AN OLD TRAMPER'S ADVICE
MAP READING
SHOE WISDOM
THE PACK
THE "LEAN-TO" OR SHACK
BED MAKING
A HOT STONE WRINKLE
NIGHT WATCHERS
OBSERVATION PRACTICE
CAMERA SNAP SHOTS
CAMP LAMP
HANDY THINGS TO MAKE.
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
-Whitman.
An Old Tramper's Advice
It is an excellent thing for the boys to get away from the camp routine
for a few days, and walk "the long brown path," stopping overnight, doing
their own cooking, building their "lean-to" or shelter, and roughing it.
Walking is probably one of the best all-round cures for the ills of
civilization. Several things should be remembered when one goes on a hike.
First, avoid long distances. A foot-weary, muscle-tired, and temper-tried,
hungry group of boys surely is not desirable. There are a lot of false
notions about courage, and bravery, and grit, that read well in print but
fail miserably in practice, and long hikes for boys is one of the most
glaring of these notions. Second, have a leader who will set a good, easy
pace, say about three miles an hour, prevent the boys from excessive water
drinking, and assign the duties of pitching camp, etc. Third, observe
these two rules given by an old woodsman: (1) Never walk over anything you
can walk around; (2) Never step on anything that you can step over. Every
time you step on anything you lift the weight of your body. Why lift extra
weight when tramping? Fourth, carry with you only the things absolutely
needed, and roll in blanket and poncho, army style.
Map Reading
Before starting on a hike, study carefully the road maps. The best maps
are those of the United States Geological Survey, made on a scale of two
inches to the mile, and costing five cents each. The map is published in
atlas sheets, each sheet representing a small quadrangular district. Send
to the Superintendent of Documents, at Washington, D. C., for a list.
[Illustration: Universal Map Measure]
A mountaineer in Tennessee said: "We measure miles with a coonskin, and
throw in the tail for good measure." A better way is to purchase the
Universal Map Measure, costing $1.50 (imported and sold by Dame, Stoddard
Co., 374 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.), which accurately measures the
distance upon the Government Survey Maps.
Shoe Wisdom
For tramping the boy needs the right kind of a shoe, or the trip will be a
miserable failure. A light-soled or light-built shoe is not suited for
mountain work, or even for an ordinary hike. The feet will blister and
become "road-weary." They must be neither too big nor too small nor too
heavy, and be amply broad to give the toes plenty of room. The shoe should
be water-tight. A medium weight, high-topped lace shoe is about right.
Bathing the feet at the springs and streams along the road will be
refreshing, if not indulged in too frequently. (See chapter on "Health and
Hygiene" for care of the feet and proper way of walking.)
It is well to carry a spare shirt hanging down the back with the sleeves
tied round the neck. Change when the shirt you are wearing becomes too wet
with perspiration.
The Pack
The most practical and inexpensive pack is the one manufactured for the
Boy Scouts of America. Price, sixty cents. It is about 14 by 20 inches
square, and 6 inches thick, made of water-proof canvas, with shoulder
straps, and will easily hold everything needed for a tramping trip.
A few simple remedies for bruises, cuts, etc., should be taken along by
the leader (see chapter on "Simple Remedies"). You may not need them, and
some may poke fun at them, but as the old lady said: "You can't always
sometimes tell." Amount and kind of provisions must be determined by the
locality and habitation.
[Illustration: Hiking Pack]
The "Lean-to"
Reach the place where you are going to spend the night in plenty of time
to build your "lean-to," and make your bed for the night. Select your
camping spot, with reference to water, wood, drainage, and material for
your "lean-to." Choose a dry, level place, the ground just sloping enough
to insure the water running away from your "lean-to" in case of rain. In
building your "lean-to," look for a couple of good trees standing from
eight to ten feet apart with branches from six to eight feet above the
ground. By studying the illustration below, you will be able to build a
very serviceable shack, affording protection from the dews and rain. While
two or more boys are building the shack, another should be gathering
firewood, and preparing the meal, while another should be cutting and
bringing in as many soft, thick tips of hemlock or balsam boughs as
possible, for the roof of the shack and the beds. How to thatch the
"lean-to" is shown in this illustration.
If the camp site is to be used for several days, two "lean-tos" may be
built facing each other, about six feet apart. This will make a very
comfortable camp, as a small fire can be built between the two, thus
giving warmth and light.
[Illustration: Frame of Lean To]
[Illustration: Method of Thatching.]
The Bed
On the floor of your "lean-to" lay a thick layer of the "fans" or branches
of balsam fir or hemlock, with the convex side up, and the butts of the
stems toward the foot of the bed. Now thatch this over with more "fans" by
thrusting the butt ends through the first layer at a slight angle toward
the head of the bed, so that the soft tips will curve toward the foot of
the bed, and be sure to make the head of your bed away from the opening of
the "lean-to" and the foot toward the opening. Over this bed spread your
rubber blanket with rubber side down, your sleeping blanket on top, and
you will be surprised how soft, springy, and fragrant a bed you have, upon
which to rest your "weary frame," and sing with the poet:
Then the pine boughs croon me a lullaby,
And trickle the white moonbeams
To my face on the balsam where I lie
While the owl hoots at my dreams.
