Epic Pack Outs

[tstowater]

Sounds like it would make a great thread on its own, tst. Go ahead and get it started!

It's started in the backpacking gear forum if you want to add your expertise or experience.

 

[actionshooter]

HAHA too funny!! Musta been in a rush to try that even with the hooves on...awesome pic

Early archery with temps in the high 80-90s.
Trying to get the hell out before any spoilage, luckily it was less than a mile.

 

[Ridge Runner]

This thread brings back a lot of bad memories.

swat8888 reminds me of a particularly difficult 9 mile pack. Buddy killed a cow about 9 miles in. Pack out to spike camp wasn't bad as a bear had gotten into the elk and ate/ruined about 1/3 of it. Decided to do the pack back to the trail head in 1 trip so loaded up elk and spike camp all in 1 load. 100 lbs + with crap hanging all over the place. 5 miles from spike camp to road included approx. 9 creek crossings up to mid-thigh deep. I took off and left my buddies (not smart) as I wanted to get back to the road before dark. A couple of the crossings were fairly hairy with slick rocks and swift current. On one such crossing I lost my balance and landed flat on my backpack in the middle of the creek with water up to my mouth. Fumbled around for what seemed like ever trying to get my pack off to get out of that cold water. If water would have been 2-3 inches deeper I might have been in a world of hurt. Needless to say took the rest of the crossings at a much more controlled pace.

 

[swat8888]

I learned early that taking my sleeping bag and bivy with me everywhere wasn't an option in the mountains. yes it's a pain in the butt, but I sure enjoyed snuggling up nice and warm watching my buddies freeze on a mountain side. I always take my golite poncho and e-blanket with me too. usually don't bring any extra dry clothes, just my rain gear and usually my puffy jacket. The way I see it if I can't hump around a couple extra lbs up and down hills I have no business trying to haul out an entire animal.

 

[Manosteel]

..... The way I see it if I can't hump around a couple extra lbs up and down hills I have no business trying to haul out an entire animal.

Well said and words to remember.

 

[Easton]

Well,

My 2012 dall sheep hunt in the Brooks was a memorable one. Two rams in one day with the old man. We each had our own ram on our backs as we headed down steep terrain to spike camp. Half way down, dad lost his balance and flew about 5 yards through the air and landed on his shoulder. He was hurt pretty bad. We left his ram/pack on the mountain and headed to camp. Once down I made him stay as I downed some water and skirted back up the mtn to get his pack before it got dark. I brought his down within 40 mins. Two days later, we hiked 11 miles back to the strip. My dad was extremely sore and even with some extreme painkillers, a heavy pack hurt his shoulder. I hate making multiple trips so I put our entire camp, my boned out ram, cape, horns, rifle, etc. and all of his boned out meat in my pack. He had his rifle, cape and horns. I am not bragging at all because is was murder but I estimate my pack weighed over 150lbs. Packing out a sheep and a half plus camp 11 miles for me was an epic pack out.

 

[Daniel_M]

Well,

My 2012 dall sheep hunt in the Brooks was a memorable one. Two rams in one day with the old man. We each had our own ram on our backs as we headed down steep terrain to spike camp. Half way down, dad lost his balance and flew about 5 yards through the air and landed on his shoulder. He was hurt pretty bad. We left his ram/pack on the mountain and headed to camp. Once down I made him stay as I downed some water and skirted back up the mtn to get his pack before it got dark. I brought his down within 40 mins. Two days later, we hiked 11 miles back to the strip. My dad was extremely sore and even with some extreme painkillers, a heavy pack hurt his shoulder. I hate making multiple trips so I put our entire camp, my boned out ram, cape, horns, rifle, etc. and all of his boned out meat in my pack. He had his rifle, cape and horns. I am not bragging at all because is was murder but I estimate my pack weighed over 150lbs. Packing out a sheep and a half plus camp 11 miles for me was an epic pack out.

You sir, have balls that clank. Kudos to anyone with the guts to pack anything over 100# for an extended length. I'm hoping to take advantage this fall by rafting out.

