I remember reading the historical stories about the mountain men of the early 1800's and their annual rendezvous in the Wind River Mountains region of the Rocky Mountains. How the sage and salty men of the trade blankets would go to great extremes, enduring all kinds of hardships and many demanding days of travel endurance, just to reach Rendezvous. Then, finally arriving at a convention of like-minded individuals, they set their itinerary for the days ahead. Days of buying, selling, trading, demonstrating their wares, networking, and surely, celebrating. Celebrating new and old endeared friendships and the achievements of the Best of the Best!
Sound familiar? If you are an annual ICAST attendee, you should.
Interesting Tidbit: One of the favorite trade items between the Mountain Man and the Native Americans was bone,fish hooks.