Sure you can.  

All it takes is a love of history and the willingness to do some research.

What does the term "first person" mean?
The term refers to a technique where a person takes on a historical persona and acts as if he or she was that person. The persona can be that of a well-known historical figure like Sam Houston or Abraham Lincoln. It can also be of an actual but unknown historical figure like a farmer or soldier. A generic persona based on actual historical figures can be effective "first person" impressions. Conversion with visitors or other interpreters are carried out using the pronouns "I" and "we." For example, "I told my constituents that they could go to hell and I'd go to Texas!" or "We built our cabin down by the spring." A person in true first person mode does not know anything about events or the world outside his or her historical timeframe.

Welcome to my home.

I was born in Scotland in the year of our Lord, Seventeen hundred and thirty six.  My parents were killed during the jacobite rebellion. Afterward,  I went to live with my uncle and we later sold our family's lands and came to the colonies.  

At the age of 18, I left home to fight the French as a scout for the crown.  It has now been 22 years since I went off to war, and now, I again find myself embroiled in another war...This time against the army of King George himself.

There are many things to consider.

First of which is what time period are you really interested in. The 1700's? The French and Indian War? The Revolutionary War? Perhaps the Longhunters or maybe one of the many craftsmen of the time or even one of the eastern woodland Indians. Or perhaps your interest lies in the 1800's. The Mountain Men or the French Courier du Bois.   Go  to as many events as possible  and talk to people. You will find the people attending these reenactments are  a valuable resource in trying to determine the persona you will finally settle on.

Once you have decided on a time period and a persona, it is time for more research. Learn what types and styles of clothing are period correct. What type and style of footwear is proper for your persona. What is the proper type of gun and accoutrements for your period and persona. Clothing can be purchased or patterns can be purchased and your clothing sewn by you or someone you can hire for the job. The same holds true for footwear.  

Make yourself a haversack made from a light cotton canvas and purchase a tin plate, a tin cup and eating utensils and you're pretty well set. Folks around the rendezvous are always happy to take a "Pilgrim" in and feed them.   As for your gun, there are many types, depending on your time period, from a multitude of sources. Everything from production guns to custom built. Generally speaking, you will get what you pay for. Quality costs more, but a good gun or rifle can be had for as little as a couple hundred dollars.  Knowing what time period you want to reenact is crucial here. You wouldn't want to show up at your first event as an eastern Longhunter holding a Hawken style cap lock rifle, which wouldn't have been made yet. 

Once you have your persona picked, and your clothing and equipment together you can begin researching your shelter. First, what type of tent or shelter is right for your period and then what is right for you. Again, there is a variety of types and styles to chose from. From as simple as a square piece of canvas you can crawl under to the most elaborate tipi. There are many considerations. First of which, what is period correct. Then how much is enough and what is too much. Ease of set up and tear down. And of course the cost.

O.K.....You have all your stuff together...now what?

Well, most of us go to many small camps rather than just 1 or 2 big ones each year.  You might be interested in doing battle reenactments or going to local schools to "teach" children about a particular time period.  Some people might want to go to a local club just to shoot and others to a "market fair" because they like to interact with the general public.  The choice is entirely up to you.

Get involved.  Most groups are always looking for new ideas and new people to help with them.  You get to spend time with people who have been doing this for years and are more than happy to answer any questions you might have about our hobby or about history.  Most of us are amateur historians but we do have quite a few professional ones as well.