My Friends,
Once again I am tasked to report to you the
activities and events of the members of the North American
Frontiersmen.
This task becomes increasingly difficult as I
receive virtually no information from "Alla ya'all."
I hope you are having a good summer and managing to stay cool,
at least if you live in the West. It would be great to hear
from some of you. I do not believe I have ever read much about
techniques the "originals" used to combat heat. I
believe they were more hardy than we are today, and were able
to withstand both higher and lower temperatures without as
much difficulty as we do today. However, there comes a point
where inner resources are not enough and ingenuity must be
called upon. I remember reading that Jedediah Smith returned
to his comrades in the desert after leaving them and finding
water. I seem to remember that he carried the water back to
them in his hat, and that he found that they had buried
themselves in sand to stay cooler. There is also a long-going
debate as to the use of canteens by the Mountain men. Some say
there is little documentation as to the use of water
containers by the Mountaineers. I know they had no methods of
purifying water as we do today. The closest thing is probably
straining water through a cloth.
So, if any body out there is looking for a
summer project, perhaps an article on how the early
Mountaineers cooled themselves in hot weather. Or, perhaps a
discussion on the use and types of portable water containers.
I look forward to learning from your submissions. Please send
them to Jim Harsh, the Messenger editor, Captain Tom, or
myself.
Good luck. See you on the trail.
