A Kechika River Adventure

[mr meat]

Tomorrow yet Great read so far Nog,get some rest and enjoy your drink

[vixenmaster]

Absolutely a great hunt n wonderful story

[IronNoggin]

Extraction

By now the moose was well aged. Our Partner who stayed behind had cooled it each evening on the meat poles, and dropped it into the oversized fish coffins any time the heat came up a little. To say it was superb would be an understatement!!

We rose early the day of breaking camp. The weather looked reasonably stable, and we began to sort out what gear went to each boat. Even though badly crippled, Green Death would have to shoulder the majority of the weight. The smaller rig had developed a bug after it's hit, and would no longer attain anything beyond 3,200 rpm. Just enough to get her up and scrambling, but not so if overloaded.

Here's a final shot of the two rigs just prior to getting loaded down for the extraction:



After sweeping the camp to ensure we left but bootprints and a few ashes behind, we set off.
Green Death was immediately tested, and at 1,500 rpm, her massive engine shook so violently in it's cradle it appeared damn near ready to leave it's motor mounts. Damn. It is going to be a loooooooong haul. She obviously would not plane at that, so idling and drifting was the only way she was going anywhere. Fortunately Mike had designed her well, and even loaded she drew less than 8 inches of water at idle. Even so, there were to be many spots she rubbed the floor, and if it were not for her owner's incredible experience level, I am certain she would have done so a lot more.

Running light in the other rig, the Ladz had no problem getting her up on step:



They would pass us, run a bunch of miles downstream, and spend the wait checking out other mountains and exploring.

The scenery was just as beautiful on the way out as it was on the way in.
The only change was that a LOT of leaves had dropped, and those that remained were pretty much colored right up:



Our Camp Protector is a Pitt-Weiler, the fourth of his lineage to be owned by my Buddy.
This dog is absolutely fearless, has an excellent nose, and well understands the game retrieval exercise.
What he didn't understand so well is why we were moving along so damn slow.
Used to moving at least 30 miles an hour or more across the water, it was evident he was right bored with our progress:

[IronNoggin]

Along the way that morning, we rounded a corner and discovered a massive old cow elk up one level from the river. She barely gave us a passing glance, but did study her backtrail quite intensely between bouts of feeding. Understanding what that might mean was instantaneous, and our powerful binocs literally raked the area below her constantly. There he is, and what a hell of a bull!!

And he was! I have hunted elk over much of North America, and it is something of a rarity (for me anyway) to encounter the serious crowning displayed my a mature Roosevelt Bull. This fellow had 9+ points a side, not the longest of main beams but as large as your thigh at the base, and crowning all over up top. An ancient scarred up Warrior, it was obvious he was more interested in the cow than us. Wish I had the camera ready, but will admit I was quite greedy sucking his vision through the binoc's and simply forgot... Excellent to see, and we wished him well in his efforts to pass that excellent genetics down the line!!

According to the GPS, we were traveling about 6 or 7 miles an hour when at idle, less so obviously if drifting. Mike's skill at the helm really showed as he navigated that sled through some bloody tight water over and over, missing the hits and correctly reading the flow every time. Even so, the miles drifted away too damn slow for all involved...

Years back, like 20 or so, we used to fly half our crew / gear in to save weight on the upstream runs. But, it has been damn near since then we've seen a plane actually land on the river. All the charter companies now refuse to do so, citing it is too dangerous to proceed with that any more.
So, imagine our surprise when a float plane circled us twice, dipped his wings, and set about touch down right below us!!

We both thought it was likely a CO dropping by to make sure we were on the up & up, and not in too serious of trouble drifting along like we were...







However it became readily apparent that he was picking up some guided hunters who, along with their gear, were being shuttled to the river for pick-up via quads and trailers. Both parties waved, and although we looked we saw no sign of horns, antlers nor meat. I did take a good note of the fellow's numbers, and will try to get ahold of him the next time we wander that way to see just what his prices are. Was another interesting development for us.

The Ladz had picked an established but empty camp to set up at for the night. By the time we got down to them, it was pretty much dark. They had the Teepee set up, and a good fire blazing for our arrival. The only thing we borrowed besides their fire pit was the grill they had conveniently left along side of that. The grilled moose backstrap tasted as wonderful as it had the first time!

A few calculations, and we recognized it would take at least another day and a half to get down to the landing.
Oh well, at least we're getting there...

Sleep came easy as the wolves once again serenaded the coming of the moonlight...

[IronNoggin]

The next morning we were up and wandering right at first light again.
The wolves carried on that day well into daylight, had us wondering just what they were up to...

Something I forgot to mention when we were up on the hill. My two companions decided it probably wasn't going to rain, so they hoisted their rain gear high up into a tree. The one fellow's gear was like mine - workable, but not overly pricey. The other fellow is the complete opposite! Between the Kuiu drybag, pack cover and rain gear, it was worth close to $ 1,800.00 clams. Upon our descent, they were quite disturbed to discover a bear had found an eaten all of that stuff except one woolen cap. My HH gear stayed with me, and I was happy to be wearing it on the last leg out of the hills! Another OUCH for the one fellow for sure as he had yet to even wear the stuff...

