ヴァレンティン・トーマスさんのインスタグラム写真 - (ヴァレンティン・トーマスInstagram)「Part 2. Day 4 brought a turning point in our luck as we finally spotted a herd across a valley. Although we were far from them, Chandler made the right call to observe their behavior and rest for the night. I was eager to pursue them immediately, but we set up camp higher up and kept a watchful eye until darkness fell. ‌ Day 5. As the sun rose, the herd reappeared. "Alright, they're still there. Let's F do this!" Chandler and I drove across the valley, parked at the bottom, and began our ascent. The incline was steeper than anticipated, I often had to bear crawl and clutch patches of grass for stability. I couldn’t even look back, the steepness was unnerving, scaring of losing my footing and tumbling down. I panted heavily, feeling like a worn-out pig 🐖 (oink oink). After climbing uphill about a mile and a half, we settled in a location where the herd had passed twice the previous day. We were confident they would return. They were definitely nearby. The trees were denser than expected, and the clearings were smaller. Our visibility was limited, but we could sense their presence. We could even catch their scent. Thinking they were right past the tree line (spoiler alert, they weren’t) I took off my shoes and left my backpack with water behind. With our narrow field of view, sneaking closer was our only option. We quickly realized that shots over 100 yards simply wouldn’t happen. Off I went on a wild chase, leaving shoes and water behind. The terrain was treacherous, with rocks digging into my bare feet. Still, I couldn't spot any elk. It was 5:30 pm, last tag day, and we were an hour's uphill hike away from our stuff. I cursed my rookie mistake. Lesson learned: no more removing shoes until I have visual confirmation. We decided Chandler would retrieve our gear while I continued downhill, even if it meant trekking in my socks. With an hour before darkness, I descended as swiftly and silently as possible, hoping for a last-minute miracle where I might catch sight of an elk. For most of the next hour, I found myself alone, mostly sliding on my ass, gun strapped to my back, navigating the mountain's steep slope trying not to fall. (Continues in comments).」10月24日 0時15分