We had a decision to make. This was the last day of our hunt and we were standing on top of a mountain... the wrong mountain. We could see the caribou, but they were still one 'small' mountain away. There was a high valley between us, which meant we would only lose about half of our elevation. We decided to go for it. We made a quick hike down into the valley and began to climb again. We knew that...  Read More

Other than a few grayling, this hunting trip had been a bust. It was my dad's one and only hunting trip to Alaska, and I was trying to get him a caribou. On day four, we finally spotted a few cows on the very top of a distant mountain. 30 years ago my dad was used to hunting hard all day, but he wasn't used to climbing in tundra. I was very surprised when he said, "Let's go try to get one."It was ...  Read More

How many times can you get back up? Life will trip you up. Sometimes it will knock you down. Sometimes the burden weighs you down. At other times you fall because of your own sin. Come to Jesus. Confess your sin, pour out your troubles. Lift up your hands and worship. HE will lift you up. Proverbs 24:16 "A righteous man may fall seven times, yet he will rise again." James 4:10 says, "Humble yourse...  Read More

For me, one of the best parts of a successful hunt was still in front of me. My sheep and my camp were loaded on my 4 wheeler, but I was still miles deep into the mountains. One of my favorite parts is coming home, because Laura has always been my biggest fan.. She cheers when I get something, helps me process the meat, and cooks delicious meals with whatever I bring home. Ladies, are you your hus...  Read More

I spent a long time skinning the sheep. I took the entire hide and hooves and made sure that my job was taxidermy quality. I knew a guy who bought my sheep hides for $1,500. Along the way, I carefully boned out the meat, laying it on a tarp to keep it clean. By the time I added the hide, meat, and skull with horns to a pack that already had a rifle, ammo, spotting scope, rain gear, warm gear, wate...  Read More

An exhale... holding steady... a moment of intense focus... and my ram was down. After a flash of exultation and giving thanks to God, this is where the real work began. Climbing is hard work. Packing a Dall sheep off of mountain by yourself is harder. Perhaps you've heard the old saying, "Anything worth having is worth working for." The Bible talks about the positive payoff of diligence and hard ...  Read More

It was one of those days. Not 1 in a million, but maybe 1 in 100. As I lay on my belly peaking over the top of a mountain, there was a legal ram right beneath me. It was a beautiful, clear morning an hour after daylight, and only an hour from my camp. Win- win- win. Sometimes everything goes our way, doesn't it? Some days are just that good. When everything is going right- when you are in the midd...  Read More

It was a sunny morning- one of those that sheep hunters dream about. Though I could see my breath, the temperature was above freezing. Even though I had no idea if there were any sheep in this country, I put on my pack, grabbed my rifle and began to climb. For me, there is nothing like being on foot in the 'high country.' Getting there is costly. That's why so few people do it. It's a tremendous a...  Read More

A number of years ago I set up camp by myself on a high ridge. The goal was dall sheep, but I hadn't seen anything. The country was barren. Even so, the next morning I started to climb higher still. Why? Because even though I felt that my chances of getting a sheep were utterly remote, I also knew that my chance of getting a sheep if I DIDN'T CLIMB was '0'- zip- nada. some of you feel that your ch...  Read More

I don't like to be cold. I don't mean the kind of cold that says, "I better put on a sweater." I mean REAL cold- the kind of cold that hurts you. In that kind of cold, only two things can keep you from serious harm- protective clothing and activity. If I venture out on my trapline missing even a single essential piece of clothing, I am vulnerable. If things go badly, I could be in deep trouble. If...  Read More

How do you respond when someone wounds you? I don't mean physical wounds- we care for those as best we can. I'm talking about something deeper, something that hurts your feelings- an attack upon your performance or perhaps upon you as a person. Sometimes the words spoken are true. Sometimes they are completely false. At times the wound is given unintentionally, but often you are the target. HOW DO...  Read More

"I might have lasted longer if I had occasionally set my back against a tree." These words were written by a man used powerfully of the Lord for decades. Having both a heart that still hungered to preach the gospel AND broken health, he was reflecting that he should have taken better care of himself. That's a great reminder for all of us, isn't it? We are made of BODY, soul and spirit. The Holy Sp...  Read More