40 PM

    No, you were right the first time: 180+60+12=252.

    Unless you're also adding in your own 100 lb weight. ;)

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  3. If I add my own weight it sounds more hopeless.

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  4. Several years ago when I visited my daughter in Denver, just trying to keep up with her much longer stride than mine just about gave me a heart attack. I felt like I had literally NO oxygen in my lungs. Very painful. Kind of like a weird form of dry drowning.
    Daughter felt so bad, since she had lived there and aclimated, she forgot that maybe her mom hadn't yet.
    Your worries are valid regarding low oxygen Res. Normal physical activities can really strain you if you aren't used to the lower oxygen.

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  5. I know all about high altitude hiking, younger fitter me did a lot of it. 20 years ago I was going up and down those same mountains with gusto. Giraffe is 100% right. I need to use the possibility of a tag to motivate myself to do the cardio. I hate cardio because its boring and even if I go longer, do more etc I don't feel like I've done much. Lifting weights gives me a high and a sense of accomplishment. It's time to suck it up and lose weight and get in actual good shape.

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  6. In SD we don't really hunt sheep. They may auction one tag.

    I hunted colorado at about 10500. About killed me getting up there, but once there I was fine. We just walked along the logging trails to get were we were going, and had horses in case someone got lucky on an elk.

    I don't think it takes long to get your heart and lungs in shape. Burning off a bunch of extra fat takes awhile.

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  7. Burning off a bunch of extra fat takes awhile.

    I've still got a lot of that to do too. I've noticed that lifting makes me feel good and the feeling lasts. Cardio makes me feel winded and sore. I can tell that I've done it, and long term I know its helping but its boring and I struggle making myself do it.

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  8. Well you are doing better than me. I can even make myself do pushups 3 days a week.

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