Sunday, August 17, 2025

Rogers Rock, The Legend©

 


Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

Have you heard of The Legend of Rogers’ Rock, or Rogers’ Slide, as is sometimes known? 

 

During the “Second Battle on Snowshoes”1 on March 13, 1758, Robert Rogers and his Rangers ambushed, and were ambushed by, a larger French and Indian force, along todays Trout Brook (then called by the French “Bernetz Riviere”, about 3-½  to 4 miles (between 5.5 and 6.5 km) west of Fort Ticonderoga, or as French called it, “Fort Carillon”. 

 

 

Rogers and his force of 180 men had left Fort Edward and traveled north up the frozen surface of Lake George, known to the French as Lac St. Sacrement, until they had reached the southern slope of what the English called Bald Mountain and the French knew as Mont Pelee, which after the events of March 13th, 1758, the English would rename as Rogers’ Rock.  Turning west and leaving the lake at this point, they marched along the Native American path called by the French the “Route des Agniers”, or the Mohawk Trail, into the woods along southern and then western slopes of Bald Mountain, making for the valley of Trout Brook and the notch separating Bald Mountain from Cook’s Mountain, a saddle where the daily patrol from Fort Carillon reconnoitered.  Once on the western slopes of Bald Mountain, Rogers sent out a scouting party of three rangers along the slopes of Cook’s Mountain above frozen surface of Trout Brook, the remainder of the Rangers resting before continuing the march.

 



Unknown to Rogers, six French allied Abenakis, returning from a scout to Fort Edward, had discovered the tracks of their ice creepers on the frozen windswept surface of Lake George and had rushed back to Fort Carillon to report to the French.  The commander of the fort immediately sent out a force of just over 300 French Marines, Canadian Milice and allied Indians to confront him.  They quickly advanced south along Trout Brook, the same brook along which Rogers’ main party was advancing north.

 

The three scouts, led by Ensign MacDonald, moved along the slopes of Cook’s Mountain, spotted the advance party of almost 100 allied Indians below them in a clearing, moving south down Trout Brook.  But in their hurry to race back and warn Rogers, they did not see the main party of 200 mixed French, Canadians and Native Americans entering the clearing a few minutes behind the advance party -- it was now about 3:30 pm.

 


By the time the three scouts had returned to the main party, the Rangers had marched about a mile and a half (approximately 2.5 km) further north along Trout Brook, putting them just north of today’s Ticonderoga Country Club.  It was now about 3:45 pm, almost an hour and half before sunset.

 

Rogers quickly ordered his men to leave their packs, face left and advance to the eastern rim of the brook, where they lay in 100 yard long ambush behind trees, logs and rocks.

 

Rogers Journal

-We kept close to the mountain, that the advanced guard might better observe the rivulet, on the ice of which I imagined the enemy would travel if out, as the snow was four feet deep, and very bad travelling on snow shoes

- In this manner we marched a mile and a half, when our advanced guard informed me of the enemy being in their view; and soon after, that they had ascertained their number to be 96 chiefly Indians. We immediately laid down our packs, and prepared for battle, supposing these to be the whole number or main body of the enemy, who were marching on our left up the rivulet, upon the ice, and would come within 15 Rods [about 250 feet, or 75 meters Author’s Note] of My party by the Course they then Steered

I orderd Ensign [Gregory] McDonald to the command of the advance guard, which, as we faced to the left, made a flanking party to our right. We marched to within a few yards of the bank, which was higher than the ground we occupied; and observing the ground gradually to descend from the bank of the rivulet to the foot of the mountain, we extended our party along the bank for enough to command the whole of the enemies at once

We waited until their front was nearly opposite to our left wing, when I fired a gun, as a signal for a general discharge upon them; whereupon we gave them the first fire, which killed about forty Indians, the rest retreated. My party pursued them & Scalped about forty Indians in about one quarter of an hour

 


The advance force Native Americans was met by the Rangers, who fired first and ambushed them.  Many of the Native Americans fell in the first volley, and the rest fled, quickly chased by many Rogers’ men, while others stayed to finish off the wounded.  The French allied Indians retreated north along Trout Brook, taking further losses, until they met the main body of the French, mostly Marines and Canadian Milice, who alerted by the screams and musket shots, had spread out in a crescent, before advancing down the brook.  

 

The ambushers were now the ambushed and the English were forced to fall back, firing as they went, back to the main party of Rogers’ forces, with a loss of about fifty men.  

