5 FCF Wilderness Applicants

My first experience (1992) with FCF was at a Ranger Event shortly after I started Ranger Ministry. One of the men was carrying a little leather pouch on his belt. I asked him Randy what is that your carrying. He told me it was for a Wilderness Vigil he was getting ready to do. I asked what do you keep in the bag. He said it was to be kept secret......my first impresson was secret society watch out..ha boy was I wrong.

2000 I looked around and most of the guys working in Royal Rangers were FCF members. I felt as District Staff it was prudent for me to join the fellowship and become a Frontiersman. It was fun and I started grasping the value of FCF for young and old a like.

2019 some 19 years later I had a handful of youngbucks that were wanting to do Buckskin Advancement. So they and i worked hard at getting that advancement step completed. It required lots of details to be tightened up. Trappers Brigade, Outfit, Totem, Advancements in RR and some merit work both on the boys and my part.

2024 Our FCF President Tall Oak and I were talking at a Ranger Event and he said he would like to go Wilderness and I agreed I needed to do the same thing. So along the way many preparations attention to detail, Kit cleanup, dialing it all in and the Best part bringing YOUNG BUCKS along with us!

Royal Rangers in my opinion is one of the best ways to develop young men into Rompin Stompin Children of King Jesus. These two young men managed to go through the filtering process. I feel the scout testing process and Achieved Scout leadership grew these two young men substantially.

While Barbed Wire got his name from being closed lined in the dark at the neck level with a barbed wire fence might I say more than on one occasion, often liken him to be much like King David as a young man. Full of action, full of song, full of something..HA!

While Four Legs picked his name before I knew. He is fast like superman when running. I mean Wow fast!

Bittercreek our Wilderness Rep took on this Wilderness Vigil with lots of vigor. Many e-mails, phone calls, letters later and after sponsoring our Ozark group had us prepared for Wilderness Advancement.

3 months before the Wilderness event we received a parchment type letter with a leather pouch and some secret things inside that ONLY WILDERNESS PEOPLE CAN SEE.

After 3 face to face 2 hour plus meetings going over check lists and gear and getting the many many things together as well as getting it in Trek mode we were ready after we completed a Wilderness Survival Merit staying over night with no cots, sleeping bags just a few items found in a small fanny pack in the 41 degree temps. It was fun! I think my 13th Survival campout...they say I am a slow learner...GRIN!
I really enjoy making stuff. So I made salt or spice horn for each person attending and burnt Wilderness Vigil 2024 in the top of them. A small wooden 2 part jar with lid. Also made the 5 wilderness applicants a 7" Oak Canteen with their FCF name on it with a can of moon juice and I told them to season this canteen with this caffeinated drink and to partake only at the 3 am hours of the morning. I think I and my young bucks discovered some chocolate covered exspresso beans in wax paper tied shut with jute twine as well Coffee, chocolate, jerk, nuts, dried rasins were a few things that kept my vigil hours shorter.


We arrived at Camp Millhouser at 11:30 am and the event started at noon. Right off the bat we were directed to get our FCF gear on bring everything outfit and gear and kit and gun and bring it to the back porch of the log cabin.

All the testing started. No surprises here. We were instructed on what we were going to be tested on and most of us were up to the test. I struggle with songs and Bible verse memorization. My wife laughs along with me as she knows all the songs all the words and even after I have heard them 1000 times it' just isn't there. Now if it's a technical thing that is easy to remember. Thank the LORD FOR GRACE!

After each Wilderness Member tested and evaluated us on each of the things we packed up and was given a piece of written directions to trek to our individual vigil site.

Once at camp I stowed my gear next to a tree. Put on gloves and started hauling up firewood for the long night. Having done hundreds of backpacking with large groups I know how much firewood that is not cut can be burnt up through the night. So after 2 larger than life piles of wood where I had NO DOUBT that it would last 12 hours with a bright flame I was set. I will always bring a saw when I go backpacking or trekking. In this case I had a antique buck saw. I am making 20 more of these as a trekking project. We don't do a lot of trekking in FCF. If we did we would see more bucksaws in camp.

Off in the distance I could see 3 of my fellow applicants doing much the same thing as I was doing. I told the young bucks under no circumstances lay down do not make a bed. Only make a seat that you can sit on and get up often. Did they listen? Look at the pictures. HA!

So just before dark the Wilderness Members visited each camp and watched us as we made fire with flint and steel. 2 weeks before this I had 10 guys walking a river bed searching for flint to use at the Wilderness Survival Merit testing. Each person was to bring one piece back to the main camp and gather along the way some materials to do a flint and steel fire with. In that process my great flint and steel kit got put back in the group kit and I had this piece of flint we found on the river bed as my flint...fear griped my heart as I looked at it. Here I am in the middle of this testing and I am using something I have not used to start (THE MOST IMPORTANT THING for survival) FIRE! I took heart and knew with God's help it would spark enough to get char going. He would not let me down as my heart was in the right place. (That has to be one of the worst flints I have ever picked up but God was faithful)

We were instructed to make a debris shelter. I have made and helped boys make possibly 50 of these over the year so besides my vigil shelter that was a green tree tripod with forks on the ends that interlocked and one longer leg went to the base of a tree that made a ridge line for my wool blanket to go over the frame and make me a nice sitting wind block. When the wool blanket is over the frame it makes a great shelter and looks great. No picture that shows it setup.

