Some Simple Facts Concerning Woodcraft Which Will Enable Wanderers in a
Forest to Get Their Bearings and Find Their Camps.
With the coming of vacation time, men's thoughts turn to woods and
streams, and there is a general rush for "the tall timber."
That many will wander far afield and lose themselves in "trackless
forests" is inevitable, but there is a sure way of finding oneself which
is well worth remembering, for it is a serious matter to be actually lost
in dense woods.
Find a mature tree that stands apart from its fellows. Even
if it is only slightly separate it will do. The bark on this
tree will be harder, drier, and lighter in color on the
south side. On the north it will be darker, and often at the
roots it will have a clump of mold or moss.
On the south side of all evergreen trees, gum which oozes
from wounds or knotholes will be hard and amber-colored; on
the north side this gum is softer, gets covered with dust,
and is of a dirty gray.
In fall or winter, trees which show a rough bark will have
nests of insects in the crevices on their south side.
Hardwood trees--the oak, the ash, elms, hickories, mesquits,
etc., have moss and mold on the north. Leaves are smaller,
tougher, lighter in color, and with darker veins on the
south; on the north they are longer, of darker green, and
with lighter veins. Spiders build on the south sides. In the
South, air plants attach themselves to the north sides.
Cedars bend their tips to the south.
Any sawed or cut stump will give you the compass points,
because the concentric rings are thicker on the south side.
The heart of the stump is thus nearer to the north side. All
these things are the effects of the sun.
Stones are bare on the south side, and if they have moss at
all, it will be on the north. At best, on the sunny side
only a thin covering of harsh, half-dry moss will be found.
On the south side of a hill the ground is more noisy
underfoot. On the north side ferns, mosses, and late flowers
grow.
If you are on a marsh, small bushes will give you the
lesson; then leaves and limbs show the same differences.
Almost all wild flowers turn their faces to the south. There
are many other signs that will aid the lost person, but you
will find these enough.