Rocky Mountain Outfit — American Mountain Men (AMM) party of Colorado

Name

Nathan Blanchard

Location

Gunnison, CO

AMM

Bossloper #2039
Sponsored by RMO Party, Mentor is Tom Karnuta
Member since December 2010

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I was born and raised along the Canadian border in Northern VT; an area seeped in Colonial history. My family settled on a 160 acre farm after service in the American Revolution attached to the VT Militia and the Green Mountain Boys. Originally my ancestors migrated from Sweden in the late 1600s to Labrador where the two brothers, my many Great Grandfathers', took Native wives and became indentured servants to a contractor to the Hudsons Bay Company. They took the name Blanchard as so many French, Scandinavian and Europeans did at the time. The reason for their migration was religious persecution by the church of England, and the fact they were wanted men for stealing horses from the English army.

Fast forward three hundred years to the year 1966 when I was born a true "throw back". I grew up hunting deer, moose, bear and caribou in Northern Quebec and Canoeing and fishing for German Browns on the Missisquoi River. I also ran a trap line in the winter time.

My Grandmother was a history teacher and had many 1800 first edition hard cover books on the fur trade such as Kit Carson, Bill Cody, Jim Bridger and the James Younger clan. I couldn't get enough.

In 1982, my sophomore year in high school, I built my first Muzzleloader in shop class. I was immediately addicted to the smell of Black Powder. I skied biathlon for the Vermont 172nd Mountain Division "The Green Mountain Boys" to get me through college. After that I moved to Gunnison, CO in 1988 where I have been a hunting and fly fishing guide for the last 22 years.

Being a true "throwback" I always hunted primitively, not only in primitive garb but with a bow or muzzleloader. I naturally gravitated towards our local Rendezvous circuit to hang out with like minded folk where I met Tom Karnuta through my shooting guru Coyote Joe.

Tom and I became fast friends with our love for hunting, shooting, history and primitive trekking. With a little urging Tom got me hooked up with the "Rocky Mountain Outfit" and the AMM. A great bunch of guys who I look forward to spending many hunts, treks, and camps with as well as a limitless amount of fur era history.