-J. George Frederick.
What God puts in the blood is eliminated slowly and we are all impregnated
with a love for the natural life which is irresistible. That was a great
saying of the boy who was taken from the city for the first time on an
all-night outing. Snugly tucked up in his blankets he heard the wind
singing in the pines overhead. As the boy looked up, he asked, "Wasn't God
blowing His breath down at us?"--Dr. Lilburn.
Hot Stones
If the night bids fair to be cold, place a number of stones about six or
eight inches in diameter next the fire, so they will get hot. These can
then be placed at the feet, back, etc., as needed, and will be found good
"bed warmers." When a stone loses its heat it is replaced near the fire
and a hot one is taken. If too hot, wrap the stone in a shirt or sweater
or wait for it to cool off.
Night Watchers
Boys desire adventure. This desire may be gratified by the establishment
of night watchers, in relays of two boys every two hours. Their
imaginations will be stirred by the resistless attraction of the camp-fire
and the sound of the creatures that creep at night.
Observation
Many boys have excellent eyes but see not, and good ears but hear not, all
because they have not been trained to observe or to be quick to hear. A
good method of teaching observation while on a hike or tramp is to have
each boy jot down in a small notebook or diary of the trip the different
kinds of trees, birds, animals, tracks; nature of roads, fences; peculiar
rock formation, smells of plants, etc., and thus be able to tell what he
saw or heard to the boys upon his return to the permanent camp or to his
home.
Cameras
One of the party should take a Brownie No. 2 or small folding kodak.
Photos of the trip are always a great pleasure and a memory reviver. A
practical and convenient method of carrying small folding cameras is
described in "Forest and Stream." A strap with a buckle having been
attached to an ordinary leather belt is run through the loops at the back
of the camera-case. The camera may be pushed around the belt to the point
where it will be least in the way.
Lamps
A very convenient lamp to use on a hike is the Baldwin Camp Lamp, made by
John Simmons Co., 13 Franklin Street, New York City. (Price, $1.00.) It
weighs only five ounces when fully charged with carbide, and is but 4-3/4
inches high. It projects a strong light 150 feet through the woods. A
stiff wind will not blow it out. It can be worn comfortably in your hat or
belt.
The "Rocky Mountain Searchlight," made of a discarded tomato can, a
candle, and a bit of wire for a handle, is a camp product that will be
found to be very useful in an emergency.
[Illustration: Rocky Mountain Lantern]
The can is carried lengthwise, with the wire handle run through a hole in
the closed end on through the entire length of the can and out the open
end. Do not wrap the handle wire around the can. It will slip off. Two
cuts, crossing each other, make the candle opening, with the cut edges
bent inward. The candle is pushed upward as it burns down, the flame being
kept in the middle of the can. The cut edges prevent it from falling out
until the last hold is melted away. The "Searchlight" gives good service
when hung in the tent or on a nearby tree, but is especially valuable in
lighting up a rough path on a rainy, windy night.
Camp Hanger
The camp hanger shown in the illustration can be hung from the ridgepole
of the tent, and is particularly useful when from two to four persons
occupy the tent. It can be raised and lowered at will by attaching the
hanger to a pulley arrangement. The hanger may be made of wood in any
length. Ordinary coat hooks are fastened to the side with screws. A common
screw-eye is used for the line at the top. A snap hook attached to the
rope facilitates its removal at will.
A boy of ingenuity can make a number of convenient things. A good drinking
cup may be made from a piece of birch bark cut in parallelogram shape, and
twisted into pyramid form, and fastened with a split stick. (See
illustrations on opposite page.) A flat piece of bark may serve as a
plate. A pot lifter may be made from a green stick about 18 inches long,
allowing a few inches of a stout branch to remain. By reversing the same
kind of stick and driving a small nail near the other end or cutting a
notch, it may be used to suspend kettles over a fire. A novel candlestick
is made by opening the blade of a knife and jabbing it into a tree, and
upon the other upturned blade putting a candle. A green stick having a
split end which will hold a piece of bread or meat makes an excellent
broiler. Don't pierce the bread or meat. Driving a good-sized green stake
into the ground at an angle of 45 degrees and cutting a notch in which may
be suspended a kettle over the fire, will provide a way of boiling water
quickly.
For suggestions in building a camp-fire and cooking on hikes, see chapter
on "Cooking on Hikes." The bibliography for the whole subject of Hikes,
including cooking, is on page 153.
[Illustration: Birch bark cup, Camp fire tongs, Camp Broiler, Bark Plate,
A Novel Candlestick, Pot Lifter, Pot Hook, To Boil Water Quickly.]
[Illustration: Extemporaneous Dining]