Saw this pretty crazy post on Facebook about outfitters struggling to get out of the Thorofare in all the snow.
"It's been a heck of a season this year in the Thorofare for all the camps. I wasn't with Hidden Creek Outfitters cooking this fall due to personal things going on in our lives but Jon Kelly was guiding up there this hunting season. At 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, I got a call that our guides were heading up the mountain to help get 8 employees (Jon Kelly, my husband, and his dog being one of them still in camp) that had stayed behind to break down camp at the end of the season. 3 different camps were now needing additional stock and manpower as the snow drifts had closed off two passes not allowing the staff now stuck in there to get off the mountain.
As I put my boots on Friday and headed toward Cody to join the others in driving to Jackson on Saturday, I realized this just got real. The next 48 hours were taxing on everyone. They have 8 people, 32 head of horses, and 3 camp dogs that needed help getting off the mountain. I don’t even know if I can sum up the last 2 days, but I will try. Wednesday, October 23rd, they were able to get all the clients safely out of the Thorofare after many hours of manpower shoveling 10+ foot snow drifts. (Pictured above.) On Thursday, Deer Creek Trail was closed due to 14+ feet of snow drifts and the guides were unable to shovel though. Plan B – Friday 3:30 a.m., guides arrived at Ishawooa Trailhead, south of Cody, only to realize that it, too, was drifted in with over 10 feet of snow. Now they were all forced to take horses and trailers 300 miles down and around toward Jackson, Wyoming to Turpin Meadows Trailhead, the only trail left to get these people off the mountain. The guides arrived on Friday to Turpin Meadows and were in the saddle by 4:00 p.m. After 11 hours on horseback through the night in a blizzard, they arrived in Teton Camp on Saturday at 3:00 a.m. and start slinging loads and riding further down the trails into Hidden Creek and Open Creek further to get those employees out of their camps. By 2:00 p.m. Saturday, all 3 camps and now 73 head of horses (extra horsepower was needed), 13 people are finally headed out of the Thorofare. At 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, the first group from Teton Camp arrives to Turpin Meadows safely where several of us drove down Saturday to wait with more trucks and trailers waiting on their arrival. By 5:00 a.m. the other 2 camps, Hidden Creek and Open Creek, have made it down and are all safe. By 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, everyone decided they needed to rest in their vehicles at the trailhead before having to drive 300 miles around in a blizzard back to Cody.
As for me, I am back home in Montana this morning after 840 miles in 48 hours with very little sleep to get ahead of another storm last night. I went to Cody, Wapiti, Jackson, back to Cody, Wapiti and back to Montana since Friday afternoon. I wish I could really put this in perspective for those that don’t understand our lives, but there were so many details that they had to coordinate to pull this off for those that were involved. We were all forced to set aside our emotions until everyone was safe on dry ground. The stress of having so many guys on the mountain in a blizzard is beyond words, the fear that tries to sneak in during these moments must be silenced. The concern for many of us driving through the blizzard with zero visibility was mentally exhausting after driving one-way for 8 hours with white knuckles. (It should have been a 4.5 hr. trip.)
Once we all arrived at Turpin Meadows Trailhead at 10 p.m. on Friday night, we were joined by Shawn Patrick Gable and Anna Smith from Long Draw Outfitters. To our surprise, they brought enough hot coffee, chicken noodle soup, and sandwiches for 20 people. Thank you both so much.
The guides and wranglers at Hidden Creek Outfitters are amazing. I tip my hat to each of them. You all step up to the plate continually. There was not one complaint as they all had over 40 hours each driving and riding though a blizzard in the saddle with no sleep, turning and burning, getting those employees and animals out before the next storm hit.
Camp Managers, Caleb and Cayla Norris, held us all together as they did an amazing job at putting this retrieval together. It took a lot to smoothly organize all the trucks, trailers, horses and people that they did to keep this at a retrieval from turning into a rescue. Both are always behind the scenes working 24/ 7 for this outfit, putting their personal lives aside continually for us all. Thank you, Cayla, for providing a ton of food and support at the trailhead. It was much appreciated as they all arrived cold and hungry in the early morning hours off the mountain.
Everyone is off the mountain safely but now they all have days of unloading, sorting all the camp gear and more guiding deer hunters before their season is over. I’m home this morning next to the fireplace feeling guilty now because Cayla, Caleb and JonKelly had to head BACK to Jackson at 4 a.m. this morning to pick up all the horses that they didn’t have room for after a loaded truck broke down on them Sunday morning. Caleb has a long few days ahead of him, with more hours in the saddle going back on the snow-covered mountain collecting horses that physically gave out on them on the trail in the blizzard. These people never stop. This job is not what they do….it’s who they are.
If you are wondering by now why we all do what we do, it’s because the mountain chooses us, we don’t choose it. It runs deep in us all. Thorofare Proud!
