Soon it was time to head up the mountain to set up spike camp at the top. With rifle in hand and about 35-40 pounds on my back we began our ascent. I wasn’t ½ mile out of camp when I said to Hal, that maybe I had overestimated my ability. I have always considered myself to be pretty fit and I felt like I was in good condition. But, the thought of having 2.5 more miles of this ahead of me was daunting.
Hal offered to turn around and said we can still kill a goat on the beach if I wanted. I pondered the offer for a moment but knew in my heart, I would never get over the wonder of what could have been if I didn’t make the climb to the top. We pushed on. The trek didn’t get any easier. In fact, it became much worse. In all the time leading up to this trip, I pictured myself climbing the side of a mountain. It never occurred to me that I would be hiking ridgeline to ridge-line.
Soon it was time to head up the mountain to set up spike camp at the top. With rifle in hand and about 35-40 pounds on my back we began our ascent. I wasn’t ½ mile out of camp when I said to Hal, that maybe I had overestimated my ability. I have always considered myself to be pretty fit and I felt like I was in good condition. But, the thought of having 2.5 more miles of this ahead of me was daunting. Hal offered to turn around and said we can still kill a goat on the beach if I wanted. I pondered the offer for a moment but knew in my heart, I would never get over the wonder of what could have been if I didn’t make the climb to the top. We pushed on. The trek didn’t get any easier. In fact, it became much worse. In all the time leading up to this trip, I pictured myself climbing the side of a mountain. It never occurred to me that I would be hiking ridgeline to ridge-line.
I pictured myself climbing the side of a mountain. It never occurred to me that I would be hiking ridgeline to ridge-line.
Often, I was looking down shear cliffs’ edges, thou-sands of feet to the ocean below and scaling rock faces with huge boulders beneath me. A wrong step or slip here meant certain and painful death. I’m not a fan of heights to start with but, coupled with rolling rocks and slippery brush, I was having a difficult time controlling my anxiety. We pushed on.
Six hours after leaving base camp we arrived at the top. While on one hand I was proud that I had made it, I couldn’t help but be concerned about making it make back down, potentially with a much heavier pack. We set up the tent on the mountaintop in a spot that offered a little protection from the wind. To one side was a view of our lake below. To the other side was the ocean. This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
Within 50 yards of the tent, Hal announced GOAT!
We had a Mountain House dinner and settled in early in preparation for our morning hunt. At 8:00 we walked out of camp to start our search. Within 50 yards of the tent, Hal announced GOAT!
I walked up beside him and saw the billy walking a ridge below me, headed in my direction. Hal indicated that he was a good one and I settled into a rock formation for a shot. I sat watching through my scope as the goat walked from 250 yards to 180 yards, well within my comfort zone. If I knocked him down right there, the retrieval would be rather easy. He was on the edge of an open bowl. He started looking like he was going to go over the side ridge so Hal whispered “take him now”. I heard the thud of the impact after squeezing the trigger but rather than drop in the open bowl, he lunged up and over the ridge to the other side. We quickly ran to a point where we might see him come out. That’s when we got a look at what we were in for. The other side of that ridge was a sheer drop off down toward the cliffs above the ocean. It was partially covered in tall berry bushes and partially by small rocks with weeds protruding. The angle of the canyon was approximately 50-60 degrees. This was a problem. We walked the ridgeline down to where we saw him go in and managed to get another look at him in the canyon below. A follow up shot dropped him but wow, was this going to be rough.
The first challenge was to get off this ridge to start the climb down the canyon. We tied paracord to a tree and held on with one hand as we scaled down about 75 feet. I don’t think either of us expected the cord to hold us if we fell but, maybe it would slow us down a bit and help us to not get hurt too badly. From there Hal walked down one side and I walked/slid down the other. He was a little higher than me and yelled the goat should be right below me. I spotted some white through all the brush and approached with my video camera running. Just as I got about 10 feet away, the goat exploded out and went another 100 yards down the can-yon. I cursed myself for not knowing better than to approach with my rifle ready. Hal came over and we made our way to him a second time. This time, my gun was in hand and I put another round in him. We sat waiting for him to expire but, with one last push of will, he threw himself down the canyon again. This time he was dead when he stopped but we were close to a mile from that ridge we would have to get back to and in some of the nastiest brush imaginable.
I have so much respect now for the strength and stamina of these animals. We had to tie one of the goat’s legs to a shrub to prevent him from sliding further. It was here that we tried to get some photos, skin off his hide and cut up the meat. Hal’s feet kept sliding out from under him as he made his cuts. I worried he would cut himself and make the situation that much worse. Somehow, we got it done and loaded our packs.
It was hours later when we made it back to the base of the ridge and started the climb back up. Once again, I held the paracord like it was my lifeline. This time though, our packs were loaded down with mountain goat. I will never forget the relief I felt as I stumbled back to our tent, exhausted and wet with rain falling down. I shot the goat at 8:20 that morning and we didn’t get back to camp until 5:30 in the evening. I couldn’t be happier with the animal I shot. For a year, I had been teasing Hal that I wanted a 10 inch billy. Well, we got pretty close, he measured 9 ½ inches on both sides. His horns place him in the top five Hal has taken off the mountain in the past 30 years and his bodysize was in the top three. He has the distinction of being number 1 in terms of most difficult retrieval but, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.
I shot the goat at 8:20 that morning and we didn’t get back to camp until 5:30 in the evening.
We got word from below that Ray had taken a twin bear of mine off the beach earlier that day and they were on their way up. They walked into camp about 8:00 and set up their tent along side ours. In the morning, it was rain-ing and the fog rolled in making it impossible for them to hunt. Hal and I decided to spend another day on the top to let our bodies rest before striking out for the bottom. The following morning, Hal and I broke camp, loaded our packs and started off down the mountain. Ray and Billy set out looking for Ray’s trophy. If the trip up the mountain was hard, the trip down was treacherous.
My pack now weighed about 85 pounds and the landscape was wet and slick. I recall very well, praying for my life as I tried to follow the trail down. I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what all mountain goat hunts are like or was this a particularly difficult course. Hal had said earlier in the week that we had the place to ourselves because no one else is willing to put forth the effort it takes to get up this mountain. I have to commend Hal LaPointe. His concern and willingness to help me make it down the mountain should be an example for all goat guides. I would never hesitate to hunt with him again. It took us 8 hours to get back down to base camp. I, once again, was exhausted.
I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what all mountain goat hunts are like or was this a particularly difficult course.
Later that evening we got word again, Ray had shot a nice goat and they would be coming down the following day. We then had 4 days in camp before our float plane came to pick us up. We spent it catching trout in the lake and rockfish in the surf. Billy is a world class chef and prepared some great meals for us. I can’t say enough how much I would recommend Hal & Billy and how truly blessed I feel to have shared this time in what is arguable one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Thank you, Dad, for making me a hunter.