Women of
the
Fur Trade
Snowshoeing into Winter Camp
The key to Comfort in robe season is robes, of course!
Bufflers, and plenty of them! Another thing is wool, and
plenty of it! Seriously, you can be comfortable, period
correct, and still be feminine. I have been in winter
camps and hunts in deep snow with below zero
temperatures with no discomfort, at least not enough
that I'd let any of those men folk know about it!
Chris making French Dumplings
Now those Native American women were climatized Jill-Note the Wool scarf on her neck. As the pampered wife of a white trapper, these three Chris taking it easy. Alice waking up with snow on her head Sitting around the fire getting warm and enjoying the company.
and Rocky Mountain tough. They wore no
undergarments. This is where I differ! I don't like to
freeze my "arse," and having been high-centered in
the snow a few times, I have come to appreciate a few
items of my white trapper husband's clothing, slightly
modified to fit, of course. A pair of woolen, or even
heavy flannel drawers is worth triple its weight in gold
come winter.
Next are two undershirts of wool, either Guernsey
frock style, which is supposedly similar to the
Hensleys currently being made, or drop sleeve shirts
with a button closure at the neck. If wool is irritating to
you, use flannel as the innermost garment, but wool is
a must for the outer layer. When its really windy or
below zero I wear a wool scarf, which was mentioned
by both Joe Meek and Warrin Ferris.
articles of white man clothing, {drawers, shirt, hat}, can
be justified, for there is documentation of a trapper,
Joe Meek, offering some of his clothing to keep
Mountain Lamb warm. If she was like me, that was the
last time he owned it! Just ask Crazy what happened
to his bead collection!
Although it is generally believed that women did not
wear hip length leggings, a Sioux woman showed me
her long women's leggings for cold weather
wear. These are snug fitting and reach to the hip, just
as a man's would. Hers were brain tan, but I made
mine of heavy weight wool. Now one woman telling me
about these doesn't convince me they were in
common use, but I believe women then, doing men's
activity such as winter hunting trips in deep snow,
would have adapted their normal outfits for practical
survival.
My dress is Northern Plains style, made from a heavy
wool blanket. In spite of the wrist length, open
sleeves, my arms stay surprisingly warm. This dress
is so warm it's like wearing a capote. I also wear a
scarf around my neck to conserve body heat.
Next, the feet. I have two pair of side seam, hair on,
winter moccasins. One is of buffalo, the other pair are
deer. These are coated well with a mix of bear grease
and beeswax before each camp. I take both pair on
extended camps so I'll always have a dry pair. You
can wear socks, but I've found with the deer hide
mocs it isn't necessary. I always take two pair of
socks, though. One for sleeping in and one for "just
in case." Some say deer hide mocs don't hold up, but
I've put many miles on mine. The secret is to use a
good hide for them. These are by far my warmest
mocs. In deep snow I add on extra wool leg wraps to
keep snow out of the moccasin tops and to keep my
lower legs dry. These go to the knee and are held in
place with long leather thongs.
I wear mittens made from a wool blanket with a wool
gusset sewn in the seam so those winter winds can't
find any place to creep in. Bring a second pair to sleep
in or in case the first ones get wet.
Indian women did not wear capotes. Instead, they
used a blanket belted around the waist, which could
also be blanket pinned at the neck to form a hood. I
use this mainly for inactive times or when the weather
really drops low, as I find it a bit awkward on the trail. I
like the blanket just as well as a man's capote, so this
bit of history is easy to comply with, and Crazy gets to
keep his capote.
Rick and Sandy's winter home.
Our camp structure is a square canvas set up like a
diamond fly shelter, with an extra piece of canvas
across the front opening, for us ladies do need our
privacy. This has the added advantage of keeping it
about ten degrees warmer inside. A piece of oilcloth
makes the ground or snow cover, as the case may be.
Now those Native Americans were rich in buffalo
robes for one reason- robe season, of course! So why
should I be any different! Our bed consists of two
buffalo robes and two or three blankets, depending on
the temperature. This along with a bed warmer. No,
not hot rocks, he's just hard headed like a rock!
Seriously, those mountain men give off a lot of body,
heat, including hot air! You'll probably need to sleep
with your head under the covers for warmth, so I
suggest keeping a fresh- air hole. I sleep in all my
clothes, wearing those dry socks, mittens, and
sometimes the dry moccasins. The main secret is,
don't go to bed wet, and you'll stay warm! I've been
comfortable in camps at -20 with this arrangement.
Now for getting all this gear into camp, we use
horses until the snow gets to deep and feed is
scarce, then we use snowshoes and toboggans.
I hope this has given you women some helpful ideas
that you can use to make your cold weather outings
comfortable. Believe me, I'm not one them that
handles cold well, so if I can do it, you can too! Try
it, you'll be surprised-you can survive. 
WFT at Winter camp
Oh, and the scenery you will enjoy! The forest and
the mountains take on a new beauty all wrapped in
Mother Nature's blanket of snow, and you really feel
one with nature, trying to survive in a winter
wonderland. There's something very spiritual out
there, too, that I can't put into words-you just have to
experience it for yourself!
Happy winter trails!
Stargazer
By the way Girls--Look at what we had to help
keep us warm at night.
BEEFCAKES
