Somewhere in the middle of my training hike this morning I realized that I am the elk hunting equivalent of a Nascar driver.
Here is an excerpt from my interview:
BF: Hey Bokeh, I see you’re hittin’ it hard. Prepping for another season. Looks like you’re gonna try again for the winners circle
Bokeh: Hey Fin! Ayup, this could be the year. You can bet that I’m gonna get out there and get after it.
BF: No wins so far in your career. Some also-rans, DNF’s and a couple of crashes.
Bokeh: Ha ha, thanks for pointing that out. This is my fifth year on the stick and string elk circuit.
BF: You’re not getting any younger. How do you make it all work.
Bokeh: Well, at 56 it takes a little extra help to get this old gear grinder up the mountain. But I’ve got a great team working to keep me out there.
I have my pro team. There’s my chiropractor, Dr. Rackem Crackem. He keeps the drivetrain aligned and moving straight. My masseuse, Terri, she manages the repair shop. New this year is my personal trainer, Meghan. She’s a right smart gal and she says she is pushing up the performance level. But I think she just likes to inflict suffering.
Course, come race days I got me the best dang pit crew in the world. The College Boys just keep rolling me out onto the track and cheering me on. Plus, they’re a bunch of fun. They love to hang around camp in the evening and do their impressions of the Old Man hiking on his knees and mimic the sound of the old motor crackin’, poppin’ and wheezing. Them boys are just a hoot.
BF: Do you have any sponsors lined up this year?
Bokeh: Well sure, sort of. I call ‘em my disposable income sponsors because I pay them! Ha ha. But I’ve got all the best on my team - Sitka, Mathews, Kenetrek, Exo, Zeiss. You name it, they all get some of my money.
BF: Is this the year?
Bokeh: Well I sure hope it is. There’s plenty of race days and we’re gonna keep the ol’ Bokeh 56 on the trail and in the game. If we just keep after it, one of these days we’ll see the checkered flag a wavin’ and put our hand on the trophy at the end of the day.
BF: Some say this is a young man’s game. It’s gotta be tough at your age. So, why are still out there?
Bokeh: Well, Fin, I gotta tell ya. I just love it. It’s still a thrill. When I pull on the uniform in the morning, cinch the boots, strap on the pack, grab the bow and fire up the motor, well, there’s nuthin’ else like it. This kind of racing just gets into your blood and you can’t get enough.
BF: Best of luck this year. See you out there.
Bokeh: Not if I see you first! Haha.
Here is an excerpt from my interview:
BF: Hey Bokeh, I see you’re hittin’ it hard. Prepping for another season. Looks like you’re gonna try again for the winners circle
Bokeh: Hey Fin! Ayup, this could be the year. You can bet that I’m gonna get out there and get after it.
BF: No wins so far in your career. Some also-rans, DNF’s and a couple of crashes.
Bokeh: Ha ha, thanks for pointing that out. This is my fifth year on the stick and string elk circuit.
BF: You’re not getting any younger. How do you make it all work.
Bokeh: Well, at 56 it takes a little extra help to get this old gear grinder up the mountain. But I’ve got a great team working to keep me out there.
I have my pro team. There’s my chiropractor, Dr. Rackem Crackem. He keeps the drivetrain aligned and moving straight. My masseuse, Terri, she manages the repair shop. New this year is my personal trainer, Meghan. She’s a right smart gal and she says she is pushing up the performance level. But I think she just likes to inflict suffering.
Course, come race days I got me the best dang pit crew in the world. The College Boys just keep rolling me out onto the track and cheering me on. Plus, they’re a bunch of fun. They love to hang around camp in the evening and do their impressions of the Old Man hiking on his knees and mimic the sound of the old motor crackin’, poppin’ and wheezing. Them boys are just a hoot.
BF: Do you have any sponsors lined up this year?
Bokeh: Well sure, sort of. I call ‘em my disposable income sponsors because I pay them! Ha ha. But I’ve got all the best on my team - Sitka, Mathews, Kenetrek, Exo, Zeiss. You name it, they all get some of my money.
BF: Is this the year?
Bokeh: Well I sure hope it is. There’s plenty of race days and we’re gonna keep the ol’ Bokeh 56 on the trail and in the game. If we just keep after it, one of these days we’ll see the checkered flag a wavin’ and put our hand on the trophy at the end of the day.
BF: Some say this is a young man’s game. It’s gotta be tough at your age. So, why are still out there?
Bokeh: Well, Fin, I gotta tell ya. I just love it. It’s still a thrill. When I pull on the uniform in the morning, cinch the boots, strap on the pack, grab the bow and fire up the motor, well, there’s nuthin’ else like it. This kind of racing just gets into your blood and you can’t get enough.
BF: Best of luck this year. See you out there.
Bokeh: Not if I see you first! Haha.
