Imagine you're hunting solo, several hours hike from the trailhead. It's night, and you're tired, but wakeful because a massive storm had blown in.

The tent that has served you well for years is shuddering and popping like a drum in the wind.

Rain slashes sideways at the tent.

And you're starkly aware that your sleeping bag and your clothing are not adequate to survive

through the cold if your tent blows up and everything gets soaked.

And most time those nervous nights pass and you stay safe and warm in your tent.

Not this night.

A shrieking gust of wind grabs your tent and blows it up.

Polls crackling like fireworks and fabric shredding like ribbons.

In seconds you and all your gear are drenched with the onslaught of pounding rain.

It's cold, barely above freezing.

Suddenly, a rejuvenating solo hunt turned into a fight for survival.

What do you do? turn into a fight for survival.

What do you do?

You try to hunker down and stay warm enough to live and weather the storm in place?

Do you gather whatever you absolutely need and begin hiking for the truck?

Now this scenario actually happened to a good friend of mine, Tyler Freel,

in Alaska on a solo sheep hunt. I hope to have him on the show to tell us his story soon.

He hiked something like seven hours through the night, fighting blinding rain and crazy winds,

back to his truck. He almost didn't make it.

Thankfully, when he did, he had the gear necessary to get warmed up,

get some calories on board, and get energized enough to safely make the drive home.

...