"High in the Mountains"

2019 Archery Elk Chapter 3 "High in the Mountains" 

Hi there folks this is chapter 3 of my 2019 essay. I'm jumping back in time a little bit with this chapter, reflecting on the circumstances that led me to the mountains where chapters 1 and 2 took place. So it's a bit of skipping around in timeline but it all ties back in with where we left off in chapter 2.
 

Dry hole cost. It’s a phrase that a wonderful and influential old timer in my life named Jack introduced me to: "How much I’m willing to invest in an any given venture before pulling the plug.“ as Jack described it, a term often used by oil drilling outfits considering how long to drill before pulling out and trying someplace else. I contemplated various angles of this question when last December's elk hunting day dreams pressed me: "Just where are my new day dreams going to take place??? Should I stick with the zone I'd hunted the last two seasons?" The area had more than enough elk, but hunting pressure was clearly trending in the wrong direction. I mean, how long was I willing to gamble each time I rounded that final corner, to reveal quiet, unoccupied parking area or a dozen rigs? Man I can feel the tension of that moment in my guts just writing about it!