From time to time I post my pictures on Wundergound. For the last couple of days I've been posting photos of bighorn sheep I spotted up Lamoille Canyon. For some reason the sheep have moved down low in the canyon...probably because of the snow. They are so close to the road, I don't even have to get out of my car. Not only that, the mountain they are hanging out on is extremely steep. I never even remotely entertained the thought of climbing it figuring that if - and that's a big IF - I could get up there, they'd be gone the second they saw me coming anyway.

Well a few very funny & clever folks from Wunderground have been teasing me about sitting in a nice warm car taking pictures. Some have taken a few 'sheep shots' of their own at my expense. :-)
But that's ok, I can take it. In fact, I took it as a challenge to get back up that canyon and see if I could do just a little bit better than sitting in my car.
Here's the short version of how my little adventure went:

I drove, I parked, I walked across the road and I stood looking at the mountain I was to traverse. I suddenly thought...wait...you're alone, this was a wild hair-spur of the moment stunt and nobody knows where you're at or what you're doing. GO HOME. But...I said...my reputation and integrity as an intrepid photographer are at stake. PERSEVERE! Now, when one can reach out and touch the ground without bending over, that's called STEEP. My first step didn't net me but a couple of inches as I slid right back down to where I started. Hmmm...I thought. This can't be good. I should have opted for 'home' right then.

I'll skip to the part where I finally reach the top of the rock cliffs I was heading for. Let me interject here...it's very hard to take a photo when you have sweat rivulets (more like spring melt rivers) running down into your eyes, nose, mouth and soaking your shirt and coat. It's hard to take a picture when you can't catch your breath because - #1, you are old and out of shape; #2, you just climbed 1000 to 2000 feet straight up and there's no more oxygen for your living enjoyment and #3, you're old and out of shape (did I say that already?) and really really stupid. It's also hard to take a picture when you've scraped your hands raw from hanging on to dear life and pulling yourself up over 4 foot high sagebrush and sharp rock cliffs. One good thing though...I can cancel that manicure appointment...no fingernails left. AND it's really hard to take a picture when you realize you just stepped right into 'it' and you know you could be in deep doo-doo and your body starts shaking violently in an uncontrollable manner.
The 'it' part was this: as I slowly, carefully and methodically worked my way around another huge rock outcropping I popped out into a very nice meadow of sorts...an opening where I came face to face with the whole herd. About 20 to 30 sheep were just hangin' out chillin'. They literally surrounded me...in every direction...above me on the rock cliffs, below me, to the right of me...it was freakin' amazing! Of course, then my mind kicked in and went immediately into the OH SH___UCKS mode. What in the world have I gotten myself into. Ohhhh shucks, oh shucks, oh shucks!!! The whole gang just stared at me. I stared back. They stared...and all I could think about was the time - 16 years earlier in Wyoming - taking pictures of two bighorn sheep rams. As I clicked away I just kept walking closer and closer to them when all of a sudden, through my viewfinder I see the larger of the two start pawing at the ground. I yanked the camera down, took a good look at what was happening when comprehension dawned...the big guy was charging me. My catlike reflexes kicked in and I turned, grabbed my four year old daughter by the arm and ran like hell...screaming at the top of my lungs. Thankfully, our two Springer spaniels came running and yelping chasing them away. I was trying hard not to think about that incident.
It took all I had to stop the black veil of panic that was slowly making its trek up my violently shaking body. Just as it got to my throat and I felt that old familiar scream forming in the back of my throat, I told myself to stop that nonsense. First of all, it'll only hurt for a minute...after that you will go into shock and not feel a thing. And since it's so nice and steep, you won't hit anything until you land on the road. See....there's always a silver lining...
But, when I finally started calming down a bit, I set myself down on a big rock and tried so very hard to hold the camera still. What you see here is the result of the most amazing and exciting adventure I've had in quite a while. Thanks to those that push me to do better.
The end.

p.s. the long version details my bumps, bruises, scrapes, scratches, sprains, and the one minor little accident of peeing on my pant leg along with a blow by blow description of my descent to where I finally fell to my knees on the road hugging and kissing it and thanking the good Lord for saving my sorry fanny. No worries...I'll be good as new in a few days or so. ;-}

WHAT I REALLY THANK GOD FOR IS ALLOWING ME TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE. IT WILL BE ON THE TOP OF MY ALL-TIME INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES LIST!