Step 9- Gather provisions.

25 and still alive! Who would have imagined? With an affinity towards guns, motorcycles, and climbing things, I was uncertain I would make it this long. And to celebrate the occasion, I got to go into the woods and do just what I wanted: go of road, play with guns, and laugh with family. And hey, putting delicious, premium quality meat on the table certainly doesn't hurt. It was Tara's birthday too! Double the celebration! (I have no idea what my hand is doing, or what that hat is about. Let's just go with it.)

For the last 2 weeks I have been living in camp outside of Kelowna. It is hunting season and I got a moose draw in the region with my Uncle Mike. The trip started with a 17 hour non-stop drive to Kelowna. The only time I put on the brake, apart from gassing up, was where the mountains and sun were so beautiful I had to take it in.

Now, when I say camp, what I should say is 'the settlement,' because camp is more than a tent. Camp was made up of two log framed tent houses and three trailers. There were 12 of us there, including 4 children under the age of 5. And then there was the fire pit. The fire pit is to the camp what the television is to the living room. We actually even spent time spreading wood chips on the path some of them cleared through the bush to get to 'our' meadow. Here is what half the camp looked like:

Most all daylight hours were spent driving the back roads hunting. And here is what I got!

This is my first kill. Sure I have popped a few grouse, but this is my first animal on the table. My dad spotted it and I shot it. It took an hour to track and four to pack out of the woods. I 'whacked' it on the first day of the hunt. The meat is fantastic. I made some up last night and it tastes great! I now have 250lbs of antibiotic, growth hormone free super lean meat in the freezer. I won't have to purchase meat till well into next hunting season. I have ground, stewing meat, sirloin tip steaks, roasts, and even heart! We all celebrated that night.

The next day was just as exciting, though, as Mike's grandson almost succeeded in chopping Mike's finger off with an ax. I took him down to the hospital and they were able to close it up and reset the bone. And here is the kicker; because of my job, I keep condoms in my purse for when I meet up with commercial sex workers. It just so happens that a condom is about the best cover you can get for a finger bandage. We were all too willing to put one on Mike's finger for the rest of the week. Sexual health education comes to the rescue again!

Note the black condom- chocolate flavored.

Tara whacked a sweet mule deer right in the skull, cracking the head bone and flipping it right over on it's back. And Brooke shot her cow moose, a tender immature one, right in the jugular! It was a fantastic shot! Through the trees and everything. We are some serious hunters. I wish I had the photos of all of us in front of our skinned and hanging meat- it was awesome.

As it turns out, only the women got meat this trip. And that's what this trip was about- getting all of us ladies out into the woods and comfortable with the whole hunting process. My cousin Hailey was elbow deep in moose guts when she field dressed Brooke's moose. And having the kids there was a treat- it is amazing how much fun kids make for themselves when they are away from everything! That goes for all of us- somebody was up to something just about all the time. We all just love gettin' er done.

I am off in Toronto now for a bit then Edmonton for more meetings. By the end of the month I will have spent a total of 9 days in Fort! Just as well; starting December, I won't drive on the highway out of here. This was one great way to kick off the long season.