Possible 2013 Colorado Moot?

[Manveruon]

Hey folks! So to start this off with some background info: I was at the pub this evening with a friend, and we got to talking about the ranger stuff I've been obsessing over for the last couple years. He's a big pirate enthusiast like myself, and is "quartermaster" in my little local pirate group, but lately he has been interested in getting involved in ranging. We're both active ren-faire participants, and each of us has been involved in the SCA from time to time, so this is something we're both definitely interested in. Thus, I'm trying to get him more involved.
Anyway, the talk started with costuming (since the Hobbit movie is coming up, and we're planning some outfits for the midnight premier), but eventually led to the idea of doing "ranger" stuff in general. I tend to be the kind of guy who focuses more on costuming than actual reenactment of any kind, because that's what really got me into all this in the first place. I'm not a particularly experienced camper or trekker, I was never a Boy Scout, I have no real tracking or hunting skills of any kind. The only thing I do that is practical for a ranger is archery, and though I'm improving, I'm far from being what I would consider "good." Bryan has done a bit more of the "outdoorsman" sort of thing than I have, and seems interested in the idea of applying a ranger theme to some of that.
As the talk progressed, we got on the topic of a rather disjointed, and slightly ill-fated camping trip some of our pirate crew took out to a place called Eleven Mile State Park back in 2008. I was unfortunately unable to attend (and so was pretty much everyone else), but the few people who did actually get the chance to go had great things to say about it. Bryan and I both realized that this might be a really great place for us to do a ranger themed camping trip. The park is up in the mountains, not far from Colorado Springs, and it has a back-country camping area that is pack-in-and-out, and what's more: it's most easily accessible by water. So the best option for folks would be to canoe or boat in, but they could also hike in as well. Apparently it's a great place for fishing, as the reservoir is well stocked, and there are plenty of campsites around. The only down-side is that the campsites are pre-designated, and somewhat formal - although it says there are several tucked away in little canyons and such to afford some seclusion and privacy.
As we talked about it, we both got kind of fired up about the idea. Like I said, I haven't really done anything like this before, but I thought this might be a perfect opportunity for me to actually put my garb to use in a functional way, and to learn a little of the ranger skills I am so sorely lacking at present. And when I thought a little more about it, I figured I would post the idea up here for people to take a look at and see if they're interested in perhaps making a small, somewhat informal moot out of it.
Mind you, nothing is in any way set in stone at this point, and as far as I know it could totally fall through, but I wanted to throw it up here to gauge reaction, and see if anyone out there might like to try something like this, possibly in the early fall of 2013.

That's basically it! If anyone has any thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions, etc. please feel free to post them!

[Greg]

Early fall, eh?

I make zero promises. That being said, it's a goal of mine to hit all of the major Rangering "hotspots" withing our community at some point in my life. Figures that this would come up AFTER I moved east.

My best advice when planning an event like this, speaking from experience, would be to plan it around "sure-to-come-ers", for lack of a better term. Your STC's are locals, friends you know personally, and those within a few hours' drive. That pretty much nixes the forum members, but don't fret. The next step, you've already done. Plan a date that works best with your STC's, and then post the event WELL in advance, so anyone that lives an unreasonable distance has all of the time in the world to make travel arrangements if they're serious about it. Getting time off of work usually isn't a problem when you ask it off ten months in advance, you know?

So, for what it's worth, you're off to a great start. For the sake of your event, I'd recommend looking into those secluded sites. Trekking in legitimate Ranger kit is one of life's great joys for me, and doing so in a well-marked campsite isn't so bad, but doing so with modern, curious, and irrepressible neighbors camping ten yards away or less is downright annoying. You won't be able to take a "period" photograph to save your life, and you won't be able to strike flint to steel without answering questions. I'm all for teaching, but when I'm "In the Wilds", so to speak, if I don't know you or didn't bring you along, it's not the time for it. It really kills the mood/mentality.

I'll look forward to more details as they start getting hammered out! Post all the details here as things start to clarify...don't get discouraged if no one responds...focus on your STC's, and who knows who might show up!

-Greg

[Manveruon]

Thank you, Greg! That's all excellent advice! That's exactly what I was thinking, really. I figure we've got a few people around here who would probably be very interested in doing it, but if we actually do get it together, and there are out-of-towners who want to come out for it, so much the better! If not, we'll still have a great time ourselves.

Also, I completely agree about spectators. It kind of ruins the atmosphere, aside from anything else. If this really does turn out to be a go, I'm going to have to contact the park and see if there's an area waaaaay out of the way that we can basically guarantee privacy. Otherwise, we may have to rethink the location. But luckily, we have plenty of time!

I'll keep posting here as it progresses!

[Manveruon]

Just an update - or perhaps I should say a bump, since there's nothing really to update. I still would very much like to go ahead with this, assuming I can get everything in order. I'm actually already getting kind of fired up about it. Tonight I'm going to try to create a private Facebook invite for some people I know, and start getting the ball rolling.

I've got a few things on my mind about what needs to happen to make this work.

- First off, I've got to figure out a good date. Then I'll need to contact the park and see what's available. Hopefully we can get something properly secluded.
- Then I've got to see what if anything we can do in regards to things like archery (I doubt we'll be able to swing it) or other activities. For that matter, I have a feeling Colorado will be in a state of active fire ban at that point, so I need to take that into consideration as well. If it comes down to it, I may need to consider looking at a different site.
- I need to come up with a full list of gear, equipment, rations, etc. I have already started compiling this. So far I'm looking mostly at things like dried meats and fruits, "lembas" breads (which I'm trying to take a very realistic approach to in order to create a sort of hiking super-food), and stuff that doesn't go bad or require cooking, in case we can't use a fire. I'm also interested in looking into primitive fishing methods, because apparently the lake is well stocked. It would be nice to catch our dinner in a period fashion - but of course, the fire issue is still there. We'll have to see about that.
- If we do decide to go with 11 Mile State Park, and we want to go in by water, I've got to find a way for us to get our hands on some canoes or something of the sort.


Anyway, that's just a general idea list, and I suppose right now I'm just sort of thinking out loud. Any general interest, comments, or questions, are welcomed!