VARSITY MOUNTAIN MAN RENDEZVOUS
Booshway – Nathan Estes 965-5581
Segundo - Eben “Push-up” McWhorter 965-4178
Varsity Scouts BSA Coronado District
Thursday June 4 – Saturday June 6, 2015
Our rendezvous is held in celebration of the original Rocky Mountain rendezvous that were
attended by Mountain Men, Native Americans, and Traders during the 1800’s. At the
rendezvous, the Mountain Men sold and traded their furs and re-supplied before going back
into the wilderness for the next trapping season. Celebration, revelry, competition, and storytelling were all part of the rendezvous. We invite your Team to join us at the rendezvous and
participate in the following activities:
BLACK POWDER RIFLE
HAWK AND KNIFE THROW
ARCHERY
DOUBLE BALL
RAPELLING
FLINT/STEEL
KNOT TYING
BUCK SAW
KABOUR TOSS
WOODWORKING
ON TARGET
BALL CASTING
TRADER’S ROW
DUTCH OVEN COOKING
BLACKSMITHING
CHARCHLOTH/FIRE-BUILDING
AND MUCH MORE
The Booshway has blown his horn and our call is to all Mountain Men to assemble at Snow Flat on
Thursday, June 4, 2015. Two days of fun and practice will help you team prepare for the John Colter
Run on Saturday. Teams will compete for a grand prize. Included in the competition is Course
activities, Dutch-oven cook-off, and of course Scout and Team Spirit.
Registration:
Please take advantage of the online registration at the Coronado District website or the following link:
http://www.grandcanyonbsa.org/event/1720280. It will give us a chance to see how many people will
come and make it a smoother transition. At check-in, the pre-registered teams will be given a schedule
of events. Please register early so we can organize the events as evenly as possible.
**AT CHECK-IN, ALL TEAMS MUST HAVE A TOUR PERMIT TO PARTICIPATE, NO EXCEPTIONS.
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During your scheduled time, please stay together as a team. There will be OPEN time as well,
for individual practice. Coaches, please stay with your team during their event times.
The Black Powder rifle event is free during your first visit. Additional turns will be $1.00 for 3
shots.
Bring things to trade on TRADER’S ROW and extra money to shoot!
We will hand out awards for individual and team accomplishments of Saturday after the John
Colter Run.
John Colter History:
John Colter was an experienced mountain man and was a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition in
1804-1806. Later he joined another expedition in 1807 with Manuel Lisa and the Missouri Fur
Company, which took him to the Rocky Mountains where they established a fort and trading post.
Colter was sent to Indian winter camps to inform them that trading was now available with Lisa. Colter
traveled 500 miles with Indian guides, but the next winter Colter and his partner, John Potts were
attacked by Blackfeet Indians. Potts was killed and Colter on the other hand was stripped naked and
chased into the wilderness as game of human hunt for a couple miles until John took the nearest
Indian’s spear and killed him and took his blanket. Colter traveled 200 miles in 11 days to Fort
Raymond wearing the Indian blanket and surviving off the land.
Meals:
Teams will provide their own meals and cooking supplies including what is needed for the Dutch oven
feast.
What to bring:
Personal camping gear, team camping gear. Food, water, trade items, sunscreen, bug repellant, hat,
gloves (for services project). The temperature is usually 25 to 30 degrees cooler than Safford; plan
accordingly for clothing. The team must have a tour permit for this event, they will be checked. A
helmet for rappelling (bike or equivalent).
Do Not bring:
Fireworks; they will not be tolerated. Personal electronics are discouraged as they take away from the
Mountain Man experience. Prohibited items will be confiscated and returned to rightful owner at end
of camp.
Other:
This event is for Varsity scouts ages 14-15. Venture Scouts are welcome to come, but cannot
participate in the John Colter Run. Leaders are discouraged from bringing younger children to the
rendezvous.
Dutch Oven Cooking:
The Dutch oven cooking method dates back several centuries and was a simple way for a frontiersman
to cook a one-pot meal on an open fire.
The Friday dessert will be a Dutch oven potluck feast with each team providing a desserts. You can test
your favorite recipe and cooking skills up against the other teams in judged event. You will be judged
as follows:
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Cleanliness: 1 to 1o points
Team participation: 1 to 20 points
Appearance: 1 to 10 points
Taste: 1 to 10 points
Burnt food: 5 point deduct
Recipe Origin:
o Team original, 10 points
o Personal/family recipe, 8 points
o Cookbook, 5 points
Copy of recipe: 5 points
On time delivery to judges: 10 points
The dessert must be prepared by the team and
submitted to the judges without Coach
participation. Coach participation will result in
lower score. Coaches will serve the dessert
though.
