Perpetual Ruminations

Jasper; A True Mountain Man

I was doing some reviews and came across a poem, "Happy Father's Day"  by Prosperous Snow celebrating that brought back a memory from my youth.

I was in high school and had a terrible accident that lead to more problems and eventually I quit school. After a few months, I did return, but I went to a different school and stayed with a friend. His uncle, Jasper, was a true to life mountain man who had recently returned home because of some health issues. He had lived ten years in the Rocky Mountains as a mountain man.

My friend and I, being teenagers, liked to go camping, but our camping trips consisted of some hotdogs, a 12 pack of beer, and staying out overnight a short distance from his house. Jasper showed us what real camping was all about.

He would help us load up necessities in our packs and we would pick a general direction to start hiking. The necessities included some fishing line and hooks, his old flintlock riffle, lead balls and powder, flint and steel, water purifying tablets, three tin cups, a one quart kettle, our bedrolls (a heavy wool blanket we would roll into. He refused our sleeping bags, they didn't insulate if wet and took too long to dry out), and a change of cloths. Oh, and our canteens.

We would gather water when we came across a river or stream, we fished for our meals, and if needed, he would shoot a squirrel or rabbit. On a few occasions we would have partridge if he could shot one on the ground or roosting, since anything other than a head-shot wouldn't leave much to eat.

We slept on the ground in the open, under the stars, unless it was raining or looked like rain, then we would help him build a small shelter from pine boughs and branches. We never slept in the same spot, but would hike further each day. He insisted on everything being cleaned up and restored before we broke camp, and we often stayed out at least a week. Some days we didn't have much to eat, but he knew what we could pick and eat, how to find edible mushrooms, and even said we could eat various insects if we got hungry (this was more on the line of a threat if we complained).

Being a kid, I did not pay attention to a lot of what he showed us, something I regret now. But, I still hold my love for camping, the more remote the better.

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A proud member of "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" 

"Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J.