2014 FUMLA Winter Camp

The following is transcribed from my field journal. There are typos and misspellings and editings as there would be for transcriptions  of other period journals. This entry is from the 2014 FUMLA Winter Camp.

1/24/14
Friday – Winter Camp

     I arrived at camp later than I had wanted to. A situation at school put a couple hours behind schedule & I arrived to the site in the dark. The first thing I did was to pull out my fire kit I get the candle in my lantern lit with char cloth & some dead grass. I was greeted by Rod Lassey, Paul Bauer & David Finders. Rod had been roasting ribs on the fire & told me to help myself once I had my camp made. My camp was simple. I did not make a shelter. I found a spot between sagebrush & a pile of downed timber. I had brought with me my 10x10 ground canvas, ground roll & 12 blankets. Rod graciously lent me the use of a buffalo robe to put on top of everything & two hair on deer hides to insulate against the frozen ground. Paul also brought a heavy canvas to lay out on the ground first to guard against melting snow. All of the bedding was encased by the canvas. I lay on the bluff of the South bank of the Charbonnue Creek.
     The roasted ribs tasted great. After thing settled down the bottle was passed & Dave, Paul & I enjoyed a game of cribbage while Rod enjoyed his pipe. We were serious, we were jovial, we were happy. When it was time I got into my canvas wrapped bedding. It was very heavy on me. I slept for several hours & woke up, compelled by the excessive warmth of my bedding to strip down to my drawers.

1/25/14
     It was a balance of positioning my body around the lumps on the ground that I couldn’t see in the

My camp. Bedding wrapped in canvas

snow when I put my bedding down & pulling the groundcloth back to get sufficient air to sleep well. I also had to shed most of my clothing. About 4am I heard six or so coyotes howling.
     Around 7:30 am or so I awoke to the sound of sirens. I searched the horizon around me & saw a fire truck going down the highway & saw a sheriff’s vehicle parked marking an accident. I quickly dressed & sprinted to my truck to respond…
     …Today I decided to assume the roll of party cook [and camp keeper], much like Osborn Russell’s first experience when with a trapping party for Wyeth in 1834. After I had eaten a breakfast of cheese, bread & a apple I set about keeping the fire going. I used Paul’s axe & later mine to chop wood throughout the day. I am pleased with my axe.
     I was unable to procure beef ribs before the camp so I had to go with pork ribs. I cut a hole in each

end  between the first two ribs bones & skewered it on a limb. I put a light sprinkle of what littler pepper and salt I had left. The ribs would roast all afternoon & into the evening. The ground being frozen the height & angle of the ribs to the fire was achieved by tying on[e] end of the limb with cord from the tripod above the fire.
     I had to keep doctoring the fire all day. Due to the warmer temperature the snow was melting & kept threatening the bottom hotter coals of the fire.
     I built a little dam of firewood around the fire & had to keep building the fire vertically so there would be enough hot coals to keep the fire sustained. This battle was fought all day long.
     Continued chopping wood. Dave Finders told me “Leif, you’re making me tired from watching you work this hard!”
     Dave Evanson & the Swede arrived later afternoon/early evening. Conversation picked up some as

David Finders

the evening carried on the wind began to build. I made some stew in my copper lidded kettle from rib meat, barley, potatos & a little seasoning. about the time we had all finished our suppers I found that the ribs ere still not quite done. The inconsistent fire all day had not aided us in this. It was well dark now. There was just enough for everyone to have some once the ribs were finally finished. Everyone seemed happy with them. I felt I had done my job with the assumed roll of “party cook” in regards to the fires & the ribs.
     It is my goal to not have my fire fall victim to the “rising waters” next time & have the ribs done sooner for the men in our party.
     After we finished the ribs we conversed for some time & then played team cribbage. It was an exciting game the second game. There was lots of laughing.
     When it was time for me to repose I found it to be much cooler.
     I slept fitfully throughout the night before some rest was had. It has been quite some time since claustrobia has been this bad. I believe the weight of the bedding may have spurred it on. I woke up several times in a sweat, gasping for air & frantically threw off the covers, exposing my head & bare chest to the open air. Breathing in & feeling the cold wind on my skin calmed me & maid me feel alive. I would eventually have a patch of restful sleep.

1/26/14
     I awoke early to find my canvas on top of my bedding covered with a light layer of snow. It had rained lightly  during the night & then turned to snow. Some of it had made its way inside of my bedding. Thanks to my tuque I was not bothered.
     The wind was blowing steadily at a stiff pace & [it] was difficult to dress. I[n] case the weather got like this I had borrowed a blanket pin from one of my daughters to wear a blanket like a match-coat as I don’t have a capote made yet. With the pin in place by the neck to make a hood & my belt wrapped around my waist to keep the blanket closed this worked rather well.
     It took several trips to pack my gear out. I discovered that the snow under my bedding had melted & had soaked thru the several layers of canvas but stopped at the deer hides. I need to make an oil cloth. After leaving the deer hides & buffalo robe for Rod I headed out.
     I had good conversations with friends, experienced life, learned some things for next time. What I left this camp appreciating the most was the friends who want to see me succeed at this. I am a blessed man.
-- Leif

Paul Bauer having dinner

The many layers of my bedding