 

[Easton]

65*NorthS&E,
Thanks! I honestly am not bragging and do not want to do that much weight again! I am lucky I had trekking poles as I would have likely hurt myself and been in real trouble. It was really a stupid decision on my part but at the time, I was not thinking about it. It was a sunny day, we were full of tenderloins, in high spirits and there was an 18 pack of barley pop waiting at the runway. Needless to say I was motivated! I will say that my Barney's Yukon pack has never failed me and really made it possible to hold everything (stuff strapped to the outside of course) and carry the weight. I know there are folks on the forum that have done much more grueling pack outs I am sure.

 

[sk1]

You sir, have balls that clank. Kudos to anyone with the guts to pack anything over 100# for an extended length. I'm hoping to take advantage this fall by rafting out.

haha balls that clank....haha

yeah sorry i think like a 9 year old, that was funny.

 

[HellsCanyon]

65*NorthS&E,
Thanks! I honestly am not bragging and do not want to do that much weight again! I am lucky I had trekking poles as I would have likely hurt myself and been in real trouble. It was really a stupid decision on my part but at the time, I was not thinking about it. It was a sunny day, we were full of tenderloins, in high spirits and there was an 18 pack of barley pop waiting at the runway. Needless to say I was motivated! I will say that my Barney's Yukon pack has never failed me and really made it possible to hold everything (stuff strapped to the outside of course) and carry the weight. I know there are folks on the forum that have done much more grueling pack outs I am sure.

I doubt many have done that much weight for that long. There may be one or two on here, but I sure haven't. That's a LONG day you had there... what was the terrain like? Triple digit loads are hell anyway you put it, throw in substantial elevation gain and they become exponentially harder...

Mike

 

[Daniel_M]

I doubt many have done that much weight for that long. There may be one or two on here, but I sure haven't. That's a LONG day you had there... what was the terrain like? Triple digit loads are hell anyway you put it, throw in substantial elevation gain and they become exponentially harder...

Mike

In the article I posted (7 rams), Steve and his partner averaged 10-30 mile walkins with 100+lb packs. 2012 was 22 miles with a full cape I believe.

 

[HellsCanyon]

In the article I posted (7 rams), Steve and his partner averaged 10-30 mile walkins with 100+lb packs. 2012 was 22 miles with a full cape I believe.

Walkins or packouts? Either way it ain't easy... Longest I've packed triple digit loads was about a mile and several hundred feet down on pine grass and spruce needles, only one treking pole with a raghorn head in my right hand SUCKED lol

Mike

 

[Daniel_M]

Walkins or packouts? Either way it ain't easy... Longest I've packed triple digit loads was about a mile and several hundred feet down on pine grass and spruce needles, only one treking pole with a raghorn head in my right hand SUCKED lol

Mike

22 miles out with 130lb.

 

[HellsCanyon]

22 miles out with 130lb.

Thats Monster Mode for sure!

Mike

 

[robby denning]

Packing out a good buck with belly-deep on dark Montana night. Had two horses, but loaded the buck on one and traded off walking/riding. Snow was almost knee deep so the walker would get very tired, then we'd switch. About 3 hours into it, I talked Trevor into climbing on top of the pack horse on top of the deer (it was my turn to walk )
Trevor looked like a PBR rider trying to hang on to Bodacious with a buck deer flopping under his crotch! He got pitched 10 feet up and 15 horizontal. Horse even did a full buck right over top of him, but missed him clean. Retied the deer and kept hiking.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Packing out a good buck with belly-deep on dark Montana night. Had two horses, but loaded the buck on one and traded off walking/riding. Snow was almost knee deep so the walker would get very tired, then we'd switch. About 3 hours into it, I talked Trevor into climbing on top of the pack horse on top of the deer (it was my turn to walk )
Trevor looked like a PBR rider trying to hang on to Bodacious with a buck deer flopping under his crotch! He got pitched 10 feet up and 15 horizontal. Horse even did a full buck right over top of him, but missed him clean. Retied the deer and kept hiking.

Something akin to this minus the 3' deep snow???

Mike

 

[robby denning]

That's it Mike! That horse is much better behaved than mine. Trevor barley got his leg over the deer and he was airborne!

