This is the fifty-first of a weekly blog series that will focus on leadership in the outdoors and how to get the most from the least. Even though the title is called, “Thoughts of a Modern-Day Mountain Man”, it will hopefully cover topics that are useful to everyone.
Chapter 51: The Trapper’s Oath
“John Brown moved to California with his family in 1849, and finally settled in San Bernardino, where he was a prominent citizen. I visited his own granddaughter there last year.
In his later years Brown became a leading Spiritualist. His book, Mediumistic Experiences, incidentally gives important information about trappers and incidents of the Colorado fur trade. For example, he tells of a trappers' log fort on the Arkansas above Pueblo. He also describes the administering of the trapper's oath. It happened this way.
John Brown's spirit guide visited him in the night near Pike's Peak Brown said, and showed him that Jim Waters had arrived at Fort Pueblo, thirty miles away, had brought a white family, some little clay pipes to trade to the Indians, and a horse for Tim Goodale, etc. The next morning Brown told his companions what he had seen, describing everything in detail.
The trappers were not convinced. So it was proposed that Goodale ride to Pueblo to see. So, says Brown, they administered the trapper's oath to Goodale. He put the muzzle of his loaded rifle in his mouth and swore that he would go to Fort Pueblo, and return and tell the truth of what he saw. That is the only account I have seen of the administering of the trapper's oath.
Incidentally, Brown says in his book that Goodale found everything at Pueblo just as he had foretold.”
Colorado Mountain Men
by: Leroy R. Hafen
I remember many times in my childhood after one misadventure or another my mother would prompt me to tell the truth about what had happened. I realized from a very young age to always be forthcoming with the facts, as somehow my mother always knew exactly what had happened, before I could even think it would be humanly possible to know such things. It wasn't until many years later that I began to realize that there is a profound difference between the truth and facts. Oftentimes when I was telling my mother what had happened, I was telling her the truth. The problem was, it was my truth and had very little bearing on factual evidence and my mother knew this. My mother always knew the facts and this kept me honest. When I was an older teenager I never really had a curfew. I had spent many long years of building the case of factual evidence that proved I would not be up to no good or any shenanigans while out with friends, and that I would always be home at the time I said I would. I had made the facts of my reliability as a teenager become the truth to both my mother and myself.
It seems society in general has lost sight of the difference between truth and facts. In many ways, truth is more of a philosophical perception and can mean very different things with different interpretations to many different people. Subjective truths are things that can be muddled, manipulated or camouflaged to represent what a person is saying is the truth. This undoubtedly makes it very difficult to know what to represent or who to support when it seems two opposing viewpoints are giving two different truths based on what is seemingly the same available evidence.
Throughout the years, I have heard very good arguments on both sides of the creation versus evolution continuum. In actuality both sides view many of the objective facts the same way; through their anger and frustrations they just don’t realize it. For instance, evolutionists tell us that the planet earth existed before human beings, creationists believe this same fact. Evolutionists teach sea life came before mankind, again creationists agree with this fact. Both sides agree to the fact and the truth that the age of the universe is much older than our age or our great-great-great grandparent's age. There is a great deal more anecdotal evidence about how the two opposing viewpoints interpret factual data similarly from a macro perspective, but when viewed from a micro viewpoint the opposing sides represent two fundamentally different truths using the exact same evidence. This is one area where schools and universities have fallen woefully short. No longer are objective facts taught to students of all ages so that logic and reasoning can be applied to reach a truth, but rather "truths" are being taught with little basis on objective facts that would be indisputable no matter a person's viewpoint or beliefs. We do not necessarily have to agree to all truths, but we should not be able to argue very much over the factual evidence. It is as though we do not trust the people in our care to be able to make their own decisions or draw their own conclusions. We have taught what to think of as truths, instead of how to think them. We should always look to employ and teach the Socratic method of following the argument where it leads for ourselves and the programs we lead.
