le Voyageur

I second what KS said, a Garmin etrek is, overall, an excellent unit. Mine can be mounted on my mountain bike to run fire/logging roads deep into the wilderness.. Also heed KS's advice about map and compass skills...won't do you a bit of good if you can't read a map..

For a few years we ran a basic High Adventure training course to supp SM Basics. However, this has fizzled out...would be great to get it up and running again

, , I've been trying to input another link where you can order discounted fabrics, but there's seems to be a bit of a problem with it... However, Wal Mart has discounted fabrics....picked up 8 yards x 60 of a heavy duty 100% cotton forest green fabric for a buck a yard. Should make 3 shirts easy... With fabrics, try to use the natural stuff...the last thing you want around a campfire is something made out of polyester/nylon....

My luxuary item - a flint and steel kit. One side of the flint knapped with a cutting edge to double as a knife.....

Well, lets see,.... a few summers back when I was at Mensinger, the S.E. "bribed" the entire camp staff with an all you can eat pizza party for running an outstanding summer camp program. Overall, that was one great S.E. who I had a lot of respect for since he was pro camp...

Your location is an area rich with native American history. Besides Assiniboines, Crees, Sioux, Arickaras, and Crow and others, there is also a considerable amount of French influence to be found here. You could with ease, add a bit of Metis for a cross culture mix since tribes tended to borrow trends. Here's a link that you may find interesting... http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/native/indian.htm

Other than the last one take into consideration what your interest are at this moment in time and go for it. As for the last one on your list, maybe that time could be used for learning a craft such as beading which you expressed an interest in. Additionally there are other skill areas that you could investigate, such as finger weaving, flint and steel, native American cooking, and yes, even sewing to create your kit.... I'll post some extra links on a seperate thread for you to look at....

T.A. take a look at this site's books and pattern sections.... http://www.trackofthewolf.com

I'm a living history re enactor of the early fur trade era up to the close of the French and Indian War (1728 - 1765). Additionally, every summer I try to cover at least a thousand miles on foot, bike, or canoe...

Currently, I'm with a lodge that I'm not too happy with, so I'll leave it nameless. But, I was tapped out in 1962 becoming an Arrowman with the Wipla Wiki Lodge, which, as far as I'm concern is still one great lodge. For the now, with membership dues coming up, I'm looking for another lodge to hang my tuque(*

Of the many different lodges that I've visted over the years, and with a very few exceptions, the majority of lodges uses a mix of Pan Indian and Hollywood. For myself, and as a counter coup to the Lodge's pseudo Plain Indians motif, I use a mix of mid 18th century historically correct eastern woodland Indian with colonial Euro-American (French Huguenot) adaptations to create the proper persona for this area.

Try this link (just no way to edit typos on this forum...) http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/winter/gear/capote.htm

Not computer savy enough to post photos...but, here's a site that you might find interesting... http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/winger/gear/capote.htm Maybe some folks will get inspired to make some of their own gear for this upcoming winter...besides, it's kinda neat running around in the woods with homemade gear that works better than the mass produced stuff... As an aside, if you decide to make a capote, order a pattern from Track of the Wolf, it'll save time, money, and material...

Been working on the official "uniform" of our Venture Crew. Decided to add a voyageur's short capote for winter use, which is now about 2 to 3 hours away from completion. Was able to get some great wool blankets from Sierra Trading Post for less than 20 each (white with blue stripes). 1 1/2 blankets, plus a Eagle capote pattern (from Smoke and Fire) along with some notes and photos has turned out a pretty good looking blanket coat. Changed the sitching a bit to make the seams more bombproof (herring bone on the raw edges, backed up with a running stich; on the hood, back stiches). Will add two homemade tassels later on for a bit of decoration....there's enough left overs from the blankets to make shoe pacs for the mocs, plus tuques, and mittens so nothing goes to waste. Next up, shirts...

This "rethinking" is based on my experiences in the back country where you need a lot of calories. I know for a fact that I can do a 30 mile day in the canoe on only one high fat/protein meal for the day (a strip of jerky, 4-6 slices of bacon, and a few pieces of dried fruit), whereas carbo meals that require nearly constant snacking will cut those miles in half. I tend to suspect that what is happening at the metabolic level is what I call hepatic carbohydrate overloading, and is the reason for the fatigue and fogginess. The body is simply trying to detox from an overdose of sugar.....

