Jdubs

After 6 years, 27 days of hiking, hundreds of rugged ADK miles and tens of thousands of feet of elevation gain, I finally reached my last summit on Haystack to become an ADK 46'R! I had been patiently waiting for a break in the continuous thunderstorm forecasts and made the decision to go on Saturday afternoon. To make this finish even sweeter, my close friend Jenny (#8022) surprised me with a call only hours before leaving Saturday night saying that she and her friend would love to join me. What an incredible surprise! We hiked all night (starting at 11:30 pm) and after breaking treeline I could have sprinted over Little Haystack and up to Haystack's summit! However, I wanted to share that moment and together we enjoyed a spectacular sunrise and jaw-dropping summit views. In fact, I'd rate Haystack's views and grueling 18 miles RT as the best I've experienced of all the 46ers.Normally I would share a more detailed story about the hike itself, but this day was all about my 46'R journey and the motivations behind it. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. I wanted to say "Thank You" to those in our military (since I could not serve) who provide the very blanket of Freedom that allows us to enjoy our Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. I wanted to stare down and conquer fear and self-doubt by hiking nearly all of the 46 peaks solo, including several throughout the night with no sleep. I wanted to enjoy each mountain a certain way and patiently planned each hike to ensure success. And I wanted to share these amazing experiences with those who couldn't be there or those who might also be inspired in the same way that others inspired me. Ultimately, I completed the 46'R because of a very difficult reminder that Life is too short. Tomorrow isn't promised to me or any of us. What we do today and who we share our time with is what truly matters most! I appreciate all of the time everyone gave me in support of reaching this day. I may have completed my 46'R journey, but this isn't the end, it is only the beginning.

But, WINNING! Technically, I'm batting .500 with one xbow miss on a doe because I failed to recognize an equipment breakdown and a second xbow choke on 2 does that waltzed through my killzone because I wasn't ready to take a shot. Won't make those mistakes again! I have way more to learn before I could ever dream of quitting.

Thank you! You are spot on about the effort, but swan-diving into Panther Gorge might feel better than downing another bottle of CBS tonight!

Much shorter hunting career than most of you so this is simple: 2 deer with 2 shots from a .308. Hoping to add an xbow kill to this list in a few months.

I've been slacking on the dinner pics. Here is tonight's shrimp cocktail. Sorry, but I was starving and the Alaskan salmon filet with wild rice didn't last long enough for a pic!

Celebrating my 46'R finish yesterday.

Yes, great glass for the price. I sold mine to grampy as the next xbow I'll buy will come with a good scope in the package. The Bolt's reticle is not illuminated, if that is a feature you prefer.

Congrats! Good looking puppy who looks pretty happy with his new humans!!

Interesting list. Makes me wonder who entered what? Guessing Equilibrium took a pass because I'd be floored if they didn't walk away with some hardware, especially with the MC2. And Ommegang only scored among the Belgians with Witte? Their parent company is IN Belgium!

Hate to burst the fake news bubble, but it's been perfectly legal to craft a homemade firearm since our country was born. Even the more recently popular 80% lowers are legal. To require homemade firearms to be regulated would give government the ultimate power to disarm its citizens. Personally, I could never support that. The reality is that the gun-grabbing liberals don't want to admit their utter failures in Democrat stronghold cities like Chicago, Baltimore, etc. Their restrictive gun control laws haven't curbed any of the gang violence! Gangs easily buy cheap guns without any need to try manufacturing them. That juice just isn't worth the squeeze. Furthermore, all of this noise is a merely an attempt to smokescreen the real WIN from the 3D printing settlement: The DOJ admits that semi-automatic rifles including the AR-15 are NOT INHERENTLY MILITARY WEAPONS! Put that in your gun-grabbing pipe and smoke it!! You can bet your sweet a$$ this admission will be argued in future 2A cases that go before SCOTUS.

Nice looking 8!

Pretty close. I'm down to the last 2 bacon burgers, a strap and brats coil. My 2 deer harvests were small and the meat shared so this was expected. I think 2 or 3 deer with a yield of 150# or more is plenty for my needs. I'll still share the harvest with family and friends regardless.

You are not alone.

Fingering a firearm while others are downrange is about the biggest no-no that I can think of. Unreal. You're lucky to even be able to tell the story Doc. I don't want to be anywhere near unsafe knuckleheads and I'm not entirely polite about it. I had a Fudd at my range all to eager to show me his WW II Colt 1911. Gorgeous piece...until the duncie muzzle swept me with it. Of course it "wasn't loaded" until I forced him to do a clear & safe at the line and a live round miracuously ejected while pulling the slide back. Fortunately, the few neighbors that I hunt with are squared away and we all work together to stay safe first and drop deer second.

At first glance, I thought that was your bar tab!

Love it! I'm a 3-4 egg guy and that fist-sized meal sets me up for success the rest of the day. Bacon usually depends on whether or not there's any left in the house...it goes quick here.

Daughter was in the mood for french toast.

Great pics!!

"A single twig breaks, a bundle of twigs is strong." - Tecumseh I'm still a twig in the bundle. Others can do as they see fit, it's their money.

Happy Birthday Jerkman! - You can't eat my cake!!!

Can't say I'm surprised. It makes me laugh to hear the soccer moms and super busy dads all expecting someone else to "do something" about the problem, yet they won't lift a finger to be a part of the solution. Lol Man, if I can take up hunting in my 40's, then ANYBODY can!

Or there are just a stupid amount of deer here shagging away in limited access areas.

No, the finish is good. At this point in the game, all I really care about is performance. I've whittled things down to what I use the most and shoot the best.

M&P Shield 9 in a JM Custom Kydex AIWB holster with belt clip. Easy on/off, slim yet solid holster, no printing and allows a fast draw from concealment. There isn't any excess kydex to jab your pelvis unlike some other AIWB rigs that I have tried.