photos by Jared Boyd

For every one of the past nine years, a group of hunters from North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas have met in the backcountry near Durango for a couple weeks of good times, hunting and rehashing stories of past seasons. And theyre not exactly roughing it, at least not at their base camp. The hunters have nearly 80 feet of wiggle room in their home-made tent/trailer. The temporary housing is equipped with a recliner chair, a wood stove, two freezers, one refrigerator, a computer, cell phones, satellite radio, six burners in the kitchen, grandmas biscuit recipe in permanent marker above the spice rack, wall-to-wall carpet, a portable toilet, a modest but roomy bunk house/trailer, and enough food to serve a Thanksgiving meal at least every other day. A mere 5.5 miles separates them from the nearest grocery store. They say their high camp, although nice, doesnt have near the amenities.