 

[Easton]

No way I could have done that weight if I had to go up and over elevation. Our terrain was mostly tundra along with a rocky river bottom. Luckily we had a pretty flat walk back to the airstrip and took every caribou trail we found. I had to take a lot of breaks and it took all day to get to the strip. The good thing was that I was in great shape and had trained for 3 months prior to season with the last month carrying 80lbs (3-25lbs of salt, water bladder and revolver) up and down our local minnie mtn. plus mileage until I could do it all without stopping. I like to try and train harder than what the actual hunt may be like. My wife gets a little frustrated with me during the June-August because I am out the door right after work training. I have never had an easy sheep hunt and never will, but my training has made them way more enjoyable, that I know for sure.

 

[luke moffat]

No way I could have done that weight if I had to go up and over elevation. Our terrain was mostly tundra along with a rocky river bottom. Luckily we had a pretty flat walk back to the airstrip and took every caribou trail we found. I had to take a lot of breaks and it took all day to get to the strip. The good thing was that I was in great shape and had trained for 3 months prior to season with the last month carrying 80lbs (3-25lbs of salt, water bladder and revolver) up and down our local minnie mtn. plus mileage until I could do it all without stopping. I like to try and train harder than what the actual hunt may be like. My wife gets a little frustrated with me during the June-August because I am out the door right after work training. I have never had an easy sheep hunt and never will, but my training has made them way more enjoyable, that I know for sure.

Quit trying to down play that pack out!!! A sheep and a half plus camp is freaking impressive no matter how much you try to sell your self short. Hats off to you sir!!!

 

[ohhiitznik]

I had a very epic packout last year that didn't involve carrying a damn elk! I had come out to resupply after 4 days in the wilderness and starting to talk to myself. I needed to come into town and get recharged to head back in. Well after being in town and sucking down some great mexican food and waiting out the weather I grabbed my pack and drove back to the trailhead. I was in great spirits, as I had 4 days of gear on my back, very light and moving easily. I hit the trailhead at first light for the 6 mile trek in to my glassing spot up high over the basin I had hunted earlier.

As I'm crossing treeline I happen upon a hiker, sitting next to a tree. I'm thinking to myself walking up to him "great" granolas camping near the basin may have some effect on how the elk were acting. As I walk up to him to say hello I notice he is in the early stages of hypothermia. He doesn't respond to me and just gives me a blank stare. At this point I didn't know whether to draw my pistol or not. Shit got a little weird as zombie apocolypse scenes came rushing into my mind as the guy was showing signs of cyanosis... Turns out the guy was full blown german, and didn't speak any english. After he blurted out something in german I thought to myself what the hell is going on here? I do a rapid scan of the guy and notice he has no pack, just dayhiking gear and a DSLR camera and some other odds and ends. I then look down at this guys feet, as hes sitting next to a pine tree. Obvious visual deformity in his lower left leg. A complete break.

As I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do, weighing my options of going to get help or staying for the night I glance out over the mountains and I see a thunderstorm brewing. I thought to myself "**** I can't catch a ******* break" The weatherman had said the chance of thunderstorms was 10%. Of course I would be in the 10 percent. I decided at the elevation we were at we were not safe to stay. I gave the guy my puffy to try and warm him up as I helped him to his feet after making a crude splint of his leg with two arrows and duct tape. I gave him a shoulder so we could move down into the safety of the basin. The movement was painfully slow. He would hobble and then fall or cry out in pain. After about 100 yards of this and the thunderstorm coming closer I got a little more desperate.

Trying to tell a german man you found in the wilderness that you are going to fireman's carry him is probably one of the harder game of charades you'll ever play. Little did I know that I would play one even harder... I moved the man down into the trees about 1/2 mile and 500 feet of elevation drop. I decided I'm not going to carry him the whole way out to the trailhead about 3.5-4 miles fireman style. I try to tell him that I have to head back up the mountain and get my pack. I had figured out his name as least, from what little german I remembered in high school. He went by the name of Hans. "How stereotypical of a name was that for a german guy?" I thought to myself. Well I explained to Hans that I was going to go get my pack and come back to get him. If you've ever seen the look of someones face when you tell them you have to leave them, injured, in a wilderness area without using words.... You'll see true despair. I finally get it across to him that I'm just going to get my pack before the storm hits. I race back up and grab my pack still trying to think of what I'm going to do. Do I use my SPOT? Do I leave him with my camp and go get help? All the while I'm thinking about my options the storm is moving closer and looking more ominous than ever.

