what was your worst rendezvous?

[Rifleman1776]

I'll start.
It has been a number of years, but we once had a winter ronny here in north-central Arkansas. As often is the case in this part of the country, the weather had been quite mild. At the time I was using an open face diamond lodge. I brought several wool blankets with me. Our site was a small, cleared, valley next to the Sylamore Creek. Very pretty spot for this event. As luck would have it, that night the temperature plummeted. My blankets were not enough for me to be warm. Even my guts wuz getting frostbit. (Well.......sorta) But, to make matters worse, there was one member who was a State Trooper. He was not on duty but was on call. The booshway gave him permission to have his car in camp. And worse, much worse, he kept the doors open and his police radio on, and very loud. The car being present was bad enough to destroy the image of a 'back then' camp, but that radio kept us all awake and majorly annoyed even during the daytime. Came home tired, cold, and sorry I went.

 

[Carteret Kid]

I am surpried the department allowed that.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Back in 1986 Rocky Mountain Nationals in the High Uintas of Utah was my worst and my best rendezvous. The weather up at the top of a mountain is very volatile. The sun would be out and suddenly BOOM thunder, rain, hail in the middle of the summer. It was up so high some folks from lower elevations were having trouble breathing. This was a huge event with upwards of a thousand or more tips, wall tents, bakers tents etc. It rained so much we had a river running through our Tipi. I remember waking up with my arm in a puddle of ice cold water. The next night we dug a trench around the Tipi and made a bed of pine bows to keep off the ground. We youngsters had no intention of leaving but a lot folks had had enough and wanted to go but the Park Rangers insisted that folks stay until the ground dried up so the vehicles didn't tear the land up. Everyone was stuck for days. We were all running out of firewood because the truck couldn't get in to deliver more and we were told we couldn't collect wood from the forest. One day my friends and I went on a hike. We had spotted a natural lake down in a valley. We hiked down the mountain to the lake. My girlfriend (Now wife) spotted some Mountain Lion tracks. They were so fresh water was rising in them! We decided to get the hell out of there and started to hike up the mountain and BOOM it started thundering and raining on us. We could barely climb the mountain in our slippery moccasins. My girlfriend had an extreme fear of thunder and fainted. I had to carry her up the rest of the way and take her to the Tipi where she recovered.

It was quite an adventure!

But it wasn't all bad. There was a woman making Pies in a Dutch oven for $5. My girlfriend and I bought a blackberry pie and ate the whole thing. I also got in on a bow making class taught by a professor of archeology at Logan State University. I learned how to make pine pitch glue and how to sinew back my long bow.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Even the bad ones are good.

 

[tenngun]

I’ve been to too cold and too hot, knee deep in mud, smoky green fire wood, and water that tasted so strong of sulfur it was almost undrinkable.
Been to some great ones, but never a bad one

 

[Jaeger]

Back in 1986 Rocky Mountain Nationals in the High Uintas of Utah was my worst and my best rendezvous. The weather up at the top of a mountain is very volatile. The sun would be out and suddenly BOOM thunder, rain, hail in the middle of the summer. It was up so high some folks from lower elevations were having trouble breathing. This was a huge event with upwards of a thousand or more tips, wall tents, bakers tents etc. It rained so much we had a river running through our Tipi. I remember waking up with my arm in a puddle of ice cold water. The next night we dug a trench around the Tipi and made a bed of pine bows to keep off the ground. We youngsters had no intention of leaving but a lot folks had had enough and wanted to go but the Park Rangers insisted that folks stay until the ground dried up so the vehicles didn't tear the land up. Everyone was stuck for days. We were all running out of firewood because the truck couldn't get in to deliver more and we were told we couldn't collect wood from the forest. One day my friends and I went on a hike. We had spotted a natural lake down in a valley. We hiked down the mountain to the lake. My girlfriend (Now wife) spotted some Mountain Lion tracks. They were so fresh water was rising in them! We decided to get the hell out of there and started to hike up the mountain and BOOM it started thundering and raining on us. We could barely climb the mountain in our slippery moccasins. My girlfriend had an extreme fear of thunder and fainted. I had to carry her up the rest of the way and take her to the Tipi where she recovered.

It was quite an adventure!

But it wasn't all bad. There was a woman making Pies in a Dutch oven for $5. My girlfriend and I bought a blackberry pie and ate the whole thing. I also got in on a bow making class taught by a professor of archeology at Logan State University. I learned how to make pine pitch glue and how to sinew back my long bow.

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This is REAL reenacting.....hardcore.

 

[The Damned Yankee]

Agree with Appalachian Hunter. No bad ones, but... some times bad people. Ft. Loudon , PA, early 2000s. Guy in center of camp with tipi and wearing modern kilt would get out his phone (Not as common way back then) and his day planner book and conduct business loud enough for all to hear. He did this for several days in a row. Nice of him to invite us to his office. Another guy (same camp) dressed as French soldier giving a presentation to a group of young school students, used a tape player to give his commands (in French) while going through the manual of arms. While this was bad enough, when he was talking about his gun and the size musket ball it shot, he lowered the muzzle toward the sitting students so they could look down the barrel! As Bugs Bunny would say " What a maroon!" The teachers were not happy! Things like this leave a lasting impression!
Stay safe out there!
TDY

 

[BadDaditood]

WoW I’m with Bugs on that one, “ what a maroon, what a nin-cow-poop!”

