Peeking down on the rams at a mere 200 yards, we surveyed the situation. In total, twelve of them lounged around the slope below us, but one stood out. I eased up my big 500 mm lens and snapped a couple of photos as he laid there, oblivious to our presence. He stood out enough that I decided I’d be happy to tag him. Unfortunately, I had a couple of issues to debate on. To shoot him in his bed would be risky, as he was partially hidden by the rocks around him. However, if I waited for him to stand, a couple short steps would take him out of sight.  

It is with near certainty that your great northern adventures will introduce you to a state of being wet, cold, and miserable. As we travel down the path towards becoming savvy outdoorsmen and women, we generally progress through an evolutionary process of dealing with this state. In their infancy, people often are not experienced enough to avoid getting wet – and thus cold and miserable.

It was early morning in Arlington Virginia and I was just finishing up an amazing run from Fort Meyer Virginia (home of the Old Guard, Arlington National Cemetery, and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) watching the sun rise over the DC Monuments and back onto post to get ready for the workday as a senior officer in the 3rd US Infantry Division (The Old Guard).

On this show, Adam is joined by his good friend and past guest Bert Sorin, the president of Sorinex Exercise Equipment. Bert is a husband, father, former hammer thrower and Scottish Highland Games athlete, and a deeply passionate outdoorsman.

Regardless of whether you have any interest in Himalayan tahr hunting, this issue is about far more than tahr or even NZ politics. The lines have been drawn and our will to fight is being put to the test.

Mountain hunters understand and accept the inherent perils of their pastime. When getting to the mountains is more dangerous than hunting in them, it’s not so acceptable. Given the option of riding “shotgun” I gladly accepted, avoiding cramped 3-wide seating in the rear of the American-made Toyota 4-Runner. The broken front seatbelt was a minor concern at the outset, but that quickly changed. Kyrgyz drivers make their own travel lanes despite painted delineators, and passing blindly is engaged like it’s a sporting event. Speed sometimes doubled the posted limit – a fact that did not go unnoticed by traffic authorities. We were stopped twice, and these were the shortest duration traffic stops I have ever witnessed. The “fines” were paid in a matter of seconds with pre-counted bundles of cash, and no paperwork. Additional stops for food and fuel and camp supplies and “rest” for our drivers made the 12-hour trip drag on, and on...

There are few things in life more satisfying than setting a lofty goal and then achieving it through hard work and sacrifice. Honestly, I’m not sure what motivates a man in his Medicare years to attempt a notoriously difficult hunt in some of the highest and most rugged mountains on Earth. The progression from young and invincible to aged and vulnerable is slow and often laced with mental anguish – particularly when contemplating physical limitations imposed by Father Time. Taking a mature bull elk at 9,200 feet with a well-placed arrow while hunting solo the previous year in Arizona may have extended the window, but there were times when it seemed to be closing quickly. That hunt clearly infused some confidence. Nevertheless, uncertainty loomed... did this old graybeard, now sporting multiple shades, have one more mountain hunt left in him?

On location in Dushanbe, the evening before they head home, Adam, Matt Comment and Connor Gabbott share some lessons, laughs, and thoughts on what it was like to chase ibex on the other side of the world.