"It's been a heck of a season this year in the Thorofare for all the camps. I wasn't with Hidden Creek Outfitters cooking this fall due to personal things going on in our lives but Jon Kelly was guiding up there this hunting season. At 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, I got a call that our guides were heading up the mountain to help get 8 employees (Jon Kelly, my husband, and his dog being one of them still in camp) that had stayed behind to break down camp at the end of the season. 3 different camps were now needing additional stock and manpower as the snow drifts had closed off two passes not allowing the staff now stuck in there to get off the mountain.
As I put my boots on Friday and headed toward Cody to join the others in driving to Jackson on Saturday, I realized this just got real. The next 48 hours were taxing on everyone. They have 8 people, 32 head of horses, and 3 camp dogs that needed help getting off the mountain. I don’t even know if I can sum up the last 2 days, but I will try. Wednesday, October 23rd, they were able to get all the clients safely out of the Thorofare after many hours of manpower shoveling 10+ foot snow drifts. (Pictured above.) On Thursday, Deer Creek Trail was closed due to 14+ feet of snow drifts and the guides were unable to shovel though. Plan B – Friday 3:30 a.m., guides arrived at Ishawooa Trailhead, south of Cody, only to realize that it, too, was drifted in with over 10 feet of snow. Now they were all forced to take horses and trailers 300 miles down and around toward Jackson, Wyoming to Turpin Meadows Trailhead, the only trail left to get these people off the mountain. The guides arrived on Friday to Turpin Meadows and were in the saddle by 4:00 p.m. After 11 hours on horseback through the night in a blizzard, they arrived in Teton Camp on Saturday at 3:00 a.m. and start slinging loads and riding further down the trails into Hidden Creek and Open Creek further to get those employees out of their camps. By 2:00 p.m. Saturday, all 3 camps and now 73 head of horses (extra horsepower was needed), 13 people are finally headed out of the Thorofare. At 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, the first group from Teton Camp arrives to Turpin Meadows safely where several of us drove down Saturday to wait with more trucks and trailers waiting on their arrival. By 5:00 a.m. the other 2 camps, Hidden Creek and Open Creek, have made it down and are all safe. By 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, everyone decided they needed to rest in their vehicles at the trailhead before having to drive 300 miles around in a blizzard back to Cody.
As for me, I am back home in Montana this morning after 840 miles in 48 hours with very little sleep to get ahead of another storm last night. I went to Cody, Wapiti, Jackson, back to Cody, Wapiti and back to Montana since Friday afternoon. I wish I could really put this in perspective for those that don’t understand our lives, but there were so many details that they had to coordinate to pull this off for those that were involved. We were all forced to set aside our emotions until everyone was safe on dry ground. The stress of having so many guys on the mountain in a blizzard is beyond words, the fear that tries to sneak in during these moments must be silenced. The concern for many of us driving through the blizzard with zero visibility was mentally exhausting after driving one-way for 8 hours with white knuckles. (It should have been a 4.5 hr. trip.)
Once we all arrived at Turpin Meadows Trailhead at 10 p.m. on Friday night, we were joined by Shawn Patrick Gable and Anna Smith from Long Draw Outfitters. To our surprise, they brought enough hot coffee, chicken noodle soup, and sandwiches for 20 people. Thank you both so much.
The guides and wranglers at Hidden Creek Outfitters are amazing. I tip my hat to each of them. You all step up to the plate continually. There was not one complaint as they all had over 40 hours each driving and riding though a blizzard in the saddle with no sleep, turning and burning, getting those employees and animals out before the next storm hit.
Camp Managers, Caleb and Cayla Norris, held us all together as they did an amazing job at putting this retrieval together. It took a lot to smoothly organize all the trucks, trailers, horses and people that they did to keep this at a retrieval from turning into a rescue. Both are always behind the scenes working 24/ 7 for this outfit, putting their personal lives aside continually for us all. Thank you, Cayla, for providing a ton of food and support at the trailhead. It was much appreciated as they all arrived cold and hungry in the early morning hours off the mountain.
Everyone is off the mountain safely but now they all have days of unloading, sorting all the camp gear and more guiding deer hunters before their season is over. I’m home this morning next to the fireplace feeling guilty now because Cayla, Caleb and JonKelly had to head BACK to Jackson at 4 a.m. this morning to pick up all the horses that they didn’t have room for after a loaded truck broke down on them Sunday morning. Caleb has a long few days ahead of him, with more hours in the saddle going back on the snow-covered mountain collecting horses that physically gave out on them on the trail in the blizzard. These people never stop. This job is not what they do….it’s who they are.
If you are wondering by now why we all do what we do, it’s because the mountain chooses us, we don’t choose it. It runs deep in us all. Thorofare Proud!
