WINTER TRAIL

Mountain men, trappers who made their living from trading furs acquired on long expeditions into the Rockies and other Western mountain ranges, led a rugged existence. They trapped furs all spring and in June, they had a short break when they met supply wagons and exchanged beaver pelts for necessities like gun powder and lead. Then, after moving back into the hills during late summer and autumn for more trapping, the mountain men "holed up" for the long, harsh winter.

Although some trappers worked in pairs or small groups, most preferred to work alone. Frequently, when they found themselves in hostile Indian territory, they would move their camp at night - even in the dead of winter - to stay one step ahead of their unfriendly neighbors. In "Winter Trail," this is the event in the solitary life of a mountain man. The trapper, his furs secured to the back of his packhorse, rides down a snow-covered trail at night, his rifle at the ready, always alert for an ambush.