[pct-l] Hiking the PCT in the 60's

Fri Apr 9 10:44:51 CDT 2010

Good morning, Deems,

Your last post with comments about the Rock Mountain fir trade era renewed
my interest in the same topic. Those characters went to the mountains
typically for several years at a time, and their only gear resupply was
during rare visits to a trading post or to the annual summer gathering.  The
remainder of the year they were on their own, so I wondered how their gear
compared to what we use today on our wilderness travels.  Not very well at
all, as it turns out.

Below is a prototypical list of the items a scout or mountain-man was likely
to carry, excluding the inevitable beaver traps.  The list was compiled from
sources such as *Firearms, Traps, & Tools Of The Mountain Men* by Carl P.
Russell, and *Rocky Mountain Fur Trapper’s Guide* by Djaugh Phydeaux:

1.         Rifle or gun, usually flintlock

2.         Pistol, usually flintlock

3.         Butcher knife with sheath

4.         Tomahawk

5.         Powder horn with strap, including:

6.                     Priming horn

7.                     Horn powder measure

8.                     Flash-hole pick

9.                     Patch knife

10.       Hunting, or “possibles” bag with strap, including:

11.                   Ball and shot

12.                   Bullet mould(s)

13.                   Lead bars

14.                   Patches/patching material

15.                   Flints or caps

16.                   All-purpose tool, flinter/nipple wrench

17.                   Gun worm

18.                   Spare lock parts

19.                Fire starter box with flint, fire steel and tinder

20.                Bear grease for patches and gun lube, in a fish bladder

21.                Awl

22.                Sinew/thread

23.       Hat

24.       Buckskin shirt

25.       Buckskin leggings

26.       Belt

27.       Breechcloth

28.       Moccasins, maybe 5 pair

29.       Buffalo robe or HBC blankets

Notice that there was no shelter other than that of Item-29.  There was no
provision for carrying water; canteens being a rather rare commodity in
those days.  Since they weren’t vegetarians, the 10-12 lb. rifle constituted
their entire resupply strategy, and much of the remaining list was composed
of items related to the care-and-feeding of that rifle.  I suppose I would
log the pistol as “pest control”.

There were few/no trails at the time, and no maps.  They most often were
mounted on a horse or mule, and led a pack animal.  If you’ve ever tried to
carry a buffalo robe you’ll probably understand why walking wasn’t popular.
Anyway, they wandered all over western North America for years, in all
weather, with just that equipment.

By the way, I believe the name “Djaugh Phydeaux” is a *nom de plume*; a
fanciful Frenchized version of “Dog Fido”.

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09

On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 5:32 PM, Deems <losthiker at sisqtel.net> wrote:

> Kudos to Steeleye for a view into the past that is as fresh as the present.
> Knowing how to start a fire, anytime, anywhere, is a basic survival skill,
> period. I have been on a quest to camp on all the full moons for two years
> now as a personal reward. Shoulda started sooner!  In the winter, I need a
> fire, in my NorCal wet rain/snow conditions, and have created my own fire
> starter that has worked everytime. I soak a cotton sock piece in crisco
> grease and then wrap it in wax paper, making as many as needed per trip. I
> carry a Campmor catalog with me, and I've been able to start a fire in some
> of the wettest NorCal winter conditions.  Three decades ago I was deep into
> the Mtn Man 1840s rendezvous gatherings; flintlocks, tomahawks,
> blackpowder, buckskins, teepees, watch your topknot, and I learned how to
> start a fire or light a pipe with flint and steel any time I needed.
> Somewhere way back in the early '70s, I earned Eagle and lived two
> incredible summers as a Philmont Ranger.
> ^^^
> I'll keep my eye open for Bradford Angier's "Home in your Pack "book, he
> certainly would be welcomed into any hiker gathering today, tho he passed
> on
> in the late '90s.  Thanks for sharing your memories with us on a rainy
> Pacific NW day.
> ~~~~~~~~
> Your comments got me all fired-up.
>
> My first camping season as an 11-year-old Boy Scout was almost totally
> focused on building a fire and cooking a meal.  My Scoutmaster insisted
> that
> we all establish these basics.  Then, my only interest was to get a fire up
> and going fast, however I could.
>
> Later, as an Explorer Scout, I fell in with a group of guys who really
> caused me to establish my ultralite basics: We challenged each other to do
> things quicker, better, more simply, and with fewer resources.
> Fire-building
> was a big part of that.  As a little Scout the challenge had been to build
> a
> fire using no more than two common stick matches.  At age 11 that was an
> impossible dream, but soon it became standard practice so additional
> challenges evolved.
>
> The next step was to use only 100% natural fire-making material found
> on-site.  After that, the two-match allowance was reduced to one.  Next, we
> limited ourselves to one little paper book-match; and we know how pitiful
> they are.  Finally, a few fanatics - I hate to name names - would tear out
> one book match, and using a knife point or fingernail on the bottom end,
> would separate the paper match stem up its center and pull one half of the
> match away from the other.  Usually half the chemical head stays with each
> half-match.  Those half-matches were really frail and pitiful, and could
> only be lit by keeping ones finger directly on the head when striking.  To
> be successful, one had better have perfect tinder, perfect kindling, and
> perfect shelter for the tiny flame that resulted.  Well done, there would
> be
> 40 campfires from one matchbook.
>
> Next came an insidious game called, "Here and Now", where one's companion
> would wait till just the right time and place to declare, "We need a fire -
> here and now!"  That was much the same challenge as, "I double-dog dare
> 'ya.".  The victim then had to build a fire at that place with only
> available materials.  Failure to do so -- or worse, a refusal to even try
> --
> was rewarded with loud and sustained hoots of derision.  You can probably
> guess that "the right time and place" always meant "under the worst
> possible
> conditions."
>
> I even imposed that same game on myself when hiking alone:  I would set an
> alarm an hour or so ahead, vowing to stop instantly when it went off and
> build a fire at that exact spot.  Through some places I remember saying to
> myself, "Oh, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease don't go off here!"  I did
> fudge
> once, though:  The alarm went off when I was right in the middle of fording
> a creek.
>
> Eventually I gave up on matches and lighters entirely, and became
> accomplished with flint and steel and with friction from a bow drill fire
> starter.  The bow drill was usually pretty slow, but with flint and steel
> if
> I didn't have open flame within 20 seconds I was well off the pace.
>
> Even today, at home before a hike, I occasionally re-read Jack London's
> short-story: *To Build A Fire* at
> http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html
>  Since I was a teenager the recollection of that tale has haunted me
> whenever I build a fire, regardless of how favorable the circumstances.
>
>
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