Custom knives from the banks of the Big River.
Please note that this list is constantly being updated. Some clubs haven’t put out flyers yet. If you know of a club who’s rendezvous isn’t listed and you have a flyer please let us know so we can update this post.
It’s been ages since I’ve had the time to make a post for Muzzleloader Mondays but this week between the snow and some off time at work I managed to squeeze in a little me time. If you’ve been following my posts them you’d know that I recently acquired a oilskin cape from a very talented seamstress and dear friend. Also back in August I picked up a copper boiler made by another good friend at the CLA show in Lexington, Kentucky. Both were somewhat unproven in the real world. Sure I had used both items around camp at various rendezvous, but I had yet to test them when actually out in the woods.
7 inches of wet snow had fallen during the night making every tree limb sag from the weight. With the temperature hovering right above freezing I knew the snow wouldn’t last long. Seizing the moment, I donned my 18th century garb and hit the woods. I intend to check our fence lines to ensure they were still intact as many limbs had begun to fall from the snow load, but is wasn’t long before the idea of exploration lured me from my duties.
By the time I made it into the deep woods the temperature had warmed many degrees and the wind had picked up, causing large chunks of snow and slush to fall from the trees.
That’s when my new cape really pulled its weight. It protected not only the lock on my rifle and kept my top side dry, it also stopped the wind from cutting threw my lose knit hunting frock and shirt.
After a while I came across a small spring and grabbed cool drink with my handy dandy copper boiler. Its the perfect size for drinking from but it is a little small if you’re looking for something to boil a squirrel in, but for drinks around the fire It’s second to none.
By this time my lower extremities were beginning to get quite water logged. Even though it was above freezing the wind chill was quite brutal, especially when wet. I new it was time to seek shelter before before the moisture found it’s way into my powder horn. Luckily I knew of a small band of rock houses just beyond the spring. Just barely big enough to squeeze into, but it was better than nothing.
The rock house I had in mind was a was up a steep hill and in a wet snow, going uphill is no easy feat, even in modern footwear I face planted more times than I care to admit. But once I made it, I realized that was just half the battle. The melting snow had sogged out virtually anything flammable. Luckily my dad had stuffed a wad of cedar bark in my haversack during the last woods walk we participated in. After confirming it was still dry, I shed my rifle, pouch, and haversack, cramming everything back as far as I could into the small rock over hang and went looking for something dry enough to burn. Apparently it was my lucky day, as not to far away was a dead tree and after peeling it back I found the jackpot, dry punk wood ripe for the picking.
Making sure I kept it covered under my cape I made my way back to the shelter of the overhang. Knowing that this newfound punk wood was too large to use as kindling, I went looking for some dry twigs. Only there was none. Every cedar twig from here to the east coast was soaked. Fortunately, after some pondering, I remembered something my dad told me when I was just a little turd. He said “Son if you’re ever stuck in the rain and need a fire, look for sassafras. It will always burn no matter how wet it is”. And lo and behold, not more than 3 feet in front of me was a scraggly looking sassafras.
After making it back to shelter I struck a light on one of those handy flintlock multitools I make. The wind and water dripping off the ceiling made things mighty difficult but with a little presence I managed to make a lot of smoke and finally a fragile little flame.
Thankfully I had my hat to fan the flames because in short time my lungs were shot from the smoke. Once the punk wood ignited, I new I had ‘er whooped and filled up my boiler with snow as I had worked up quite the thirst.
As the snow melted in my cup I crawled around between the fire and my rifle and powder to protect it from the heat and sparks. Enjoying the warmth of the fire and watching the steam from my clothes and smoke from the fire was quite relaxing. It would have been a perfect place to take a nap if only my modern responsibilities didn’t take precedence over past time activities.
Until next time, take care and keep your powder dry.
I’d like to share with you the wonderful cape I recently received from a great friend and fellow reanacter Brenda Hoock. It features an oilskin shell and a linen lining. Not only does it shed water quite well, it stops the wind dead in its tracks. Making those cold windy days a little more tolerable.
Please note that this list is constantly being updated. Some clubs haven’t put out flyers yet. If you know of a club who’s rendezvous isn’t listed and you have a flyer please let us know so we can update this post.
Gearing up for the upcoming rendezvous and woods walks with a little Sunday evening target practice, and there’s no better way to get in the mood than wearing some proper clothing.
Please note that this list is constantly being updated. Some clubs haven’t put out flyers for their winter camps yet. If you know of a club who’s rendezvous isn’t listed and you have a flyer please let us know so we can update this post.
