They didn't do it right obviously. I learned from watching "alone" that you have to freak out every time you see a predator and every time you catch a fish you have to scream "Yes!" at the top of your lungs. I bet they didn't do that in Indian country back in the day. Who was the half breed mountain man who went West to escape slavery? Seemed like a pretty brave man. I've read his fictionalized life story a few time, would like to read the real one.

Beckwith

I am not so sure all 'mountain men' were particularly tough. Adaptable might be a better word. I have read of some trapping in or around the Teton's for beaver in the summer and then holing up for the winter at Fort Hall. As far as I know summer beaver makes good felt hats. I'm guessing I could have handled that.

It was a JOB and just like some jobs you either like them or hate them. I don't think any of them weer ready for that life but learned to adapt or die. I'm sure the majority failed or died trying to make It work.

I whine when I have to get out of my camper at 50* to start the generator for coffee.

"Woe unto those who choose to live house by house...…..field by field.....until there be no place ye may be placed alone in the midst of the earth."

My nephew once commented we wouldn’t have made very good mt men. We were three days in on a week long hunt in the mts of Co. and hadn’t drawn blood yet. I chuckled and asked if there weren’t antler restrictions and species restrictions and sex restrictions could we have not made meat several times over? He said Oh, I hadn’t thought about it like that. Yeah I guess we would be living pretty fat. No doubt in my mind if illness or hostiles didn’t get me I could live on the land very well.

But what did the Mtn Men do when a 330 misfired and clamped on their hand?

Yup. I heard the vast majority were poor desperate city slickers that had never set a trap or fired a gun. They saw an add in a paper for wokk and potential payout.

You wont get along well in the wilderness living alone over the long term.People become "bushed" living like that.
All the tasks necessary to live comfortably need to be shared within a family group or small community.
That is why all the people that thrived in the wilderness lived associated within a tribe.

Exactly.

Yup....wimmen did all the work, then some idiot thought they could improve on that system.

I always wonder how many died or wound up sick experimenting with plants and remedies that we know of today.

It would suck to have a single shot weapon......
When there is more than 1 feller you need to shoot.
The rest of it I could probably get along with.
Living in the winter would sure be a full time job.

Zim

Zim, I think that's why you see the old Mt.men with a couple of pistols, knife and hatchet in their sash or belt. That would give you 3 shots before it got really ugly.

I pretty much did, in '85 or 6, in the Idaho mtns, Payette Nat'l For to be exact.
Came to town every other month for bacon and other staples.