After the fires were started we were to cook up the deer meat, potato, onion and eat apple and bread.
My iron stamped skillet and my lack of attention over cooked part of my deer meat, undercooked my potatoes and onion was just a pleasant taste in the woods. I had a squirrel cooker (2 pieces of forged iron that interlock with a fork on one end that allows you to do a wonderful job of cooking next to a camp fire) I enjoyed that deer meat off of that squirrel cooker it was great. Thanks to Mrs. Bittercreek for the homemade bread and the deer that she had harvested. It was very good and blessed my heart. That apple was such a pleasant treat! I used my salt and pepper horns to season the meat and potatoes and of course my apple.

Well I could see after dark it was going to be a long night. We were instructed not to talk the other Applicants. Barbed wire who I will infer him to be a version of a youthful King David kept singing for hours. That young buck has more songs than a pharmacy has pills. While we didn't talk we did join in on singing the hymns and songs we knew. Raping on a pan. Drumming on a log. Was helping the hours pass.

Many Arrows was the first to blow the horn what a beautiful job he did on the hour every hour of the night came the leading long horn blast as unto the LORD! Every time through the night I praised God for those horn blasts as it meant my Brothers in Christ were still up and the vigil had not defeated them.

Four legs across the gully about 300 feet away with a borrowed horn produced another edifying blast at 5 minutes past the hour every hour. Again I shouted Praise the LORD as the night progressed and the souls became weary. I could see Four legs the best as he was on the side of a hill and his fire was in front of him from my perspective and I could make out his whole camp. In the middle of the morning I could see him lay back and I prayed God help him to stay awake.

Tall Oak just NE of me 250 feet time was ten minutes after the hour every hour. I could see the flames of his fire and every now and then catch a glimpse of him putting on wood.

Barbed Wire tried to blow his horn at fifteen past the hour ever hour. He was some 200 feet away due east of me. He kept a low flre and i often wondered if his staying up the night before to 12:30 pm had come to affect him during this vigil.

My camp was the most southern camp in the circle of camps. My horn blowing was almost as good as "King David" and my time was 20 minutes after the hour.

Many times through the night we were visited by Wilderness Members. Just before midnight Bittercreek explained the vigil should be quieter he then left my camp and headed over to "King Davids" camp where it got very quiet the rest of the night. We had been singing rappin on pans for hours and they could hear us up at the log cabin 1/4 mile away. GRIN!

A special time of communion at 1 am after he walked into camp with no light, lantern just by the light of the full moon. Southpaw visited each camp and shared the important bread and grape juice and prayer.

This event was done with the type of Love that Christ has for His Church. I spent many hours praying for friends, families even those that I would consider neither of those. In the Spirit Praying for our Church, Pastor, Staff, Deacons, RR Leaders and churches that have lost the vision of Royal Rangers. God wake them up!!!

Speaking of that. 4 am to 6 am. It got quiet in the woods. I could hear all night long the deer that walked past my camp the critters that all stayed just out of campfire light but you could hear the rustle of leaves and the crack of sticks as they passed by. Most likely walking up to Camp Millhouser Lake for a drink and then in a bit hear them walking the other direction. I nibbled on walnuts, raisins, chocolate and often after the horn blast time zone I would take my new canteen and have a shot of moon juice (caffeinated drink from the dollar store that Four leg's turned us on to) thank you Jesus! Chocolate covered Expresso Coffee beans helped keep the spirit from being weary.

O Jesus! Horn blowing time. I heard the 1st, 2nd, 3rd then silence. As I looked at the dwindled glow of that campfire I cried out in the Holy Ghost. Holy Spirit help him. Stand him up and kindle that fire. Strengthen HIM by Your Power! I then went over to the biggest log and in my simple faith and mind cut the head off the snake that had that camp dwindling over there. I then went about 5 feet away and with my ax I gave it 21 chops. Then blew my horn at 20 minutes past the hour.

It seemed like a long time. I repeatedly kept cutting that snakes head off and giving that log 21 chops each time tossing my ax next to my skillet where it belongs often hitting that pan in my ritual of tears and O God move by your Spirit. Soon I saw the flames rise. I saw the hope in my heart rise I gave God the Glory for a risen soon to be Wilderness Member.

In my elated Glory the next horn blowing session took place on the hour as a loud long probably the best horn blowing I ever heard and I followed up with a WELL GLORY! and praised God. I glanced over to the next horn camp and noticed the fire that had been strong all night was at it's lowest....fear dripped into my heart. In Jesus name Lord I want to see that fire rise. Raise up that young man. Help him Lord. Praying in the Spirit and after silence passed by with no horn blown what seemed like hours the 3rd Horn blew then the 4th every few minutes I was convicted to cut the head off that snake and give that log 21 chops as I needed that log to be cut in half. Soon I saw the fire rise and the young buck stirring. GLORY TO GOD! as I started Singing Stand on the Promises of God with all my heart, soul and spirit.

6 am hour came. Horns all blew strong. Joy was in my heart and I sounded a Praise God each time I heard a horn.

Soon the Wilderness Members were in camp instructing us to put out campfires and disperse collected trees and shelters.

Breakfast was wonderful. Fellowship was shared. Last part of the testing was completed and we were welcomed into the FCF Wilderness Membership. A job well done! Thank you Jesus!

Mark Jones 10-22-2024