Thoughts of a Modern-Day Mountain Man:
A Field Guide to Leadership in the Great Outdoors
This is the sixth 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 6: Tell the best stories and shoot the straightest.
Jim Bridger, who was one of the most famous of all the mountain men of yesteryear, would commonly tell one of his favorite tall tales while sitting around the campfire with eager-eyed greenhorns about the time he was being pursued by a hundred or so Cheyenne warriors. They chased him for some distances and Jim was cornered in a box canyon with no possible way out. At the part of the story where the Indians were closing in, old Jim would stop talking. After a few moments of silence, one of his listeners would ask, “What happened then, Mr. Bridger?”
He would give them a sly grin and reply, “They killt me.”
I have often heard it said in regards to the guiding profession that you need to be all things to all people, when and wherever it is needed. This service could include talking to someone who is afraid of heights on a literal “edge” while climbing. It could be providing the service of a medic to someone who needs medical attention. Maybe it is leading a devotion or an in-depth discussion after a day of experiencing or possibly enduring time in God’s wondrous wild creation. Serving as a guide or outdoor leader is never easy, and to do it properly, it calls for a person who can change proverbial hats and personalities at a moment’s notice. I was once out hiking with an amazing group of 5th graders in Rocky Mountain National Park having a great time, playing games and teaching them how to become young natural historians and to look at the world through different observant eyes. A huge forest fire broke out suddenly and without warning in our direct path and intended destination; it went from all fun and games to a potential life-threatening emergency in a matter of minutes. This required my guide staff and me to instantaneously change our demeanor and purpose. Just the night before, we had served as entertainers for these same students, telling nonsensical stories and singing crazy songs. Now we were required to become consummate professional guides, a straight shooter so to speak, and lead the whole group to safety. We were able to keep the entire group calm and organized and hiked a group of 65 students down the mountain and to safety in a fraction of the time that trail normally would take. I have never been more proud of a group of guides as I was during and after that potential calamity. Those students and my guide staff will have a great story to tell for the rest of their lives.
In the mountain man’s time of yesteryear, a man could often be measured by the stories he told and how he was a positive part of his company for his friends and others around him. He needed to be all things to all people when the time called for it. Entertainer, trader, friend, caregiver, teacher, provider, etc. The mountain man of history that we know the most about certainly fit this role, and even after the golden age of the mountain man passed, they went on to have many more historical and legendary adventures. They not only told their own stories and made-up many more but wrote a story in history for others to hear and tell. When the time came for the mountain man to have a competition, possibly to defend his or his company’s honor, or to protect his own life, it often came down to how straight he could shoot with his single-shot rifle. He who could be the most professional with his rifle, often lived to see another day or have another adventure. Most of the mountain men of yesteryear were quite boastful, and most of the stories they told were either highly embellished or completely made up. This was done for entertainment, to make an otherwise tough life more enjoyable, and to be all things to all people as the need arose. However, when push came to shove, that man had to back up his stories and his claims with his handiness with a rifle. Stoic professionalism was often called for, and more often than not, he was able to deliver a bulls-eye in a time of high stress and need.
The modern-day mountain man would do well to conduct his affairs in the same manner. Tell stories, have fun, be all things to all people when it is needed. But, when the time comes, be able to become the consummate professional, shoot the straightest, and be able to deliver what is needed.
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