Luke climbing in Eleven Mile Canyon
Luke Perez, RO staff, is an avid mountain biker and rock climber. In 2014, he started climbing regularly at The Springs Climbing Center (SCC). Luke met many people there he now rides and climbs with weekly. He eventually met a couple fellows at SCC named Mitchell and Bryce, who both shared an affinity for elk hunting.
Mitchell and Bryce spent nine days back in September of 2022 elk hunting in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains. On their 3rd day, Bryce shot and killed an elk. By their 9th and last day together, Mitchell still hadn’t got himself the beast he so wanted to bag. They woke up that final morning together and packed all their gear with the intent to hunt their way back to the trucks. On their way back, they heard a bull and his cows. Bryce bugled and raked a tree to pose as a threatening bull. The bull and cows moved away and Mitchell and Bryce tracked them for an hour and a half. Eventually, they saw the bull fifty yards away. Mitchell drew his bow and pierced the magnificent elk. When they found the blood trail, tears filled Mitchell’s eyes. After waiting for an hour, they tracked the bull’s blood trail and eventually found him lying in some brush moaning deeply. With a heavy heart, Mitchell shot another arrow in his vitals and the bull’s labored breathing stopped.
Mitchell and his elk.
By this point, Mitchell and Bryce were out of food, had little water, and were low on energy. So Mitchell decided to message his buddies from The Springs Climbing Center - including Luke - to ask for some help.
After receiving Mitchell’s text, Luke sat in his living room with a decision to make. It would be a three hour drive to the trailhead. Then, the two hour hike to get to Mitchell and Bryce would be steep and rocky with heavy packs and 1,300 ft. in elevation gain.
Luke wanted to relax before heading to work the next day, but Mitchell and Bryce were his buddies and a part of his community of his friends. Plus, Mitchell is a competent and athletic dude and Luke knew he wouldn’t ask for help unless he needed it. Luke texted back and said he was on his way.
A month later, Mitchell invited Luke and friends over for elk steak and gave each one 30 pounds of meat.
Mitchell sent his longitude and latitude marker and Luke and two other friends carpooled to the location. They arrived at 7:45 pm and hiked in the dark to where Mitchell and Bryce were waiting. The two of them had processed the whole elk and were keeping the meat cool having wrapped it all in game bags and placed it in a creek nearby. Luke and friends arrived with sandwiches and cookies and the five of them packed 300 lbs of meat into their packs. Although Mitchell’s pack was heavy and his body hurt, it felt like a victory lap. They hiked the six miles back to the trucks with his heart full of gratitude and love - for both the elk and his friends.