 

[Rudyard]

The ' Mud Eastern'at Salamanca was a trifle muddy but we camped fine if many wouldn.t set up .Shame they missed a good event. Mud is Primitive they Had mud you can document it . I liked the ones with rivers with freight trains on the other bank not so easy to document perhaps but I love to hear the big Diesels .
'Rudyard

 

[fiddler]

anyone here attand the EPR at McConnellsville OH back in the early 2000's. I won't say it was the worst..........but the rain made it was "challenging". I had my 10 year old daughter there. She's 29 now and we still talk about it.

 

[cositrike]

anyone here attand the EPR at McConnellsville OH back in the early 2000's. I won't say it was the worst..........but the rain made it was "challenging". I had my 10 year old daughter there. She's 29 now and we still talk about it.

Yep. I was there from England. I enjoyed the Rendezvous.

 

[Jaegermeister]

Friendship (Floodship) back in about spring of 94 or 95 or so. Huge rain and massive flooding. Camping trailers were floating away.

 

[smo]

Like many others, I’ve never been too a bad rendezvous…

Some I didn’t get much rest at….
Friendship 2018 was a memorable event…

Temps in the lower 100’s around 3:00 on my way in too set up…

By the time I got the tent up, the rain started..
6.5 “ of rain in the next 24 -36 hours.
They were moving camper trailers all night long away from the quickly swelling Laughery creek..

Ya’ gotta love it!
Think I’ll go back in September!

 

[nhmoose]

First I went to. Did not stay

 

[Bushfire]

Back in 1986 Rocky Mountain Nationals in the High Uintas of Utah was my worst and my best rendezvous. The weather up at the top of a mountain is very volatile. The sun would be out and suddenly BOOM thunder, rain, hail in the middle of the summer. It was up so high some folks from lower elevations were having trouble breathing. This was a huge event with upwards of a thousand or more tips, wall tents, bakers tents etc. It rained so much we had a river running through our Tipi. I remember waking up with my arm in a puddle of ice cold water. The next night we dug a trench around the Tipi and made a bed of pine bows to keep off the ground. We youngsters had no intention of leaving but a lot folks had had enough and wanted to go but the Park Rangers insisted that folks stay until the ground dried up so the vehicles didn't tear the land up. Everyone was stuck for days. We were all running out of firewood because the truck couldn't get in to deliver more and we were told we couldn't collect wood from the forest. One day my friends and I went on a hike. We had spotted a natural lake down in a valley. We hiked down the mountain to the lake. My girlfriend (Now wife) spotted some Mountain Lion tracks. They were so fresh water was rising in them! We decided to get the hell out of there and started to hike up the mountain and BOOM it started thundering and raining on us. We could barely climb the mountain in our slippery moccasins. My girlfriend had an extreme fear of thunder and fainted. I had to carry her up the rest of the way and take her to the Tipi where she recovered.

It was quite an adventure!

But it wasn't all bad. There was a woman making Pies in a Dutch oven for $5. My girlfriend and I bought a blackberry pie and ate the whole thing. I also got in on a bow making class taught by a professor of archeology at Logan State University. I learned how to make pine pitch glue and how to sinew back my long bow.

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To me, if someone wants to re-enact times gone by and get the feel for what it was like then experiences like yours can't be beat!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Worst one was back in the early 80’s, I was in my 20’s back then. First real Rendevous for me…

The gathering was in a high mountain meadow in late summer, on a private ranch.

Woke up Saturday morning to 1/2” of snow on the ground, wood smoke floated low through camp and down the valley. Breakfast was cooked over an open fire, with hot coffe…thunder storms started late afternoon…and in the middle of one of the storms, two rag-horn bull elk came into the lower end of camp, less than 50 yrds from my tent, and started kicking up dirt and mud as they locked horns, shoving each other around IN CAMP…rutt wasn’t for weeks yet.

The guy I was camping with, sat glumly, water dripping off the tent fly, and said, “ I’m so cold and wet, I want to go home.”

I looked him dead in the eye, “You’re an idiot”

…the best Rendezvous I’d ever been on…The gathering was in a high mountain meadow in late summer, on a private ranch, and the guy I was camping with was an idiot…

 

[smo]

First I went to. Did not stay

Why?

 

[nhmoose]

Felt very unwelcome as a Newby spoiled it for me totally. Bunch of Jerks to be truthful. Their loss not mine.

 

[Bushfire]

Felt very unwelcome as a Newby spoiled it for me totally. Bunch of Jerks to be truthful. Their loss not mine.

Unfortunately that's not limited to rendezvous. I find online the biggest thing stopping guys getting into BP is other BP shooters. Not to derail but I've noticed on another forum in particular if you don't have all the most pc/hc bits and ways you'll be chastised and/or mocked. I have been.

Hopefully something that gets better. This forum has a rough patch but seems to be much better.

Every positive interaction whether it's online or in person can only benefit the sport. And every negative the opposite. So I don't understand why some are the way they are.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Some folks just enjoy being trolls and jerks. They should work harder at the old “If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.”