Of all the figures in western history perhaps the most memorable are the Mountain Men. Free Trappers and Free
Spirits, they fought the Indians, lived with the Indians, and often became Indians themselves. The Mountain Men - at least
those who lived long enough to earn the title of "Hivernant" - were masters of woodscraft and survival.
The older of the pair has taken on the Indian culture. He wears Hard Soled Plains Moccasins, Western Leggings, and
a War Shirt. His Russell Knife rests in a Tack Sheath supported by a tack decorated belt. He is wearing a
fringed hivernant shooting bag and powder horn, and wears a black silk head scarf. A gage d'amour holds
a reed stem pipe and tobacco. Warm and snug at the fire, he knows better than to brave the
chill of a Rocky Mountain winter.
His younger companion - who got the cold, dirty job of checking the trap line - still retains many of the vestiges
of civilization. He wears Hard Soled Moccasins, buckskin trousers, and a cotton Trapper Shirt. A heavy
plains style capote with a hood, sash and mittens dull the bitter edge of the wind. A North Plains Gun Cover
protects his Leman Rifle. Powder and ball are stored in a Pennsylvania Bag and horn.
The era of the Mountain Men, the rendezvou, and the beaver trade was brief, but during it a continent was won.