 

Rogers Journal

-The remainder I rallied, and drew up in pretty good order, where they fought with such intrepidity and bravery as obliged the enemy to retreat a second time; but we not being in a condition to pursue them, they rallied again, and recovered their ground, and warmly pushed us in front and both wings, while the mountain defended our rear."

 

The Rangers were greatly outnumbered, but fought fiercely to maintaining the high ground advantage, by lengthening their line to keep from being flanked and by slowly retiring under the pressure of the French up the slope Bear Mountain, firing from behind trees, rocks and log and using petite guerre, woods-fighting methods.

 

Rogers Journal

-Lieutenant Phillips informed me that about 200 Indians were going up ye hill on our right to take possession of ye rising ground upon our backs. . . I ordered him with 18 Men to take possession of ye rising Ground before the Enemy, & try to beat them back. Accordingly he went, but I being Suspicious that ye Enemy would go round on our left & take possession of the other part of the hill, I sent Lieutenant [Edward] Crofton with 15 Men to take possession of the ground there and soon after desired Captain Pringle to go with a few men & assist Crofton, which he did with Lt. Roche & 8 Men. But the Enemy pushed So close in the front that the party's were not more than 20 yards apart & oftentimes intermixed with each other.

 


Outnumbered and outflanked on the right, with the French and Indians cutting between his center and surrounding his right flank and with night quickly falling, Rogers ordered his remaining men to scatter.  The Rangers fled the battlefield in groups of just two or three and retreated to their prearranged rendezvous at Friends Point, about 5 miles to the south, where their hand sleighs and additional provisions had been cached.  

 

Rogers Journal

-Upon finding that Phillips & his party was obliged to Surrender, I thought it most prudent for me to retreat & bring off as many of my people as I possibly could. Which I immediately did.

 

Rogers acting in accordance with his own Rules of Ranging, had his men disperse and retreat with each group of two to three men taking a different path the pre-planned rendezvous point.

 

Robert Rogers’ Rule No. X of his "Rules for Ranging Service":

-If the enemy is so superior that you are in danger of being surrounded by them, let the whole body disperse, and every one take a different route to the place of rendezvous appointed for that evening which must every morning be altered and fixed for the evening ensuring, in order to bring the whole party, or as many of them as possible together, after any separation that may happen in the day; but if you should happen to be actually surrounded, form yourselves into a square, or, if in the woods, a circle is best, and, if possible, make a stand till the darkness of night favors your escape.

 


 

The Indians and French, eager for the glory of capturing Robert Rogers, chased him to the edge of a steep cliff face, extending 700 feet (215 meters) from the top of Bald Mountain to the waters of Lake George.  During the chase Rogers threw off his regimental coat, which was later discovered on the battlefield by the French.  In a pocket was found his captain's commission, dated 24 March 1756 and signed by Sir William Shirley.  The French and Indians following him discovered two sets snowshoe prints leading up to the ledge and assumed that Rogers and another ranger had tried to escape by sliding down the smooth, frozen, near vertical, east side of the mountain to the surface of Lake George over 700 feet below.  They assumed that he had fallen and died, and so they gave up the pursuit, and the legend of Rogers’s Slide was born!

 

But Robert Rogers had survived and with his remaining men, reached the rendezvous point by 8:00 pm, before limping back Fort Edward a few days later.  But how did he escape? 

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read about how Robert Rogers escaped from the summit of the mountain and how to follow his retreat to the top of today’s Rogers Rock, yesterday’s Bald Mountain.

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Sources

 

Bearor, Bob; The Battle on Snowshoes, [Heritage Books, Inc., Westminster, MD, 2007]

 

Battle of Rogers Rock Postcard, (Glen Falls Ins. Co), 1910-1920, https://itoldya420.getarchive.net/amp/media/battle-of-rogers-rock-glen-falls-ins-co-cbf468, accessed August 16, 2025

 

The Rogers’ Rock Hotel And Slide, Lake George, N.Y. Post Card, 1905, https://www.tuckdbpostcards.org/items/72819-the-rogers-rock-hotel-and-slide-lake-george-n-y, accessed August 16, 2025

 

Todish, Timothy J.; The Annotated and Illustrated Journals of Major Robert Rogers, [Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, NY, 2002]

 

USGS; “Ticonderoga 1894”, https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ht-bin/tv_browse.pl?id=2202dc567c61fa316075743dd9492286, accessed August 16, 2025

 

Zaboly, Gary; “The Legend of Rogers’ Slide”, Muzzleloader, Vol. XXVII, No, 4, September/October 2001, page 74-79

Friday, August 8, 2025

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!©


Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I just wanted to thank all my readers and everyone else who has stopped by my blog for helping me break through 150,000 all time views.  Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!  Obviously, I could have reached this milestone without you.

