The bachelor group of high-racked caribou meandered across the tundra. I had first glassed them over two miles away as I watched from my rock strewn hilltop vantage point. There were seven bulls and all but one supported a meaningful set of antlers, two were definite shooters of the caliber I was after. My plan was to wait until they established a clear direction and move into position for an ambush. Although they continued to get closer, their traverse zigzagged without presenting a clue as to which side of my hill they might pass. At one point the entire group, still a quarter mile away crossed through a willow thicket, with only seven sets of antlers visible as they paraded from left to right in front of me. Then to my amazement they turned and headed straight toward the base of the steep hill I sat a top. When they reached the bottom of the incline the brow of the hill temporarily obscured them from view. Realizing they were coming right to me, I took advantage of the momentary situation to move to a large boulder 50 yards to my left. The rock, which was the only real cover on the otherwise barren hilltop, was large enough to obscure my profile and I got behind it, laying my torso across the top and planting my elbows on the hard surface, rifle butt to my shoulder. As the first animals neared the top of the hill they began to re-emerge single file 20 yards in front of me. As the third animal came into view he was easily identified as one of the two trophy caliber bulls. My Winchester model 70 barked and the bull went down in his tracks.

Those caribou had traveled over two miles of tundra and walked right to me. Luck? You bet, but more importantly; good luck.

The presence of luck is an important element in adventure travel' however it is not part of any outfitter's package and you can't purchase it as an upgrade. You must bring it with you. What is incredibly unfair about the whole process is that luck comes in two formats; good and bad, and you never know which is in your pocket until your trip unfolds. Outfitters in Quebec have a French expression, which translated loosely means:

"No one controls the nature."

For instance, unless you had a moose hunt booked in Newfoundland this past September, you probably are unaware that the hurricanes that devastated Florida eventually tracked northeastward causing all kinds of havoc for hunters traveling to this popular moose hunting destination in the North Atlantic. On at least one occasion hunters were stuck at their fly-in camps for 4 additional days while at the same time groups of new hunters were stranded at small motels in little hunting villages waiting for the weather to clear so that they could be flown into camp. That's luck too but of a far less desirable variety. No one to blame for neither the agent nor the outfitter "controls the nature".

In all aspects of our lives luck, both good and bad, roams as freely as the wind in the Rockies. I have found that there are few things that can be done beyond a strong will and pervasive positive attitude to stem the adversity of bad luck. However, promoting good luck is a different story altogether.

Careful planning, personal skill developed through practice and experience and undying perseverance promote good luck. There is a reason why some adventure seekers always have good trips. Similar to the hunters who always seem to be in the right place at the right time, these are individuals who have the confidence of knowing that on a level playing field they have the skill and attitude for being successful.

Case in point: Last November a friend of mine was hard pressed between family and work obligations to spend the kind of time in his tree stand that he knew was a necessary ingredient should he have the opportunity for a shot at the big buck that was working the wooded hillside where his set-up was positioned. On a Wednesday afternoon following three days of rain, high pressure had moved into central New Hampshire and the temperature was dropping. He instinctively knew these were ideal conditions for a mature buck to be roaming in search of does, but it was not a convenient day work-wise or otherwise to get into his tree. He tried to get out of work a little early but that didn't happen. He had to pick up the kids at the bus and redistribute them to sports activities, after-school programs etc. It gets dark early by mid November and he never made it to his stand until 4:05 p.m. leaving scarcely more than 20 minutes of shooting light. At 4:20 he stood over the lifeless 7 pointer that had appeared moments after he had climbed into his perch.

Luck? You decide. How many hunters do you know that would have read the changing weather and known that it was worth every effort to get out in the woods as long as there was any shooting light left at all. How many would have just blown it off. In this case skill and perseverance were the great equalizers.

Luck, good and bad, belong to each of us personally. Some will always take credit for the former and want to blame others for the latter. Yet, for those who approach life's adventures with confidence, a positive attitude and the ability to go with nature's flow, well, more often than not, they always seem to be in the right place at the right time.