A Daniel Boone Lifestyle ?!

A Daniel Boone Lifestyle?! By Keith H. Burgess.
Who was Daniel Boone? That is the question kids ask these days. When I was a kid growing up in the 50s, there was no doubt in my mind who Daniel Boone was. He was a Frontiersman. A woodsman, someone who could survive in the wilderness with just a flintlock gun, a butcher knife, and a tomahawk. He spent more time living in the woods than he did working on his farm. He was self-reliant, and had respect for the woodland Indians who were there in the New World before he was. He was an Englishman, even though he was born in the New World. He was intrepid and adventurous and he was my hero I guess.
And who are the kid’s heroes today? I have no idea. What games do they play? I have no idea, but I am sure they do not play cowboys and Indians, or woodsmen, or William Tell. And do I play at being Daniel Boone at the age of 60 years? No I don’t, I play at being me, an 18th century English woodsman, except that I have been doing this living history and 18th century Historical Trekking for so long now, that I have actually become an English woodsman. So is it play? Yes I guess it is to some degree, I certainly get a lot of fun out of doing it, and at my age that must count for something.
All the people I have met that enjoy this pastime/hobby/lifestyle have had an equal interest in wilderness survival and self-reliance, and it is not just because like me they grew up in the 50s when the Daniel Boone craze started. It is simply that this interest in survival and self-reliance just naturally seems to lead to an interest in a Daniel Boone lifestyle.
So what do we do besides getting about in funny clothes?! Well we practice and learn a lot of 18th century Frontier skills. We go camping 18th century style which is a lot more fun than using gas burners and plastic plates. We get to carry knives and tomahawks, and even at my age I still find that exciting. I get to build primitive shelters and camp in them, even in winter when it is snowing. Winter is my favourite time of year to go trekking and camping, it is more of a challenge.
No I don’t get to wear a funny fur hat; Daniel Boone never actually wore one himself, despite what you may have seen on television! I wear a low crowned wide brimmed black felt hat which protects me from the sun and the rain and snow. I do get to wear a cool long waistcoat, a wide leather belt and real woodland Indian moccasins which I make myself. Do I feel inhibited at all? Well I guess I might if I were not doing this stuff with like minded people, but we have so much fun I never really think about it. And what did your kids think about you doing this when you were younger? Well they thought is was great, just the bees knees. They got to carry a tomahawk and a wooden gun and they got to camp and play with dad.
So if you really think this sounds like fun, then get out there and do it. You only get one life and there is no point in letting self-consciousness hold you back until it is too late. There is a new Frontier to be explored, and the water is fine, so come on in.

Keith is a book author, and 18th century Living Historian, Historical Trekker, and an experimental archaeologist. He is also a primitive skills instructor and founder member of the NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL LIVING HISTORY GROUP. http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.