Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/787068
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 135 went out of earshot. We gave them some time, then backtracked and climbed up the other side, shutting down every few minutes until someone heard the hounds barking treed in the distance. After taking the sleds as far as possible, we then spent the next hour wallowing up a steep slope in waist-deep snow. I managed to keep up with Keni, wanting to be there when she got her first look. Big and old, the tom had picked the worst possible place to tree, at least from our perspective. He had climbed much of the way up a tall pine and was all but concealed by its thick branches. To make matters worse, the tree was growing through the rocks at the head of a near-vertical canyon. The only level spot, small at that, was directly under the three. We spent another hour or so carefully moving around in the rocks in an effort to get a good look at the cougar, as much to size him up as for pictures. I couldn't hear their conversation over the treeing hounds, but Bruce eventually indicated that Keni had decided to take the shot. After making sure all the dogs were on leads and that everyone was in a safe position, Keni and Bruce found a small lane through the something to see the parade going up the mountain, and amazing how much ground we were able to cover that morning. For all that, no one found a big track. We all ended up in the same place just before lunch and agreed that we might as well let the young dogs get some exercise. A mature female had crossed not far away, so it wasn't long before Keni and Dustin were listening to their first chase. Two hours later we were all standing in the shadow of a tall pine and taking pictures of a beautiful old girl with a belly full of deer meat. "Tomorrow is your day," I remember telling Keni as we climbed back to the sleds. "Weather and conditions are just right, and we have enough people here to run every trail on the mountain from top to bottom. Besides, Bruce told me that Katie Kern is coming in tonight. She's sure to bring good luck. Always has for me. Her dog, Gus, is something special. If we start him on a track, that cat is caught." What I didn't tell her was that Bruce was intent on looking for that same big tom that had given us the slip on opening weekend. Bruce found the fresh tracks of that big tom, or another just like him, the next morning, and right where he expected. Katie released Gus first, Keni followed with another proven dog, and then came several of the pups. They quickly topped the ridge and