Thats easy....any of these K2 Black Robe Breaker Morant Zulu The Man who would be King Walk About The Light Horsemen Rork's Drift Das Boot and Quest for Fire...

arrrrgh....posted on the wrong forum...should of had that extra cup of coffee..

With summer camp now history I'm moving my fund raising ideal off of the back burner (see thread Fund Raising, how much money is too much money). Following the advice of others, I've decided to retain absolute control over the project in order to stay on track for the goals that I have in mind. Here's the projects.. Created a inexpensive light weight gun safe for flintlocks (patent pending)that will allow re enactors to transport their muzzle loaders on public transportation. Modified the SSEAS Rig (Smith Self Equaling Anchor System) into a energy absorbing system (again, patent pending). It'll reduce shock loading in falls by 2 to 5 kn. The plan is to not only market it to camps with C.O.P.E. and climbing programs, but with a bit of luck maybe some of the major retailers in climbing equipment.. And the last project...is the creation of a guild of homebased seamtresses to sew a line of 18th century clothing that will be sold over the internet...

understand, good to dodge a bullet every now and then...any who, I'll stick my neck out a wee bit more on some more that are a hoot... The Meaning of Life The Gods Must be Crazy Pee Wee's Great Adventure Bambi meets Godzilla The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon me, But your Teeth are in my Neck Harold and Maude Robin Hood - Men in Tights Pink Panter and one that I was an extra in... Attack of the Killer Tomatos

Hope not to disapoint, but no, I didn't post Victor Victoria to be cute...I've seen it a dozen times - I really enjoy the cockroach/cafe scene greatly...what a hoot However, for the real oldies, Laurel and Hardy can't be beat....

This one is gonna get me in trouble on this forum...*

Yep, I've had that Chicken and Rice meal myself more times then I care to remember, along with a short stack of Pilot Biscuts... Besides the protien bars, take a look at the protien powders sold at health food stores. I would suggest staying away from the lactose base ones, going more for those made from soy,or egg whites (albumen). The reason is that lactose (milk sugar) is mucus forming and tends to block the sinus cavatives a wee bit (which is not a good thing to have going on when backpacking at high altitudes).

Eagle74 Here's why my use of word "master". First, I work High Adventure Programs only (C.O.P.E. Climbing, Cycling, Expedition/Whitewater Canoeing, Backpacking,) and nothing else. Now, for a scout who is Star or above who has not "mastered" the basics of building a fire, knowing how to use map and compass, tying in to a harness with the correct knot, cooking a meal, pitching a tent, keeping clean, staying dry and warm, keeping his gear organized, becomes a liability very quickly in the back country. Since advancement is not a concern in these older boy programs I am therefore free to set my own standards to ensure the welfare and safety of every crewmember. Additionally, it is these same older scouts, preferably Eagles who should be teaching and training the younger scouts. If they haven't mastered the basics, then how can they teach skills they have not mastered?

Speaking from personal experiences 12 and 13 year old Eagles, and I'm going to be very blunt, is that these Eagles are worthless as leaders. They lack maturity, make poor decisions and can't even be used as CIT's at any summer camp. Not only have I had to "babyset" a few of these wunderkids, I've spent days teaching them basic outdoor skills that should of been mastered at the lower ranks (awhile back I watched a young Eagle spend nearly two hours trying to light a wet log with matches for a cooking fire before giving up...however,on the plus side to his credit, I did get him to the point where he could start a fire with flint and steel). However, until National changes the rules to where the earilest a scout can make Eagle is at 15 or 16, the only thing I can do is grit my teeth...eventually, and I hope that I'm wrong here, but sooner or later being an Eagle won't have the same weight or meaning that it had in years past since quickie advancements is erroding overall quality...

Fully agree with your observations, however,this was written more for those long distance trekers living out of their packs for weeks at a time, as well as the ultra light backpacker who striving to get the weight down...hopefully now that I've clarified abit I'll still say for serious weight savings caloric density is the better way to go. The other downside to too much refine sugar is that this stuff eats up the body's stored B vitamins in order to convert it to useable energy. Additionally, most of this stuff has added additives along with food dyes that I prefer leaving out of my diet. Now, for myself, I'm leaving the carbo camp, and looking at how our pioneer ancestors met their food energy needs....believe me, they didn't pack pop tarts, nor sugar cookies for a meal on the trail.