The event will be held at the main camp fire
area. The teams will be given time to make their
dessert at their camp sites. The dessert will be
brought to the main camp area at the desired time on Friday night. Your team supplies all food, food
prep, and cooking equipment. You should cook enough to feed 2 or 3 servings for the number of
scouts and leaders in your team. Typically teams provide a dessert that is at least a half full in a 14” or
16” Dutch oven.
Trading and How to Prepare:
The mountain men came from their winter camps and mountain valleys to share their
accomplishments and trade their furs and pelts, beads, guns, knives, leathers and other plunder. They
traded for the things they needed to survive another winter of ‘trappen’ and to carry on the basic
tradition of free enterprise called – ‘traden’. At all Rendezvous there is an area called Traders Row.
This is where traders come to display their wares for sale and trade. It is composed of several
commercial store outlets who do this full time and those who make and trade items they have
prepared or traded before and desire to participate in the Rendezvous only. It is a place for anyone
who would like to spread out a blanket and engage in trading. To be prepared to participate in this
area of the Rendezvous it is helpful to have a little knowledge of what goes on and how one can keep
your boys from losing their shirts. (Some coaches feel like trading their boys in for something not so
loud!)
Two types or means of trading is: Ask permission before you touch an item. Second: Ask the person
whom you desire to trade with is his means of trade (cash or merchandise). Look for something you
desire to have and negotiate a price. Once the trade is agreed it is sealed by a handshake. Many times
a traded item will be a combination of cash and goods depending on the item that is negotiated for.
Trading can go on anywhere or anytime. Third: Don’t disturb events in progress. Trade for anything
you don’t want or need for anything someone else wants less. A good idea is to make several items of
your own choice that are reproducible by you, the maker, and use them for trade items. They can be
replaced. Sometimes, you will be surprised to see things you traded off years before and find how
many owners it has been through during that time.
Trading can be fun if you prepare by knowing what items that are most in use at Rendezvous are. This
is a list that may be obtained by Scout age boys and used for trading items.
List of Possible Trade items
Bone Buttons, Antler Buttons
Bird Feathers
Leather (deer and Elk are most preferred)
Horns (Cow, or Buffalo)
Cloth (cotton, old trade, linen)
Knives and Tomahawks, Traps, Old Tools
Pouches (possible pouches, medicine, etc.)
Porcupine Quills
Old trade beads
Crow, Pony and seed beads
Lodge poles
Cooking apparatus
Antique silver
Forged iron work
Anything handmade (Mountain Man or
Indian crafts)
Bone Hair pipe, Tin cones, Conchos
Animal furs, hides, claws or teeth
Rawhide (deer, elk, cow, and buffalo)
Antlers (deer, elk, moose, antelope)
Wool Blankets
Flint and Steel Strikers
Horse Hair
Animal skulls and bones
Beads: glass, brass, and antique
Antique wooden boxes
Handmade camp items
Jerky
Brass tacks
Brass or steel belt buckles (forged)
Do not bring Pocket Knives to trade
Schedule:
Thursday:
9:00 – 1:00
1:00 – 5:00
5:00 – 7:00
7:00 – 8:30
8:30 – 9:30
10:00
Check in and camp set up.
Events
Dinner
Staff will be visiting Team camp fires
Team captain meeting at main camp fire area
Lights out
Friday:
6:00 – 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 – 8:00 Flag Ceremony
8:00 - 12:00 Rendezvous Events
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 5:00 Rendezvous Events and Dutch Oven Cooking
6:30 – 7:00 Dutch Oven Cook-off Judging
7:00 – 8:30 Camp Fireside
9:00 – 10:00 Team Captain Meeting at main camp fire area
10:00
Lights Out
Saturday:
6:00 – 7:30 Breakfast
7:30 – 8:00 Flag Ceremony
8:00 – 9:00 Break Camp
9:00 – 10:30 John Colter Run
10:45 – 11:30 Awards Ceremony
11:30
Go Home
You are obligated to God and this great Earth to leave a clean camp
and cold fire.
Have a safe trip home.