The boy's camp book; a guidebook based upon the annual encampment of a boy scout troop; the second of a series of handy volumes of information and inspiration

Front matter

O H O

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Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

Introduction xiii

I. Camping Out 3

Introduction

SOME fifteen years ago we began to discover in our big cities that we were suffering from too much civilization, too much indoor Hfe. A ''back to the country" movement sprang up, and has since grown to tremendous proportions. This has been augmented in many ways that need not be enumerated; it is sufficient to say that last of all came the Boy Scout movement and did for the boys of the country what the men were doing for themselves — and more. This being a boy's book, we will cut across lots and proceed to make camp on that spot in the whole proposition in which every boy is most interested.

The boys of the country — and of the world, for that matter — did not need to have a movement come along to whet their interest in camping out. All they wanted was a chance. The truth is, the average boy has not Hved long enough to have suffered any particular warp of interest in the things that camping out stands for. To him too much civiHzation has only assumed the proportions of a tether, whereas to the average man it has become a harness. The boy is like the young, unbroken colt, with all its love of freedom. And he has to be ''broken" to the restraints of our ultra-civiHzation, just as the colt has to be broken to harness. Therefore, it is not necessary in this book to make the usual appeal found in most handbooks on camping, urging the reader to get out and have some of the life that is good for him. We know he is interested — in fact, much of the time itching to "put in his oar" or grab a rope and show xiv INTRODUCTION

us he knows what to do with it in a case such as we may be discussing. For his good, however, we will attach to him something in the nature of the head-stall or halter that goes on the colt, as above mentioned, so we can catch him when it seems necessary to impress him with the fact that he is not wholly free to follow his own incHnations. This tether we will call Caution, its chief purpose being to keep him out of difficulties.

It perhaps is unfortunate that the title of this book is not more explanatory of the exact nature of the contents; for it is not devoted to the entire subject of camping, as some may suppose. If this is so, the same, in a measure, may be said of the previous volume, "The Boy Scout's Hike Book," which, however, will be found to contain more than its title may imply. Yet I doubt if a more practical division of the material in the two books could be made. Therefore, I must trust to the judgment of the reader, which, I beHeve, will in most cases tell him that "The Boy Scout's Hike Book" must necessarily contain chapters on camping out on hikes, and the subject thus having been covered, there is nothing left but to devote this volume entirely to the annual encampment. Inasmuch as the latter is the event of the year, it will be self-evident to every boy that nothing less than a complete book could do it justice. As to whether this book is complete and does do . the subject justice — why, that is quite a different matter! I'll have to leave it to Jim.

February i8, 1914.

Chapter I Camping Out

CAMPING out represents the height of liberty. One might even get a pretty fair rhetorical effect by likening the camp-fire to the torch which the figure of Liberty holds on high. And it is the best kind of liberty for a boy. Now, with the statement as to the tether, in the Introduction, fresh in mind, you no doubt think I am going to tie a dreary old bow-knot of ''best for you" on your ''halter of Caution." Don't worry! My "halter" concerns your healthy all-around development.

Perhaps you have thought of camping out and outdoor life as affecting only your physical self, insofar as it does you good. You may have thought it helps you to grow bigger and stronger, and that is about all, except for the practical things you learn and the fun you have. But it is doubtful if you ever have considered camp life as a stepping-stone to greatness in the world of men. And so I am going to repeat for you, with a few minor changes, an editorial of mine about liberty and living and play that pays.

Looking Ahead. — When a boy begins to read and learn about all the great achievements that have been accomplished by men who in their own time were themselves ordinary boys, in ordinary circumstances, he quite naturally does a good deal of wondering concerning what the future holds in store for him. And he perhaps thinks of the knowledge he must acquire, the brain discipline he must undergo, before he can even reach the first stepping-stone to greatness. In brief, it all seems to be a battle for the brain.

It is not a bad thing, therefore, for a boy to learn as early and as thoroughly as possible that without the aid of muscle the finest brain would be about as useful as that of a wooden Indian.

The saying that ''Muscle maketh the man" was never more true than it is to-day. For, although one does not have to be a Hercules these days to become great, we are living in such a strenuous age that we require a lot of energy. And muscle provides all our energy; without it we would be worse off than the jelly-fish, which every boy knows is the limit of spinelessness. Without muscle all our wonderworkers would be of less use to the world than so many pumpkins. They could not communicate the smallest thoughts to us, and, for that matter, could not even exist; for that wonderful mainspring of the human body, the heart, is all muscle.

The Best Exercise. — To the average person the word "play" suggests amusement. But play has a deeper meaning and a richer purpose than a mere pastime. It is the means by which the senses and the muscles are the most harmoniously and healthfully developed. And as 70 per cent, of the brain is devoted to, consequently built up by, the exercise of the senses and the control of the muscles, it is plain as daylight that there can be no other possible result than that "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

CAMPING OUT 5

Think a minute and it is easy to understand why play — and by that I mean the romping kind — has such a good effect upon the senses and the muscles. "Start something" and you csinfeel it. It is like a strong stimulant and keys you up to concert pitch, as it were. You call it a feeling of fun, and undoubtedly would say it comes from your thoughts. But all the while this exultation that makes your blood bound and your eyes shine comes from the senses and the muscles being thrown into the high gear by play. That is all there is to it.

