Hunting is more than a recreational sport that we do for fun. The pursuit and adventure that hunting brings are far more rewarding than harvesting any trophy. I have travelled far distances for hunting trips to leave without killing, but the expirience gained from the trip is priceless. In November 2015 I visited my favorite place in the world for the second time, Clarke Colorado. My dad, brother, a few close family friends, and I went on a ten day Rocky Mountain Elk hunt. The season was seven days long, but we spent ten days there to scout and prepare our locations. During the hunt i experienced many things that were so much more rewarding than the day our group made a kill. One very vivid memory from the trip is when I climbed to the very top of a mountain just for fun. The mountain was about 11,000 feet in elevation. As i was climbing, i flushed about 25 sage grouse in different locations. I climbed past the tree line (the point in elevation where vegetation no longer exists) and up the steep face of rocks and shale. The simplicity of the top of that mountain was incredible, not being able to see because the clouds were too thick, also dampening my face and gear with the moisture of the air. Moments like the one i just shared are the reason we are so passionate about our way of life. Hunting gives us the chance to take advantage of the awesome world we inhabit.