What a lovely rendezvous this year!  Camping in a grassy meadow, surrounded by tall cottonwood trees.  Not much dust.  No rain.  No wind.  Not overly hot.  I’d have to say it was as close to perfect as they get!

Thanks to the Booshway, “L-Rod” and his side kick, Segundo, “Dew Drop”, you two pulled off a really good time and I think I am not just speaking for myself!  It was a really good time for all.

Willow Creek Free Trappers 28th annual rendezvous on the banks of the Willow Creek.  An historic event for sure.

This year brought on a very special new piece for our camp to enjoy.  A memorial salute to those Willow Creek Free Trappers who have gone on ahead of us.  This special tribute was thought up and brought to bear by Dry Dog and he deserves the credit necessary.  Thank you Dry Dog.  This is a very fitting memorial indeed and will fly beneath the American Flag at all our events.

I would also like to publicly thank the Willard Gun Club, for allowing us to use their property to have our rifle shooting event.  The club has 20 acres of flat ground and it worked perfectly to hold our shooting event this year.  Yes, we had to travel about a mile from camp, but at least we were able to shoot.

If you look closely at the middle of the firing range, it looks like an open area between the cardboards.  This is actually an idea I came up with and Dry Dog helped make it happen.  We used a large piece of heavy gauge net type wire (the kind used to add strength to flat cement work), to hold our targets.  This was an experiment, and I used it exclusively to hold all of my paper targets.  When the round balls hit the paper there was a bit of a tearing problem, but the paper could be folded back in place if there was a need to check for “cut lines”.  My evaluation of the use of this wire is a 90 percent success and should be considered for the entire range for future events.  This would eliminate the need to find large pieces of cardboard and virtually eliminate the wind tipping over the range.  For those interested, the paper targets are held by wooden clothes pins.

We had old timers and young ones shooting this year and it was good to see additional interest by some of us who have been coming to rendezvous for many, many years.Good for you “Lumpy Bunnions”!

This was Conners first year at shooting and he did remarkably well.  Tied with his mother “Hot Spart” on score!  Good goin Conner.

Old timers, good friends and guests are always welcome!  Thanks to you all.  This is what makes a rendezvous a success!

Shooting was just a part of the events that go on at the annual rendezvous.  I get too involved and so I don’t have pictures of those events, but they still must not be forgotten about.

First off, let us not forget “Muskrats” famous “Bloody Mary Bar”, which is open in the morning when you see the ‘black flag’.  The BEST Bloody Mary you will ever have.

The charity donation for Homeless Veterans and/or Wounded Warriors and their family members.  “Muskrat” pulled off a very successful “Mountain Man Limpicks”.  Four person teams donate $5 p/member to play.  Each team had to set a trap in the official “Limpick Sized Swimming Pool” and then set the trap off.  Then it was off to start a fire with flint and steel and pop a kernel of pop corn out of the vessel the team devised and used as a pan.  Continuing on to the pellet gun shoot, where each team member got to fire one round at the target, scoring according to where they hit.  Zipping then to the hawk block to throw a hawk or knife one time by each member of the team.  And finally, to the frying pan toss for accuracy.  Some of this event is timed, others are accuracy.  All totaled up in the end and a winning team is selected!  Good time for sure and fun for the audience as well!  Go Team Go!!!

As evening drew near each night there is always a flint and steel fire starting event to see who can start the evening council fire first.  This is a favorite of mine and one in which I have won a couple of times.  There is no prize but just the fact that “You started the nights council fire” for everyone to enjoy.

And so it goes.  As one man has the fire going, the other never even got a spark on their char!  That is just the way it is.

Into the night time we go and after the business portion of the early council fire is all concluded who knows what might come out of the surrounding darkness to help entertain the mountain folks sitting at the fire.

I have not seen this man perform, it seems that I am always in my camp area when Sir Butt arrives and only after he has gone on his way, do I make it back to the council fire, but he did once again light up the evening in his way and entertained the crowd with his show of gallantry and dragon fighting abilities.  His trusty steed is always a crowd pleaser with its fancy foot works.

And what would a Sunday Evening be without “Reverend Billy Salteen”?  Why, it just would not be the same  “Say Hallelujah”! ” Say Amen”!

And to really help entertain our crowd, not only did he show up Friday night, but he did so again on Sunday night…..The Famous….”Twister”!!!  Yielding his blue guitar he sang all of our favorites and Many, Many others.  Some of his songs were his own creations and I must say he certainly did a GREAT job at putting words to music.  One of our favorites, which leads us all into chorus is none other than “Don’t Pet Dry Dog”!  His opening song of the evening!

Let us not forget the raffle donations and hard gotten raffle prizes.  The raffle went on and on and it shows a very big support for the Booshway and Segundo by those who donated prizes and hand made several of the highly sought after gifts.  Thanks to everyone!  Donated prizes, cash and it all goes to a good cause…next years Booshway fund!

Number 29 coming up in 2012!  It’s hard to believe we have been getting together for that long a time frame!  What started out to be a joining of three other clubs at their event to holding our own because one of “them” would not move out of the way to let our guys go in to camp with them.  Thank you “mister”, look what you caused!

Number 29…is being lead by the old “Many Steps”, the now new “Weasel”, and his wife “Hot Spark”!  May it be as successful as this years rendezvous!

And so it goes for another year.  Fantastic event, good fun, good place, good people and if you weren’t there to enjoy it, you really missed out on a very fun weekend.  It just doesn’t get any better than that!  RRROOONNNNNNDDDDEEEEEEVVVVOOOOOOOOOOO!

Bears Butt

Sept. 6, 2011