The West really was wild in the 1780s. It was rough, it was hard and the men who made a living from the fruits of essential Mother Nature were the mountain men of legends.

They lived off of the land and at the mercy of the elements. The lifestyle was a choice to risk meeting ones' mortality, face to face on a regular basis through the slow agony of starvation, dehydration, burning heat, or freezing cold and sometimes by the surprise attack of animal or Indian. Freedom always comes with a price.

This weekend, Nov. 9-12, a group of re-enactors will gather at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park to celebrate the life of the western mountain man with a rendezvous.

The tradition of the rendezvous was started by General William Ashley's men of the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. in 1825. What began as a gathering to exchange pelts for supplies evolved into a month long carnival in the middle of the wilderness.

According to the organizer and "Booshway" of the Spring Mountain Free Trappers, Dan "Buffalo Rump" Trousdale, this gathering is a little different, but not much.

"We get together to show off our skills, camp with friends, set up trade tents, share information about where to get supplies and generally have a good time," he said.

The competitions between the "mountain men" will include black powder and flintlock shoot outs, a competition of throwing weapons like axes and hawk knives and archery competitions with primitive bows and handmade arrows. They will serve as demonstrations for the public.

Only one competition is open to audience participation: the atlatl throw.

For the uninitiated, it is a shaft with a handle on one end and a cup on the other, near end of the spear rest. The spear is thrown by the action of the upper arm and wrist and can readily cast a well made dart to ranges greater than 100 meters.

Apparently used as a weapon, the atlatl can take down the largest of animals when used by someone with experience.

In addition to competitions, Trousdale said, "We'll have traders coming from all over. Some will bring trade tents and people will be able to do some Christmas shopping for unique gifts. You won't find anything from Wal-Mart here.

"We have folks that make buckskin clothing to sell and other leather goods like pouches and bags."

Jewelry, high quality knives, bows and arrows, Dutch ovens and other pre-1800s necessities and gifts will be available.

There won't be a grill in sight, but foods cooked either directly over an open fire or prepared in Dutch ovens will be available "until we run out."

Sodas in cans are the exception to the rule.

The entry fee to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park is $5 and the exhibition is free.

The events begin at 9 a.m. each day, with a break around noon. The festivities will resume around 1 p.m. and continue until around 3 p.m.

For more information, call 702-645-2658 or go to www.springmountainfreetrappers.org.