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When Chris Denmon takes a vacation, he travels back in time.

Donning clothing that was worn by mountain men centuries ago, Denmon sleeps in a canvas tent in a blanket of deer hides he made himself. Meals are cooked in iron cookware accurate to the period, and campfires are started with flint and steel.

Some may consider such conditions as “roughing it,” but for Denmon and the other members of the Endless Mountains Primitive Outdoorsmen Club, it’s an enjoyable break from the modern world.

“We all have an interest in history, particularly the period from 1760 to 1840, and we don’t want to see the old ways die,” Denmon said.

The club also wants to share the old ways with the public, which they’ll do at their third annual Endless Mountains Rendezvous next month in Wyoming County. During the two-day event, club members will camp and live just like the early Americans – no electricity, no flashlights and certainly no modern conveniences.

“It’s a lot of work, but I’ve never done anything more relaxing,” said Denmon, who participates in four to five rendezvous each year. “It’s a simpler way of doing things and when it’s over I find it harder to transition back the other way.”

Some rendezvous last a weekend while others extend for 10 days, Denmon said, and they’re growing in popularity thanks to, of all things, television.

“With all the shows today about living off the land, the interest is increasing,” Denmon said.

But that doesn’t mean today’s rendezvous are succumbing to the modern ways. The events originated in the mid to late-1800s when fur trappers would leave their mountain traplines to sell their furs and buy supplies for another year of wilderness living. While they congregated at a rendezvous, competitions evolved including blackpowder shooting and tomahawk throwing.

True to form, Denmon participates in the shooting competitions with a .45 caliber Pennsylvania long rifle that he built himself.

“The rendezvous really took off in the 1870s and the one we hold today are really no different,” Denmon said.

Last year’s rendezvous attracted 50 participants and 500 visitors. Dozens of vendors selling primitive wares along with demonstrations on blacksmithing, gun building and making knives are also part of the weekend event. Denmon said this year’s rendezvous crowd is expected to be larger, and a separate modern camping area is available for those who would like to visit for both days.

“If you want to learn about how early Americans lived and even how to throw a ‘hawk or shoot blackpowder, this is the place to do it,” Denmon said. “We all come from different backgrounds, but it’s really a brotherhood dedicated to educating, re-creating and preserving the crafts and customs of the early American Colonial era.”

Chris Denmon starts a fire the primitive way – without matches, at a previous rendezvous.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_primitive1.jpg.optimal.jpgChris Denmon starts a fire the primitive way – without matches, at a previous rendezvous. Submitted photos

The Endless Mountains Primitive Outdoorsmen Club will camp with canvas tents, iron cookware and candles during next month’s rendezvous.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_primitive2.jpg.optimal.jpgThe Endless Mountains Primitive Outdoorsmen Club will camp with canvas tents, iron cookware and candles during next month’s rendezvous. Submitted photos

By Tom Venesky

tvenesky@timesleader

If you go…

The Endless Mountains Primitive Outdoorsmen Club, a non-profit organization, will hold a two-day rendezvous on Sept. 12 and 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the American Legion Post 510 on Old Route 6 outside of Laceyville in Black Walnut. The show will feature primitive crafts and events, traders, primitive shooting, hawk and knife throwing, blacksmith demonstrations, flint and steel fire starting, powder horn making and tomahawk, rifle and tracking competitions. Cost is $3 per person and is free for 16 and under. Tables for anyone interesting in selling wares used in the 18th Century are available for $10 for the weekend. For more information visit “Endless Mountains Rendezvous” on Facebook or call club president Robin Robinson at 570-499-6758.

Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky