[Dogbert41]

Nice scope! Bet that would make your hike worth it!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I drool over that big beast, but it weighs about 4-1/2 pounds and you need a stable, heavy duty tripod and head to mount it which is another 4-5 pounds. It's way too much to hike with. Good for viewing wildlife when you pull off the road or for horse packing.

The 55 mm Kowa scope (foreground below) weighs only 1-3/4 pounds and you can use a much lighter tripod and head. Seems to be a good alternative for hiking. But it isn't as good taking photos through the scope. I'll probably wind up staying with my medium Nikon binoculars and telephoto lens.

Here's a shot yesterday near dusk of the male Bald Eagle in Milpitas, CA using my Olympus telephoto: