T.F.M. Spotting - Fun Hogs Weekend

Joel Thompson, a.k.a. Boss Hog, sent his followup (novel) to the Fun Hogs Weekend teaser he sent a few weeks ago. Sounds like it was an epic trip.

Friday morning, the sun is rising, the air is crisp, and the long awaited Fun Hog weekend is finally here! We were a little delayed in our departure as Pyro Pig was still working on his smoked pork shoulder. We like to say that he was late because he was pulling his pork as “Pyro’s Famous Smoked Pulled Pork” was on the menu for dinner that night. We finally got all the gear loaded and we were off. We drove as far as we could pulling a trailer with four snowmobiles and a truck that was loaded with enough food and beverage to last four grown men at least a week. We of course were only staying four days but you never know when you might get snowed in so we like to error on the side of caution when it comes to the rations.

(The players with a.k.a's to protect them from Google searches.)

We got the sleds unloaded, the gear trailer hooked up, and the truck unload of ALL its contents. By the time we were finished the trailer was heaping and the cargo net holding the contents was stretched to the max. Each sled had bags and packs strapped on where ever they would fit and the riders wore any other gear that wouldn’t fit. We were off! From this point it is a short ride to the cabin. Twenty-five minutes at the most and everything made it safe and sound. We arrived to the cabin with fresh snow and sunshine greeting us as we unloaded the gear, sampled a few beverages, and started fires to take the chill off the cabin. The stars were lining up and it finally became very clear that the Fun Hogs Weekend was here and all was right with the world…at least for us. The strange thing about a Fun Hog Weekend is we get our name because we hog all the fun. Many of you probably suffered severe depression that weekend and for this I apologize. That said, it will be highly unlikely we change our hoggish ways. It only happens once a year people so you will just need to learn to deal with it. Back to our story… After unloading everything we went for a quick ride on our snowmobiles on a recon mission to see what our snow conditions would be like for the next day’s snowshoe adventure. We quickly found that the snow was not only “less than average” but it also had no base to it. Not a great thing for snowshoeing as you have a tendency to push through the snow and go a long ways down before hitting bottom. Some were concerned about this as none of us are getting any younger and we all knew it would be a lot of work getting to our planned destination the next day. I tried to keep spirits high saying the snow was like butter and it would not be a problem…they were not convinced…this was going to take some cocktails and big bonfire to sell so we were off back to the cabin for some good grub, tasty beverages, and a bonfire that could be seen from the moon! Long story short on the first day. The pulled pork was unbelievable, the drinks were plentiful, the bonfire was world class, and the next morning we would head to the high country via snowshoes to try our luck ice fishing a high mountain lake!

(The Food and Drink.)

The next morning came (a little too soon for some) and a hardy breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh baked cinnamon rolls along with a LOT of hot fresh brewed coffee awaited us as Seepage Hog was on breakfast duty! He is the “old” guy in the group so if he can rally we all figure we can. Breakfast consumed, packs loaded with fishing gear and maggots, food, food, and more food, and a couple of double haul IPA’s to quench our thirst while standing on the ice. We were off! I won’t lie to you, from the second we leave the cabin it is a GRIND up hill for the next 2.5 miles. Doesn’t seem like that is all that far. Shoot, I walk my dogs at least that far every stinkin’ day, but this hike is different than most. Not only do we have two feet of crappy snow to start out in but we also gain a little over 1500 feet in elevation AND we are starting out at about 6000 feet! Did I mention the night before we stayed up late drinking Kettlehouse Eddy Out pale ale? (There may have been some Scotch in there too…) To give you an idea of how hard this hike is in the winter time I can do this hike in the summer in about an hour and fifteen minutes. It took us 3 hours and 20 minutes with very few breaks! It was a team effort to get there. Everyone took their turn breaking trail. We all had to stay focused but eventually made it to the lake around 12:30pm. It was worth it!

(The Wintertime Fun Hog Fun!)

There is nothing like getting to the high country in the middle of winter to make everything right with the world again. The endorphin high just gets better with age and the scenery never fails to WOW one upon arrival. The ice was a little spooky this year. We had about sixteen inches of snow, about five inches of slush, a little water, and then about 28 inches of ice to get through to start fishing. Not for the faint of heart! A fire was made on shore (Pyro Pig doesn’t go anywhere without making a fire) and the process of drilling holes had begun. Soon after the holes were drilled into the ice the wind began to pick up and the snow began to fall. We did quite well catching fish but I just didn’t have it in me to get the camera out for photos as I felt it would stress the fish too much and we were not keeping any of these fish as they were all native westslope cutthroat. Long story short on day two we made it to the lake, we fished our butts off and caught a pile of fish, we made it back down to the cabin at dark to enjoy elk steaks for dinner, and enjoyed another (smaller) bonfire with adult beverages and sore muscles. Everybody slept like baby’s that night! Day three is always pretty low key as we all need some time to recupe after our big hiking day. We decide that morning that we would go for another snowmobile ride and headed for the Thompson Lake basin. I have a lot of history in this basin. I was buried alive in an avalanche there on a snowmobile in 1992. That said it is and will always be one of the most beautiful places I could ever visit! The scenery is stunning in both the winter and the summer and will always be a favorite place for me to visit. I have found that since that day in 1992 I am a lot wiser and a whole lot more careful. This basin is the first of the T.F.M. Spottings of the weekend. I could think of a better place to rep the shirt of such a good friend. We played around up there for a few hours and it was back to the cabin. The rest of the day we puttered around the cabin, ice fished the lake (caught only whitefish), and enjoyed a nice BBQ’d prime rib while enjoying some really good Bloody Mary’s. After dinner it was off to the bonfire number three where there was another T.F.M. Spotting and a goal was made to finish the party pig! So many laughs at this fire recapping the weekend. Nothing beat a great fire and a few drinks with great friends that you can say anything to!

(The Bonfires.)

Day four. We stink, the outhouse can be smelt from about 25 feet away, and the reality of heading back to civilization is starting to hit us all. The sun was out so we decide to go on a quick ski after breakfast. No pictures from that adventure but it was very good for the sole. We returned around lunch time and enjoy some local cheese and peppercorn salami on the deck of the cabin in the sunshine with a the last of the Double Haul IPA’s. This is and will always be a weekend that I most look forward to as long as I live. The group of guys that attend defy getting older and are always up for the challenge that proves they can still go places that only the younger crowd is expected to go. I am blessed to have such good friends to share this weekend with and wife that understands how important this weekend is to me. I can’t wait for next year to see where the next TFM Spotting will be!