Theodore Winters looks like he might be 100 years old. Truth is, he just celebrated his 56th birthday. His grizzled beard, skeletal physique and leathery skin make him appear much older than he is. His hunchedover gait and tobacco-tinged voice add to the effect. Winters’ parents immigrated through New York whenhe was only four years old; he has only a faint German accent, having grown up in the States.

Old Man Winters has experienced his share of the frontier, having traveled from the Midwest states to Canada to California and back again, over some 35 years. He married young and had children, but often left them and his wife (may she rest in peace) back home during his adventures. He’s served with a number of expeditions, usually as a cook, guide or quartermaster.

He’s been in plenty of scrapes over the years, but he seems to live a charmed life, having been seriously injured only once (while recovering stolen goods in what became the Wyoming territory, a story he likes to tell over and over).