The HEALTHY HUNTER
As part of Thor’s class, each child gets to bring Corduroy the Bear home for a weekend.
Along with Corduroy comes several books telling of some of Corduroy’s adventures.
While Corduroy may only be a little stuffed bear a weekend can provide some great value. When Thor was given the opportunity to bring Corduroy home we used it as more than just a teddy bear.
We emphasize responsibility, proper care of other’s things, and how to share and teach others about the things we enjoy.
A man that had much more than he could even store decided to tear down his existing barns and rebuild bigger barns to hold all his stuff. He then sat back with a smile on his face thinking of his own greatness and said to himself “I have a lot of things. Barns busting at the seams. I have acquired many things. I am gonna kick back and take it easy.”
As he kicked back looking over all the stuff he had acquired, he closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep. And he never woke up.
He left a lot of stuff behind him, but what did he really leave behind?
What did his family do with all that stuff?
Were they happy to have the stuff or were they longing for another day with him?
Did he even know his family or had he left a wake of destruction in his path to having things?
Jesus gave us this parable not to say that wealth or having nice things is bad. It is not even to say that having a lot of things is bad. But it is a great reminder to us that we leave more than just stuff.
Leaving a legacy is more than just an inheritance or trust fund. It’s the small moments. The bedtime stories. The knowledge we pass on as we walk in the woods. The laughs we share while not catching fish. The smiles, winks, and thumbs up we give.
When it comes our time and we kick back and close our eyes for the last time, the things we have acquired will not matter. But the legacy, the moments that we created, the memories we leave behind will live long and be prized more than any possession they can hold.
What are you leaving behind? What legacy will you leave? It is up to you!
Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Luke 12:13-21
“Friend,” he said to him, “who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?” He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
Then he told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?”
“That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Knowing that chasing Elk in the mountains was going to be a tough challenge, the last thing I wanted to leave to chance was my nutrition. Being in the mountains miles from the nearest food source (other than the elk we are hunting) meant that whatever we needed to thrive had to be carried up the mountain in our packs.
Chasing elk up and down mountain-sides at 10,000 feet with everything on my back, I knew that I needed nutrition but did not want excess weight.
In the months leading up to the hunt, I focused on more than shooting my bow. My food, exercise, and even mental practice centered on being ready for the mountain.
Cold showers and studying about Elk helped to prepare me mentally. My training program focused on endurance and work capacity. I cut weight, from 205 down to 195, while maintaining strength. I practiced fasting to make sure I was able to go hours without food. When chasing elk there may not be much time to sit down and start a fire to cook a meal.
By eliminating added sugars and focusing on the main source of my diet coming from fat and protein, I trained my body to be fat adapted. With a ketogenic approach including less than 30 grams of sugars daily, my body was able to run on high-quality fats at an optimal level.
When choosing the foods that I would carry up the mountain I prioritized high-quality fats and protein. With my body being accustomed to running on fats, and since each gram of fat contains 9 calories (energy), I was able to carry more energy in less weight.
Next, I ensured that I had protein to maintain my muscle mass and help repair and rebuild from the physicality of the hunt.
My target was 3000 calories a day while on the mountain. Since I normally consume a little over 3000 calories in a day, I knew that 3000 calories would be the minimal amount I would need with the physical and mental demands that the mountain would provide.
We cast dreams and have lofty goals.
We plan and talk about our long term outlook.
Five-year plans. Ten-year goals. Job advancement. Retirement plans. Kids college fund. Saving up for a dream hunt. The perfect forever home.
We look to the future and want more.
To get more, we must first take care of what we have.
We can not live out a great tomorrow without taking care of what needs to be taken care of today.
We can not just sit around and wait for more. We must take care of what is in front of us right now.
Before we get more, we must become more. Before taking over the farm we must first take care of our garden.
The first step to more is tending our field.
We must tend the field that we are given in order to receive a bigger field.
We must do what we can with what we have right where we are.
No handouts. No one owes us. Nothing is deserved.
We must earn it.
We must show ourselves capable, willing, and able to take care of what we have been blessed with in order to prepare ourselves for greater blessings.
Tend to the field we have been given.
Become more.
Become better.
Be prepared for more and the greater blessings that are to come.
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
- Luke 12:48
Preparing to chase elk in the mountains of Idaho as a flatlander brings its own level of difficulty.
How do you prepare for elevation? How do you get ready to elk hunt? How do you combat altitude sickness?
Do the best you can, with what you have, right where you are!
Living about 200 feet of elevation but heading to chase elk well above 8000 feet is gonna pose a few problems. But push it. Work hard. And it will pay off.
Rewards come after the work!
Here are some clips and insights into how I trained and prepared for the rigors and elevation.