Free trappers JP Morgan, Jeff Devaldez, and Bob Worthington rest in camp at the Interlake Mountain Men's rendezvous at Skull Springs, in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.

JP, ready for the trail, Whidbey Island, Washington.

A Whidbey Island Evening.

View from camp at the muzzle loader's "Mecca," by the Laughery River in Friendship, Indiana, home of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association.

Muzzle loading tip: Cleaning your gun. Cleaning a black powder gun thoroughly and promptly is important for the health and safety of you and your firearm. Never use petrochemicals: black powder turns to tar in the presence of petroleum-based products. There are many good products available for our use, and lots of ways to use them successfully. Here's my method: I use a citrus-based solvent (Cabela's makes a good one, as do other companies) to clean the bore and the exterior of the gun after shooting. If you are at rendezvous, do this thoroughly with as many patches as it takes to show no more residue. A fouling scraper helps get the face of the breech plug free of residue. If you are having difficulty getting the rifling grooves totally clean, use a wire brush. I find wrapping a solvent soaked patch over the end of the brush works well, too. Some breech plugs have a smaller cavity in their face that requires a smaller caliber tip or brush to clean them. When you are able, like at home or if you have the facilities at camp, hot water and dish soap do a great job of cleaning the bore. Remove the barrel from the stock, put the breech end in a pot or bucket of the soapy water, and use your cleaning rod and patch to suck and push water in and out of the barrel. Rinse well with hot water, and dry thoroughly.  However you clean, when you are done, use a good non-oil-based lubricant, like Wonder Lube or Ballistol, to coat the bore and the exterior of the gun.  Pay attention to the nipple and spark channel on percussion guns, and the vent on flintlocks to ensure reliable and fast ignition. Remember to clean the lock thoroughly, as well.  

The Eastern Primitive, 2007

The Eastern Primitive was held at Muddy Run State Park near Lancaster in Pennsylvania, on beautiful, gently rolling wooded ground next to a lake. Over 1600 people gathered for a fine week of fun and games (Highland style, too,) The weather cooperated nicely, except for one afternoon of deluge that dumped 3" in 2 hours! Otherwise, warm days and balmy nights prevailed. 

     Different daily shooting contests on the range, and a challenging woods walk headed the list of competitions. The same pattern was true for archery and knife and 'hawk contests. Highland games were another set of competitions, adding another aspect of interest to the week, with caber toss, stone toss, haggis throw, and other feats of skill for both the lads and lassies.

     Tuesday, the schoolkids came to camp, for a series of lessons at various camps. I teamed up with George at his camp to show some survival skills and demonstrate how all these old things actually worked. It was great fun, for the kids, and for us!  

Old West Shootout!

Cowboy

     This spring, I went to my first Old West Shootout, near Gretna, Virginia, on a pretty farm belonging to Adam, the organizer of our event. Mad Hatter talked me into it, and I'm glad he did, 'cause it was lots of fun; grown-up kids playing cowboys! First time shootin' blank charges for me, too. 

     We had an old period house and some old hewn-log tobacco sheds that made up our playground, making it all look very authentic.

     I managed to put down my guns and pick up a camera for a few shots, so I hope you enjoy it! 

 JP and Bob makin' music at Skull Springs, with their friend, Two Buffalo and his dog.

Rimrock, in Eatonville, WA., near Mt. Rainier (properly called Tahoma, "The Nourisher,") is one of the great rendezvous one may find on or around the Fourth of July. Here, Bob relaxes after a good trail walk with his faithful companion, Curley.

JP and Bob visited friends Mike and Sue Iacono in the Sapphire Mountains of Montana last summer, and helped them put on their own "mini-voo" while there. Here's their camp, set up at Mike and Sue's place. There's nothing like a tipi! 

Curley enjoys tipi life, too. Sapphire Mtns, Montana

Ft. Kearney, Montana, near the site of the Fetterman Fight, when Crazy Horse outsmarted and annihilated the soldiers from the fort.

Spring camp, Peninsula Longrifles rendezvous, Port Angeles, Washington.

  Eastern,continued

      A variety of seminars were presented daily, incuding a demonstration of a replica of the air gun carried by Lewis and Clark on their epic journey, after which, all present had an opportunity to shoot the rifle down on the range. Accurate, clean, no recoil, and quiet, what fun it would be to show up at a primitive match with that gun! I wonder what the rules would say....

     Another fascinating demo was persented by Vinson Miner, who showed us how to knap an obsidian point starting with a big node. The skill and the ease with which he handled the rock were truly inspiring. Other seminars ran from fabric crafts, music, woodworking, gunsmithing, trekking, historical persona, cooking, powder horn crafting, kite making, and the rules of dueling! More to do than you could ever hope to encompass in one short week!

     There were probably a hundred traders in attendance, to help part you from your money, with nearly anything you could want or need. I know; I spent about $800. there! Good food, furs, clothes, guns, and accoutrements of all kinds were offered.

      Kevin "Mad Hatter" Miller camped with me, and we had some great neighbors all around us, who shared their food, stories, and a great game of Farkle. This was my first Eastern, and it will not be my last. I hope to see y'all there! 

                                                       Otter Bob

145th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

    This year marked the 145th anniversary of that incredible battle. This was my first Civil War reenactment, and I would like to share my experience with you all. It was fantastic! The earth shook, and the sky was filled with smoke and thunder, as the battle raged for three days. 14,500 reenactors, 500 mounted cavalry, and 100 cannon participated in the event. The uniforms were great, the women pretty in their period dresses, and there was lots of cool stuff to look at and buy, which I did a little too much! I'm now equipped to be either a Yankee or a Reb, so I can go either way. Enjoy the slide show, and think about how many men died in this horrific struggle; 53,000 casualtiues in three days. May we learn from this, someday.