 

I will be gone this weekend, but I’ll be back next Sunday with more great content.  Thank you again.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Ten Essentials of Winter Camping ©”, where we will talk about how to camp in the winter wilderness and stay warm and safe.

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!


Sunday, August 3, 2025

Starlight Mints and Survival©

 


Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

Starlight mints?  Aromatherapy?  Survival?  How do these three things go together?

 

Because according to a 2008 study International Journal of Neuroscience “...participants exposed to peppermint oil experienced enhanced memory and processing speeds…[it] also increased their alertness while helping them maintain a sense of calm”.

 

Peppermint is an herb that is a cross between two types of mints, water mint and spearmint.  Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians among others used mint plants and extracts, including peppermint, as medicine thousands of years ago.  However,  peppermint wasn’t recognized as a distinct subspecies until the late 17th century. 

 

Now I like starlight mints, and I also know that when people initially realize that they are “misplaced” or turned around in the wilderness, fear and anxiety begin to spike, and their thought process starts running around in circles chasing its own tail. 

 

However, if you S.T.O.P., sit down, breathe, think AND eat three starlight mints, you have a much better chance of thinking your way out of the crisis you’re in, because eating three starlight mints can have a mild, but noticeable, effect on your brain due to the combination of sugar and peppermint oil.  And the time taken to suck on three starlight mints while sitting and breathing should be enough to jump start your brain and get it working again.  Because when you are “misplaced”, if you don’t relax, calm down and think, you will panic and if you panic, you’re truly “lost”.

 

Eating three starlight mints can provide a temporary boost in your alertness and potentially enhance reasoning functions due to the peppermint oils,

  

Initially there will be a “sugar rush” as the sugars in the mints cause a rapid increase in your blood sugar (glucose) levels.  Glucose is the brain's primary fuel source, and the brain uses over half of all the glucose you eat.  This sugar rush will give you temporary feeling of increased energy and alertness, and a slight mood boost due to the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward.  Be warned nothing is free, and this temporary boost could be followed by rapid drop or “sugar crash” which will cause a decline in energy and concentration, as the body releases insulin to regulate the glucose levels.  This effect will likely be minor and short-lived, but the sugar crash could lead to an increase of fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and possibly impair cognitive functions like memory and decision-making. 

  

Peppermint oil in starlight mints can increase your focus and alertness, and decrease anxiety and fatigue, because it contains menthol.  Menthol has been associated with enhanced alertness and focus, and studies suggest that the aroma of peppermint can increase the function of the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory and learning, by boosting cognitive function by up to 15%.  The 2008 study by International Journal of Neuroscience found that peppermint aroma improved cognitive performance, memory, and alertness in the participants.  However, the 2008 study on peppermint's cognitive effects was focused on inhaled essential oils, and it is unknown if eating mints has the same effect.

 

I have experimented with the effects of eating three starlight mints, when the three o’clock blah comes on at work, and within a short time (less than 15 minutes) my energy levels and focus increased and was able to make it to five o’clock.

 

So, next time I head out into the wilderness I am going to throw some starlight mints into my pocket and some in my survival bag.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Ten Essentials of Winter Camping ©”, where we will talk about how to camp in the winter wilderness and stay warm and safe.

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Sources

 

Blatchley, Barbara and Li, Sijia; “Examining the Effect of Peppermint on Cognitive Functioning”, https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.psichi.org/resource/resmgr/journal_2014/fall14jnli.pdf, accessed August 2, 2025

 

Deivanayagame, Balasubramaniam, et. al.; “Effect of Peppermint Aroma on Short Term Memory and Cognition in Healthy Volunteers”, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342000375_Effect_of_Peppermint_Aroma_on_Short_Term_Memory_and_Cognition_in_Healthy_Volunteers, accessed August 2, 2025

 

Ellis, Rachel Reiff; “Health Benefits of Peppermint”, https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/ss/slideshow-all-about-antioxidants, accessed August 2, 2025

 

Michigan State University Extension; “Stressed? Peppermint can help!”, June 01, 2016, https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/stressed_peppermint_can_help, accessed August 2, 2025


Sunday, July 27, 2025

IT’S HOT! Keep Hydrated©

 


Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

IT’S HOT!  The ‘Dog Days Of Summer’ are here, so keep hydrated.  Whether you’re working outdoors or sitting in your car, it’s HOT!  When it’s hot , you sweat, and when you sweat you get dehydrated.  So what should you do to keep the fluid levels up?

