Following my 70yo sister out of the smoky Seven Devils with a suspected sprained ankle. Had to abort the trip part way through. Turned out to be a tip of her fibia that was broken!
What is your end goal for elk on the ground, any elk or best that you can find? If you are new to elk hunting, suspect any legal elk. Elk are big and easily spotted. I would go with the 10x42's around your neck and the Sigs in the pack sans tripod and just use your trekking poles while...
Don't overthink this. Tarp over the wall tent protects it from weather/sun/sticks and stones..... Wall tents have enough room especially with the internal frame that you are not going to be up against the walls. The air gap, that would be hard to get uniformly over the tent, wouldn't be of...
Excellent storytelling, sometimes pictures are way better than words, but your words keep up. Amazed that guys your age are getting around that country, tough as nails, way to go.
A good friend of mine is connected with them, don't doubt that he will be pushing that thing. Seems to buy and sell more hunting crap than care about his future retirement.
You are getting there, piece of cake now. Does your alignment dowel slip in and out easily? Remember not to let the trans hang on the input shaft, get it lined up, slip it in and bolt it down.
The only thing that Polaris missed on the HD1500, could have easily added a low range in the trans when spec'ing it out. Yes, it has different drive modes, but no actual low range is a major drawback.
177 here this morning, haven't seen the ridgeline 4 miles away for over two weeks. Hope this front coming through brings rain and foregoes the lightning!