Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7 August 16, 2015 Hot Meals and Cold Nights Halloween night I slept like a barn owl after a high-mileage night of hunting. I awoke early, feeling a little ashamed that I had fallen asleep and missed the Great Pumpkin. Of course, he might have cancelled his appearance due to the weather. But the sleet and wind had subsided, and it looked as if we had dodged one more weather bullet. George, Jim, and I all wondered how long our good fortune would last. …

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7 July 11, 2015 On to the Second Leg After making some purchases in Walmart, Jim, George, and I followed the aromatic smells to the McDonald’s corner of the building. We stood and gawked at the menu a couple of minutes. Turned out it was the same as every other McDonald’s. Good. That would make it easy. Our ordering completed, we staked out a table away from the other diners, assuming they would not like cheesy-smelling hikers with their Quarter Pounders. The skies had …

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 March 14, 2015 To the Forest’s Edge Sometime during the night, I awoke to a loud yelp, unlike any I’d ever heard before.  A second or two passed before I realized I was being treated to my first coyote serenade. Sounded like it came from the road, only a couple hundred feet from the shelter. The concert ended as quickly as it had begun, followed by barking from the top of the ridge. I figured that had to be Michelin Muncher (see Part …

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 February 17, 2015 Our Journey to Hoot Owl Ridge Road The big hike was finally approaching. It would have to wait a bit longer, however, for today was stash day.  Jim, George, and I sat in Lori’s Restaurant in Caldwell chewing on some fourth-quarter strategy, as well as one of our last table meals for a while. I was doing my best to load up on vittles. I bragged to our waitress about our upcoming adventure, hoping she’d throw in an extra scoop …