 



But how much water do you need to keep your motor running cool?  Activity level dramatically changes the volume of fluids that you need.  In a temperate climate when at rest, the average adult weighing 154 pounds (70 kg) will need about 3 quarts or liters of water each day.  Of this half, or 1½ quarts (liters) of water, is needed each day just for normal body processes, not including losses through sweating and respiration.  Doing moderately heavy work, like hiking over rough ground for several hours, the average adult will need approximately four to six quarts (liters) of water each day.  The same person performing very heavy work, like hiking on rough ground, carrying a heavy load for several hours, will need about six to fifteen quarts (liters) of water per day!


 

Your body size and gender also play an important part in determining your daily water requirements, since in general the larger you are the more energy is required for any activity and the more waste heat you will generate.  On average men are larger and heavier than women and therefore need more water each day. 

 



According to Karthik Kumar, a writer for MedicineNet, the minimum you should drink daily is half an ounce to an ounce of water per day for each pound you weigh.  For the mythical average 154 lb. (70 kg) person, this means that they need between 77 to 154 ounces ( 2,277 to 4,454 ml) or between 2 to 4 quarts (liters) of fluid daily.

 

Plain water is often the best choice for general hydration, and in most cases, drinking plain water is sufficient to rehydrate you, when you are only mildly dehydrated.  Other alternatives like oral rehydration solutions (ORS) may be better under certain specific conditions.  Gatorade is also, often used for rehydration, it is designed to replenish fluids, electrolytes (like sodium and potassium), and carbohydrates (in the form of sugar) lost during strenuous physical activity.  The sugar in Gatorade will not dehydrate you, however if you want a drink with less sugar, dilute your Gatorade with water, on a 1:1 basis.

 

If you are going to get physical during the ‘dog days’ of summer heat, remember to hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Sources

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Crevice Entrapment: Medical Aspects”, Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, March/April 1995, pages 5 to 7, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED398001.pdf, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Oral Fluids and Cave Rescue”, Wilderness Medicine Newsletter, March/April 2000, pages 4 to 5, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED448991.pdf, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Kumar, Karthik, MBBS; “How Much Water Should You Drink Based on Your Weight?”, [© 1996-2025 WebMD, LLC], https://www.medicinenet.com/how_much_water_to_drink_based_on_your_weight/article.htm, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Mitchell ,Major Glenn W., M.D. and Wein, Captain Robert W., M.D.; “Dehydration, Heat Illness and Army Aviation”, United States Army Aviation Digest, Issue 7, July 1985, pages 28 to 29, https://books.google.com/books?id=VFyZUcPZS3QC&pg=PA29&dq=hydration+aviation&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIxu6nwNqOAxUiSjABHXRTB4AQ6AF6BAgJEAM#v=onepage&q=hydration%20aviation&f=false, accessed July 26, 2025

 

Rance, Harry, M.D., “The Heat is On”, FAA Aviation News: A DOT/FAA Flight Standards Safety Publication, Volumes 27-29, July-August, 1988, https://books.google.com/books?id=WHi7YSZZ_aQC&pg=RA3-PA13&dq=dehydration+aviation&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1-6T6x9qOAxWyGVkFHTO1JZcQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=dehydration%20aviation&f=false, accessed July, 26, 2025


Sunday, July 20, 2025

Sorry Folks, I’ve Got Writer’s Block©

 

 


Author’s note -- I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

Did you ever have one of those weeks, where the little person in your head, you know the one who writes all the great stuff, just refuses to get out of bed?  It’s like having the flu, there is nothing you can do about it, but wait it out.

 

So, sorry everyone, I just don’t have anything good to share with you.  And I would rather be honest and tell you that then serve up garbage and lie to you and tell you that it was Haute Cuisine.  So please come back next week, hopefully I will have found a way to wake that little bugger up by then!

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read something great!

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!