Growing up in southwest Washington state, I distinctly remember the first time I saw wild sheep. The bighorns on the Columbia River Gorge captivated my imagination. I was enamored with these creatures that embodied raw power, delicate grace, and an effortless calm while living on dizzyingly steep cliffs. As I developed into a DIY backcountry hunter over the following decades, the dream of a Dall sheep hunt solidified in my mind. In 2019 that dream revealed itself over the course of a 7-day progressive backpack hunt through the Chugach Range of Alaska.

I’ve always been drawn to backpack hunting in the deep wilderness. When I began exploring the possibility of doing a sheep hunt, I wanted to find an outfitter that would embrace that same adventure style of hunting I had come to love. When I found out Ultimate Alaskan Adventures guides sheep hunters in the walk-in area of the Chugach, I knew I found my outfitter. The walk-in area is off-limits to air support of any kind, so the only option is to backpack hunt, and once you’re in it, you’re on your own: for food, for gear, and for packing out any sheep you’re lucky enough to kill. The reputation of the Chugach preceded it, and I came to learn first-hand it deserves every ounce of respect it receives. What the range lacks in elevation, it more than makes up for with shear ruggedness and potential consequence.

While I don’t come from a family with generations of hunters, my brother James and I hunted together as kids, and he is my most trusted hunting partner to this day. Since this was to be my once-in-a-lifetime sheep hunt, he offered to join me on the adventure. After being dropped off on the side of the road with my 50-pound pack, rifle, and sheep tag; my brother, our guide, our packer, and I set off into the Chugach. We were literally going to hunt our way from one side of the mountain range to the other.