fillae,
RBH has it right. Don't quarter the elk. Basically butcher it right there on the ground. The website RBH mentioned is good and informative. The short version is cut the hide from the throat to the ass along the belly. Peel the hide off of the top side of the elk (presuming the elk is lying on it's side). Butcher the meat on that side. You can lay meat on the hide you have peeled back to protect it from lying on the ground. Roll the elk over and repeat. Remove the backstraps (outer loins or whatever you call the meat that runs along the backbone and is accessable from outside the carcass. Open the abdomen up and pull out the upper organs to access the loins on the inside. Put as much of the meat as you can carry in your pack and walk to camp, repeat as necessary. You are done.

Bill the Dog