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HomeMy Public PortalAboutLong Valley MuzzleloadersT J 9r 7 /1/e — 7s 7 ay>,g Grf 27pQges endezvous participant in colorful garb examines flintlock. Photos by Debbie Barnet tepping back into time -- ,I2,9(, 1,2 crf' 2, pafPS Shooter aims during competition. The only people missing were Lewis and Clark. More than 100 people drove to the sylvan green of Sater Meadows over the weekend to step into the history books as part of the first black powder rendez- vous of the Long Valley Muzzleloaders. The meadows, located north of Brundage Mountain, sprouted teepees and a variety of other outdoor lodging as fanciers of the Era of the Trapper recreated what likely was a typical gathering of mountain men during the early .1800s. Participants tossed off modern garb and donned the buckskins and feathers of 150 years ago to celebrate the black powder age. Seventy of those attending took part in various competitions staged to challenge skills in musketry and the use of the knife and tomahawk. The gathering was a success, considering that the Long Valley Muzzleloaders club was not even in ex- istence eight months ago, club president Jerry Ball said. "We had lots of compliments and we even made a little money," Ball said. Mother Nature even cooperated, as the wildfire danger lowered to the point that old-fashioned camp- fires were permitted. In addtion to the happenings at Sater Meadows, the rendezvous was the jumping-off point for a recreation of the old Pony Express mail delivery system. Riders carried letters bearing postmarks made especially for the event the 12 miles to the McCall Post Office. McCall Postmaster Al Apodaca said 683 letters were postmarked and were heading to destinations as far away as Europe and Japan. ��rti ��q /Y( rr W> Rendezvous: Old ways, old values Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips Eric Hernandez, 12, of Boise, flings a tomahawk during rendezvous. BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star -News As the heat of the afternoon sun bore down, the smoke seemed slightly out of place, but the smell of food cooking in Dutch ovens explained the afternoon fires. Across the meadow, dark smoke rose from a blacksmith's fire as he forged tools over a hot furnace. The air was filled with the sound of idle chatter, occasionally punctuated by the boom of nearby gunfire. A chapter from the history books was reopened and relived last week near McCall when the Long Valley Muzzleloaders held its annual Long Valley Rendezvous. The rendezvous started nine years ago with an emphasis on the muzzleloader shooting competition, but it has since grown into a social gathering with the shooting contests just one of many ways the people can participate. "It sort of like a giant family re- union here," said McCall resident Kevin Anthony. A quiet green valley behind the Little Ski Hill west of town was trans- formed into a small village of tipis and tents populated by dozens of men and women in buckskins and home- spun, and kids playing cowboys and Indians for real. People were encouraged to dress in period clothing, and the "tin tipis" (campers and trailers) were separated from the real thing, but everyone was welcome at the rendezvous. "Anymore, they come here basi- cally to hang out," said Tom Bruce, one the event's organizers. But a rendezvous isn't merely a camp -out, it is a temporary commu- nity where no one is a stranger for long, and people can step back in time and take life a little slower. "I'm interested in the history, and reliving it as they did back then," said Rob Bradley of Challis. Bradley, a blackpowder gun builder, has been traveling to such events for 11 years. He also hunts deer and elk with his handmade guns. "I feel so much more at home with this gear. In modern gear, I feel like an interloper," he.satd. Bradley said the people who at- tend the rendezvous enjoy the sense of community and camaraderie. "There's an image of self-reliance that a lot of people find attractive," he said. People share not only the tools of the trade and dress of the old days, but the values as well. Items for sale and trade were laid out on blankets in front of camps, where they can be left unattended for hours without fear of theft. Stealing or dishonesty in any form would be breaking the spirit and code of the rendezvous. "Everyone who's involved accepts it," Bradley said. "I don't think I've ever seen a better bunch of people anywhere." The rendezvous is also about fami- lies and traditions. A grandmother showed children how to operate a spinning wheel and fathers showed youths how to load and fire muzzleloaders during the "trail walk"  a shooting competition that mim- ics actual hunting conditions. The blackpowder guns are an inte- gral part of the scene. The firearms are primitive, but not crude. Each one is based on the actual guns of certain eras, from muskets to Kentucky long rifles. Their owners typically know the history behind each firearm, many of which are handmade or extensively customized, and it's rare to see any two that look alike. While the guns may look like mu- seum pieces or mantle ornaments, they are working firearms, that can be le- thally accurate in the hands of skilled marksman. At the end of the day, when the frontier contests ended and the Dutch oven meals were settling in full stom- achs, the adults gathered around the council fire to swap stories. Sleepy -eyed children eventually wandered off to sleep in their blanket bedrolls and sleeping bags where they did not have to just dream about run- ning through the woods in moccasins and buckskins. After all, they had been doing it all day long. Dorothy Murray of Eagle fires a black -powder pistol during a rendezvous north of McCall hosted by the Long Valley Muzzleloaders. The four -day event drew an estimated 200 people Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips from throughout the West, who relived a fur trapper's rendezvous at S;ater Meadows, near Brundage Reservoir, with a variety of activities based on the mountain man era.