Finally a few minutes to put forth some thoughts on my Boomershoot adventure this year.
I have given you some of the highlights of the efforts it took for me to get to Orofino for the event. This year my travel was complicated by the fact that I have been working in NYC. Now, if I had been working in say Fort Worth it would have simplified some of the hoops that I had to work through. There are easier ways to get to Orofino than flying through Missoula but, that drive time through that stretch of country was spectacular, and I benefited from it as much as from the event itself.
I arrived in Orofino Friday night and the weather was FANTASTIC. By morning, things had deteriorated and when I got up to the range and checked in for the clinic it was sprinkling with winds ranging from 12 to 20+ mph. It made for a very challenging day but, with the help of Gene Econ, Monte Milanuk, and the rest of Gene’s team, I was ringing the steel targets on a regular basis and had dusted off my rifle skills at extreme distances. This is a great group of guys that I always feel very comfortable around and I am always humbled by the amount of skill and knowledge that they bring to the clinic.
This was the first year that I participated in the high intensity event. Being within 30 yards of detonating boomers is awesome. Like all explosions, that pressure wave pummels your body. When my relay was up to shoot though I found that I was concentrating so hard on connecting with the boomers that I didn’t even notice the pressure wave of the blast.
Dinner was a bit of a let down, as the keynote speaker (Michael Bane) was unable to attend. I found myself welcomed by Gene and his team for dinner and it made the event much more enjoyable for me, than meeting new folks.
Sunday was the big event. The weather was great. I had connected with another shooter on Saturday afternoon to form a shooting / spotting team. Jason and I worked well together and paired up again on Sunday for the event. Describing everything that goes on at an event like this is impossible. When you are pairing well with your equipment, and your spotter, and the weather conditions — you have success. When you have success at an event like this it is AWESOME, and it is generally repeatable. Others have characterized this as a “zen like” moment behind your rifle. That is spot on, locating a target, communicating, focusing, adjusting to your spotters call, relaxing into the position and steadying the point of aim, stilling your body, and pressing that trigger with the payoff of a boom and a cloud of smoke at the end. Truly priceless.
My thanks go out to Joe Huffman and his large team of “elves” that make this event a reality.
If you want a bit of a taste of what this event is all about check out these sites:
Michael Bane gave Boomershoot double coverage at his blog and in his podcast this week.
There are a lot of folks that seemed to enjoy last weekend. Go read their stuff.