As I get back down to Hans I notice his condition is starting to improve. He is warming up a little and gaining some circulation back in his fingers. I'm thinking to myself "Alright good we're in the clear." Then thunder claps and I get more nervous. I didn't feel safe in the cover we were in, maybe it was adrenaline or just plain stupidity that made me think we needed to get lower. As I'm looking at Hans knowing I can't just leapfrog back and forth down the mountain with my pack and him as I will get exhausted extremely quick. I judge how much Hans weighs. I guessed him at about 160. I thought to myself, hell I carried 175 in plates+kettlebells to train with in the summer. His weight won't be the problem. But how could I figure out how to strap him to my DT1 without hurting him further or him flopping around?

"I have the answer!" I thought to myself. Piggyback style! I remember seeing a pic on the Kifaru website of a guy carrying another guy on his pack. Why the hell couldn't I carry Hans the same way? Now this is where the hardest charades game you'll ever play happens. Try explaining to a german guy, who is injured in the wilderness that you are going to strap him to your pack to carry him. Needless to say it was interesting and took some patience. I make a pseudo shelf in the pack with all my gear in the bottom of the pack. Good thing I only had 4 days of gear so I could shove it all in the bottom to get him to ride right on the duplex frame with his arms around me or it would have been even more hell. So I put him on the shelf, used a horizontal lashing strap that hung down like a load sling that he slipped his knees into. This would help stabilize him and give him control so he could protect his ankle. I couldn't just let his legs dangle, it would have been difficult to carry and could have possibly had more trauma to the leg caused by trees, rocks, whatever else was next to the trail. I use the grab it to keep him forward so he didn't fatigue out and he basically had to hold me with his arms lightly to stay upright with minimal effort. I get him all secured tightly to the pack and lay him on his side, and slip into the DT1's frame.

I get the waist belt tight, I cinch down the shoulder straps while laying on my side and then I did a barrel roll to get onto all fours. I was yelling at Hans to help me with his arm, when he finally realized what I was saying he obliged quickly. As I got onto all fours I thought to myself "You got this, this guy + gear is a little more than what you train with, you're good Nik get this ****** out of here." I cinch the pack down on me as tight as I can on my knees. I stand up and make the adjustments to the belt, cinch it way down even more and tighten down the load lifters.

The pack felt great. Heavy, but great. "This frame was worth its weight in gold." I thought, as I jumped him up higher and kept cinching the straps down. I was having a little moment of happiness. I've got Hans on my back, I've got all my stuff including my bow which Hans wore like Legolas in lord of the rings with paracord as his strap and I've got my trekking poles in hand! This guy is going to be alright! Then the skies open up. Puts a huge damper on the whole operation. We were about 3.5 miles from the trailhead, and there wasn't much more elevation drop left. I decided rather than spend the night sharing a sleeping bag with a guy I couldn't communicate with I'd be better off just heading for the trailhead and getting him help. So off I trudged. around 200 lbs in my pack and at a snails pace I walk. In the rain and random thunder claps I keep moving along. I kept telling myself "Keep moving Nik." "Slow and steady wins the race." "Beast mode." you name it I said it. Think of all the little things you could say to yourself to keep you moving I said them each 100's of times. After 7 hours or so we reach the trailhead. It rained almost the whole way back, until we got about 500 yards from the trailhead. The rain quit, as if mother nature had said "Alright you've made it I'm done making your packout even worse." My legs were burning and I knew we were in the final stretch so I just powered through the pain. I got Hans to the trailhead. Mission accomplished! This was the toughest thing I have ever done in my life to date. I was beaming with pride, but exhausted from operating on adrenaline for most of the day. After sleeping in a hotel room that night I woke up and I thought to myself "Well, time to grab the gear and get back at it, you've got 4 days left." I turn to get off the bed and try to stand. My legs were shot. I almost collapsed being more sore than I've ever been. My elk hunt was over.