The Montana Terrain a Surgically-Repaired Knee Reminded me of God

After landing in Montana and getting to enjoy the great views like the one on the right, it was time to pack up and head to the east for our first day of hunting.  I was so excited for that moment that I had anticipated for so long.  The workouts to train my bad knee and the shooting practice to hone my skills were about to be challenged in ways that I could not anticipate.  That first night in Montana, truthfully, I did not sleep much because I was excited (and the fact that I had a bed buddy -- Tuffy the cat -- who was not supposed to be in the house.)

When we arrived in Columbus, MT to meet up with a friend of a friend (Bryan is my friend that I had archery elk hunted with in Washington and helped make this trip to Montana occur), and plans were put in place for the next morning.  We would arise at 430am and head over to some private property where they were able to gain access.  There were 2 entrances and we, in following Robert Frost's advice in his poem The Road Less Traveled, took the one that was not used frequently.  There was a good reason this side was not used as often -- the owners do not allow you to drive in to the property, so you face a 3 mile hike before you start hunting.

With the temperatures in the 20s and snow on the ground, I assumed you would need many layers of clothing; however, I was wrong.  I started off in a pair of regular camo pants and, for top, I wore a t-shirt under my long sleeved t-shirt.  Those 3 miles in the dark were deceptive as they passed so quickly and you could not see just how far you walked.  The picture to the left was taken just as the sun was about to hit the horizon.  Our party of three broke into 2 groups and we went separate ways with the intention of meeting up at dark for the ride home.

This property contained lots of slopes as well as remnants from a fire several years ago.  If you throw the snow on top of that base, then you get an understanding of conditions that day (especially as the wind really picked up later).  We worked out way into different draws and climbed up and down ridges to see what could be found. As soon as we found mule deer way off in the distance, we had a decision to make -- pursue or not.  While continuing to glass them, the fun started -- bucks were stealing does from smaller bucks and one buck challenged the authority of another.  These events gave us an opportunity for me to practice "setting up" for a shot as shown by the picture below:

It was shortly after this picture was taken that things REALLY got interesting.  A larger buck that we could see as a 3x4 moved down a ridge with a doe.  He was close enough that we could decide to pursue, which we did.  We slipped off the middle ridge where we stood to get into some cover.  Look at the picture above again and notice its barren nature, meaning that two men in camo would stick out like a sore thumb.  We would get out of their sight and then close the distance. We dropped into a creek bed and followed it around.  Bryan was about 10 yards ahead of me and turned around with a look of panic on his face.  He apologized and told me to immediately drop.  I was confused, but soon realized what happened -- that creek bed put us right on that buck and doe who were glaring at us.

I did exactly as he said and dropped to my backside.  My Tenzing shooter pack served as a wonderful rest on the incline meaning that I could get my rifle to rest very easily on my knee -- a familiar shooting position.  Where we sat down was on the sunny side of a ridge meaning that much of the snow had melted, so our camo worked perfectly on those rocks.  Look at these pictures below that we were able to take of the buck and doe who decided to bed down.

He was clearly a 3x4 and had some size to him.   Bryan ranged him at 165 yards and my cross-hairs were on him.  He was just standing there giving me a perfect, broadside shot on this left shoulder.  As if that was not good enough, he turned around giving me another perfect broadside shot on his right shoulder.  Only making matters worse, he bedded down still giving me a perfect shot right into his vitals.  Oh wait, it gets better -- he stood back up and, once again, gave me a perfect broadside.  During that whole time, the thoughts and debates really started to fly -- do I shoot this deer on the FIRST day of my hunt.  After some discussion with Bryan, I decided not to pull the trigger and we slipped slowly away from those deer.  They finally spooked and got up to bound away.

As the day continued, we walked loops, up and over ridges, and crossed many barbed wire fences.  At one point, we were totally shocked as a bull elk just appeared in front of us.  As you can tell from the picture on the left, he was beautiful!  Had either of us possessed an elk tag, well, let's just say that he would not have been able to walk over the ridge where you see him standing.  He first appeared no more than 50 yards away from us.

As the day progressed, my knee started hurting; yet, I wanted to continue pushing forward.  Pain, after all, is just weakness leaving the body.  Well, all of that changed on a snowy slope after seeing a herd of about 15 elk.  I slipped on the snow, felt a twinge in my knee, and (as Bryan would put it) took a snow bath.  After that point, the knee started killing me on every climb and every descent.  It was hurting so bad that Bryan started getting worried.  With plenty of daylight remaining and "prime time" for the evening coming, we had to leave the property.

Remember that 3 mile hike in before dawn? We had to walk back to that point and then start the hike out.  This time, however, the snow had started melting meaning that much of the frozen road we had walked turned into mud.  Every step added more mud to the treads of my already wet and heavy boots.  A noticeable limp started and I could not walk far before I had to take a break.  Bryan would later tell me that my face visibly showed the discomfort and he started questioning whether or not I should have passed up that buck in the morning. 

I had under-estimated the toll of the terrain on my surgically repaired knee.  Yes, the ACL is just fine but the bone on bone action in the knee joint really started grinding.  My error, in hindsight, was going that first day without my knee brace.  That decision on the first morning would haunt me the rest of my hunt.

So, why share all of this story?  Every step that first afternoon was immediately followed by self-doubt about whether I could do this and if I should plan on flying home to rest the knee.  That kind of self-talk is destructive.  You know what kept me going?  Simply, I did not want to disappoint my friend Bryan.  I never told him that, but if he's reading this blog, then he'll hear that.  You see, I look up to this guy who can seemingly do anything -- bound from rock to rock like a gazelle, look at a slope (no matter how steep) and immediately start climbing up or down, etc. 

In the New Testament, Romans 12:12 says "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."  The pain in that knee had drained my hope.  Bryan had to show patience by adjusting his pace to match mine (something he would unselfishly do throughout the trip).  Quite frankly, I prayed my way back to that truck.  It was not a positive experience. 

When we reached the point where we could see the truck, but still faced a descent on a muddy road,
we stopped to watch the sun dip below the horizon -- see the picture to the right.  Sitting on that rock, I started reflecting again.  This experience was a battle within the mind as doubts crept in because I let them enter my mind.  The verse in Romans speaks of patience during tough times and that comes from a specific mindset and perspective because of the strength that God alone can give. I do not know what struggles you may face; but if you seek strength in any other venue other than the God of heaven, then you will find that source to be lacking and empty. 

I was reminded of my struggles when I lost my mom to lung cancer.  God gave me peace that I simply cannot explain, and that peace came from a personal relationship with Him.  Relationships include both good and bad times.  The knowledge of the other person built during the good times is what sustains you during (and through) the bad times for those that are committed to seeing the relationship through it all.  That's what happened -- I knew who God is because of all that He had done for me and relinquished my pain of loss to Him because He has a plan that I cannot explain.  Never did I think that my surgically-repaired knee and the terrain of Montana would turn my thoughts back to my mom.  God, though, has a way of reminding and teaching us things in various ways IF we are simply listening. 

Has God taught you anything recently?  If not, why is that?  Are you so busy that you are not listening?  If so, be prepared for a little pain to get your attention.