What reminded me was a blackie we encountered as we idled down the river day 2. He wasn't overly large, but the Ladz certainly were trying to get me to shoot him. More out of revenge than anything else methinks, and I wasn't going to shoot just "any" bear this trip! In fact that tag has a date with a rather large bruin, perhaps it may even top last year's Monster, that is frequenting one of my local hunting areas right now...

The bear is in there:





Passing the confluence with the Turnagin meant we were actually making progress. Not enough that we wouldn't have to camp again that night, but certainly enough we would be off the river the next day...



Here's the mandatory shot of the big rock with the cross on it.
Never did find out who wandered on there, nor under what conditions.
But I always give a tip of my hat to another wanderer who apparently paid the ultimate price there.



Another interesting formation along the way - almost looked like a castle turret falling apart:





Camp that night was actual;ly quite a bit of a party. We all knew we'd be off the river the next day, and thus our time together was drawing to it's conclusion. Out came the final dregs of rum, and we attacked the moose tenderloin for the first time - actually eating all of it between us! A finer feast was never had!!

The next morning we were again off and moving early. The Ladz in the other rig ran down to the launch, and readied ropes etc in case we had an issue on our final approach. Although we bumped once or twice before re-entering the Liard, it was nothing serious. And we jockeyed across the larger river with no issues, floating nicely right up into the bay at Skooks Landing.

Most of the rigs were long gone, giving us ample room to pull ours from the water. The water itself however was so low we had to tow the trucks attached to the trailers back up the hill to get them off the beach:



A quick scramble to load our rigs, and we were soon on our way back to "civilization"...

[IronNoggin]

The ride home was boring chiefly. A few distractions such as Sheep, Buffalo and Caribou:





We again over-nighted in Chetwyn, and blew out of there well before the dawn.
Miles seemed to fly by, and our moods swung between reflection / satisfaction of doing what we do, and the near dread of getting back to "society" and all of it's trammelings.

Vancouver was it's usual Horror Show, and although well ahead of schedule, we managed to miss the target ferry by about an hour. Never ceases to amaze me how CitIdiots can come to a complete full stop - on a highway - on a repeated basis!
Were I to have to live there, I honestly believe the other side would look a LOT more promising than suffering through that BS on a daily basis!!

Arriving home, all was thankfully well.
Still don't have all the gear put away, but the moose is

This ESCAPE was one I desperately needed.
Back to my version of "Reality"
Back with tried, tested and true Friends who always have each other's backs.
And back to the Rivers and Hills I love so much.

I felt the trappings of daily life and concerns slide off me as soon as we hit the river.
I still feel a fair amount of that coursing through my veins a tad later. Refreshment much desired and fulfilled.
The news and the developments since we have been gone have little interest for me at this point.
And already, I am actually yearning to go back...

There were more than a few trials and tribulations on this run.
Never had any boat issues before, and guess we have now made up for all of the past in that regard.
Happy the big moose was recovered.
Wish like hell I had had a Grizzly Tag in tow!

But most of all, I am Damn Happy for having been there!
Soul Cleansing Indeed!
And in my heart, I KNOW I will return...

Hope Y'all enjoyed this tale.
There will be the odd hunt or two still to come along this fall, but none as "serious" as this one was.
I'll still tell the tales, and hope that some are a little amused by my wanderings.

Eventually I'll add in a video or three to this one, so watch down the line if you're at all interested...

The Very Best of Luck to all who choose our pursuit this fall!
May you shoot straight, and the game be plentiful!!

Happy Thanksgiving too!
I truly understand we still have a lot to be thankful for!!

Cheers!
Matt

[nchunter]

Man, this was the best post ever!

[Bcxbow]

Outstanding Nog. Thank you for allowing us to tag along on your amazing journey.

[Cadeuses]

Nog, that was worthy of a Pulitzer prize! Easily the best post I've ever read on any forum out there. You should have it published into a book. Cheers and have a great day!
Cadeuses

[Patcon]

Absolutely fabulous! I have been checking for my daily episode. Love all the pictures. Beautiful country!

[Hillcountry]

Great story and talented author! You write well! Thank you for sharing!

[mr meat]

Thanks for taking us along on your trip, I will be waiting for the book of all your adventures!

[Doe Master]

I can sum it up in a couple of words .
Thank you

[SALTYDOG]

Loved following your Adventure...Thanks

[paulaboutform]

Matt, I'm glad I waited until now to hunker down for the read to this point. As many have already stated, thank you for taking the time and effort to bring us right there with you. Your tales bring me back to a time I was actually an insane hunter.....and not just a slave to my work. Awesome story and pics brother. I feel truly privileged to have been able to spend a couple days hunting blacktails with you. Looking forward to the last stretch....the trip out and home.

Paul