After our initial plans for a fly in sheep hunting trip were thwarted by a crooked deal from Copper Valley Air out of Glennallen we were able to regroup and turn some lemons into lemonade. A little brainstorming and some previous scouting landed us out near the old Nebesna Mine site for base camp. We stayed at the mine site the first night in the field and just enjoyed the history of a place that almost seems frozen in time.
When we walked through the different buildings and cabins it was amazing how good the condition of everything was. There was original material there from the 1930's as well as other dated goods from squatters, explorers and researchers. One thing that remained consistent throughout the decades of use is that when people left the facility, they felt no need to bring anything out with them.
A fiscal report from the Nebesna mine company in 1934.
After our stay at the mine we hiked out and found an area for a spike camp and started glassing for some legal rams.
We found a pair of legal rams the following day, but had to wait them out in some interesting mountain weather. Mother Nature served up sunshine, rain, sleet and snow over a matter of four hours.
Once the rams came back out to feed a couple of accurate shots was all that it took to dispatch the noble critters. Recovering the animals took hours of difficult climbing, but after another long day we were able to get back to base camp and enjoy some sheep loin over an open fire.
A couple nice sets of ram horns back at the mine. Lady luck was on our side after all!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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