Mountain Men of the 19th century in the North American West were the true & maybe only definition of freedom. Traversing not only to, but through the vast frontier to claim freedom on their own accord via venture capitalism. Through beaver trapping & negotiating or bartering with the indigenous for many things (including your life), these men carved a path for modern life. Escape the rat race, quit paying property tax (what, are they going to tax my deer skin boots?), take the trail of the once great Jedidiah Smith or Jim Bridger of Ashley's 100. Maybe you need John Colter, one of the few men selected to join the Corps of Discovery in 1804. Or the tough Hugh Glass that was left for dead, just to crawl 200 miles back to camp, THEN forgave his fellow men who abandoned him. How about the womanizer himself, Kit Carson. Drag your family along, try your skills & will.
Want to be on the front end of a revolution & defend your newly discovered land in Kentucky Territory? After crossing the Cumberland Gap & hearing the "Shot Heard Around the World", learn how to fight the British Crown & indigenous tribes all while clinging to the mere idea of freedom & paying your debts to a Carolina judge. Maybe the most undervalued American of our history did just this, Daniel Boone.
The true beginning of the west & cattle country as we know it. The land of opportunity over the last 150 years has slowly leached into the land of paying taxes & government funded propaganda.
Are we on the brink of the modern generation of Mountain Men?
- Riley Ferguson