As an outdoor leader or professional this is one of the main reasons why we must represent ourselves or our programs based on objective fact and not truths that can be left open for subjective interpretation. The very reason for why it is so important to represent ourselves or our program in objective fact is that this will build a solid foundation of knowledge, reliability and resourcefulness that can be trusted by the people and programs we serve. Always representing and embodying these facts will lead others to the truth that we are trying to make. That truth being that we are the best option for what is needed.
This understanding of the difference between truth and fact is also why it is important that we approach and teach the Bible as 100% undisputed objective fact that no opposing viewpoint may interpret differently to draw a separate truth. I learned this lesson early in life, often the facts which will lead us through logic to objective (and not subjective) truth, will sometimes hurt, cause mental pain or anguish or can be very difficult to deal with. This is the very reason why we would endure such things for the ultimate truth, anything worth great value will have great cost. No matter the side of an argument over perceived truths, some will go to great lengths to hide or obscure objective truth built solidly on a foundation of factual evidence. If a person resorts to name calling or belittling someone based on their truths or beliefs, there is a strong likelihood that person is either hiding a truth from themselves or are uneducated in the implementation of logic based arguments. Having a mother who instilled these values in me early on has made me a better man and a better leader. These truths should be at the core of what we represent as an outdoor leader, professional or guide. They are the very thing that everything else we say or do is built upon. There have been times where I have made a deal or a promise that seemed great at the time, but in reality would cause great effort to repay or fulfill. This is where the measure of me as a man of my word comes into play. Come hell or high-water, I will deliver on the promises I made, even if it is my last act on earth.
I certainly never advocate dangerous behavior or treating any firearm in an irresponsible manner, but one thing really interesting that happened during the mountain man's time period of yesteryear is the trapper’s oath. Without a doubt the mountain men of yesteryear were men and women of grandiose and flair, where a mountain man was often judged solely on how well he or she could spin a tale or tell a yarn about some prior adventure in the mountains. But make no mistake, when push came to shove, whenever any mountain man’s or someone else’s life in his company was on the line he became deadly serious and factual about his intentions. We only have a few documented cases that have been passed down through the historical writings, but we know that these oaths did happen, and probably more often than what was written about. To take the trapper's oath, the mountain man would state what he believed to be the truth or what his intentions were, then he would place his loaded and cocked rifle in his mouth to show how serious he was. Again, I would never advocate anyone ever doing this, but I respect and admire the fact of what this action represented. To men who needed to be able to count on one another when the fecal matter hit the air moving oscillator, their word was their bond and it had to represent truth.
A large part of me wished the world still possessed such simplistic beauty. On an everyday basis we hear our world leaders continually refer to one another as liars and cheats, and while I’m not suggesting a return to a time where a dual of pistols or sabers at dawn to make satisfaction out of someone insulting someone else, I highly doubt the name calling and mudslinging would have been tolerated in the days of yesteryear. Imagine calling someone a liar knowing that they may take you to task and possibly take your life to defend their honor. While this may be seen as barbaric and crude in today’s world, civility in the day and age of the duel reigned supreme. The men of yesteryear were not only willing to risk their lives for their truth, but were also willing to take a life for someone else’s untruths. The lesson of course being, to always deal in objective fact which will lead everyone to a shared truth and will make you a man above reproach.
This is where the ultimate example of a man comes from, with that man being Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, which would mean very little without the factual life that Christ led during His time on earth. He was not only willing to back up His very words with His life, but in fact that is exactly what He did. The miracles He performed, the lessons He taught and the death He suffered were indisputable objective facts that lead us to the truth of His love and sacrifice. As outdoor leaders and guides, there is no better example of the life we should aim to lead or the manner in which we should live than the example that Jesus set out for us. That isn’t to say that we won’t occasionally mess up the facts or make mistakes, but when the scales of truth are weighed at the end of our life, they should represent the facts that Christ loves us, Christ died for us, Christ lives in us and we will be in heaven with Him when our time on earth is through. These are facts and truths you can take the trapper’s oath with and wager your life on. Don't just take my word or truth for it, get out into God's great creation, explore, observe and learn as many objective facts as possible in your lifetime. Never stop learning, never stop listening and the facts will lead you to the Way, the Truth and the Life.
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