Every thoughtful boy will realize that there is a pretty good reason for everything in nature. Then, what about the play indulged in by the young of both wild and domestic animals? Do young foxes, young bears, kittens, and colts romp and play as the result of their thoughts ? How about the young pigs, the calves, the lambs, the fawns of the wild deer that a few lucky woodsmen have seen at their sprightly gambols, and even the wolf -pups, whose grim parents are about as playful as a rattlesnake? If perhaps you are not sure that these young animals are incapable of thinking, why do they cease to play when they become grown? If their play is the result of a purely mental desire for amusement, why in the world do they lose all desire for such amusement when they mature? Finally, isn't it pretty apt to be the case that the growing senses and muscles of these animals demand exercise that is best supplied by play?

Nature Knows Best. — It is good to do a Httle thinking about fundamentals once in a while. Otherwise, we are apt to fall into the habit of trying to improve on nature, having made so many wonderful improvements along other lines. This matter of preparing one's self as a boy for achieving success as a man oJffers a good case in point. On the face of it, from a boy's point of view playing rough-house, for example, hasn't about it anything to commend it as preparation for a business career. The average parent's opinion added to this, to say nothing of that of the schoolteacher, would seem to just about settle it. But it is, nevertheless, a big, bold fact that it has — a whole lot to commend it, too. And there are behind this fact to back it up, nature, which is not apt to go wrong, and in this instance expressed by the normal instinct of the boy to maul somebody or something, and the discoveries of scientific investigation. Facts against opinions. Which do you choose?

You will take facts, of course. But it is perhaps only fair to consider the cause for those opinions. Very simple. Grown people, Uke grown animals, have ceased to develop their senses and muscle, and no -longer feel the play impulse rioting in them. And, without thinking, they often oppose it in a boy or a girl if it happens to disturb the even tenor of their way. They are not to be blamed for that, either. It is simply human nature, just as it is dog nature for an old dog to lose his patience and rebuke the playful puppy for tormenting him.

A Solid Foundation. — Let it be remembered that in building up your senses and your muscle by the right kind of play — as they unquestionably are best built up — you are simultaneously building up seven tenths of your brain. Consider this, and ask yourself if it is not reasonable to expect that the remaining three tenths will be the better for it. When you tackle the serious affairs of life you will have to depend upon your senses and your muscle to carry out the dictates of your brain, and therefore to succeed will need

CAMPING OUT 7

to be a pretty evenly balanced man. If you have much ambition, and competition keeps up at the present rate, even, you have use for all the outdoor play you can get; not only as a boy, but all your life. Outdoor play because exercise in the outdoor air and sunshine is better for your health, and because you have more Hberty outdoors than indoors.

Best of all is camp life, for the reason that in camp you get the maximum of outdoor play, Hve most healthfully, have the least restraint, and — do not annoy your elders. So no matter what others may say to you about wasting your time in such an ''unciviKzed" pursuit, feed the fires of your ambition with all the camping out you can get. It will do much to furnish you with the energy and reserve power you must have to get up in the world. Beside, it is mighty good fun.

But do not forget your tether of Caution; let it be your guide to steer you clear of the several ways by which you may be deprived of your precious Hberty. Just think of what happens to the colt that tries to gallop through a barbed- wire fence ! You cannot afford to cultivate habits in camp that may handicap you elsewhere, hence your Hberty is fenced off here and there. Not being a silly colt, you can understand the value those fences are to you — the fences of discipline which encircle and intersect every properly conducted boys' camp.

The Spirit of the Camp. — Camp life, especially at a permanent camp, such as we are discussing in this book, is by no means entirely dependent upon location, equipment, and management for its success, although these things constitute the foundation of whatever success there is. The spirit of the camp is the big outstanding thing that counts.

I dare say most boys who take up this book will expect to find it devoted entirely to tents and how to pitch them, sanitation, cooking, and in general the work of the camp. But think a minute. Is that all there is to camping? And now, to go a step further, if we must plan the work carefully, make all preparations — what about the rest? Is it logical to expect that the real pleasures of the camp will just naturally crop up overnight like mushrooms? Hardly. And in preparing for fun, and lots of it, is it not wise to at the same time provide that the location of the camp, the equipment, the arrangement of the work, the camp discipline, and regular scouting activities will dovetail nicely with this program of fun? It certainly is.

Now that you have my point of view, I think you will readily understand that the purpose of this book is broader than that of other books on the subject of camping; in short, that it aims to tell you much more than merely ''how to camp out."

Chapter II Making Plans

EVERYBODY admires the resourcefulness of the newspapers' special correspondents, who are ready at an hour's notice to start on a trip to the other side of the world. They seem to be veritable paragons of preparedness. Yet there are, in reality, a great many men in other callings — detectives, attorneys, financial agents, expert accountants, engineers, and the like — who are just as ready, but of whom we seldom hear in this connection. Furthermore, perhaps not a single one of the lot can truthfully be said to be always ready. They go promptly because they are compelled to. And in most cases a small army of secretaries, clerks, and messengers bear the brunt of getting them away provided with everything they need — instructions, credentials, railway and steamer tickets, letters of credit, ready cash, and all the other necessaries. They are in reality catapaulted on their way by a powerful organization, and if left to their own resources would require days to do what is accomplished for them in that short hour's time. So you may easily see it would be a mistake to try to emulate them, even in a small way, as a means to testing your resourcefulness.

Be Prepared. — We all have had the experience of not being ready when the time came to start on a hike. We lo had to get some matches, or find some mislaid part of our equipment, or do some tardy errand. And it was not that we had not had time to get ready, but that we had put things off. There is an old saying that '' procrastination is the thief of time." Nobody knows it better than the Scout who finds himself late at the rendezvous, with perhaps only a note pinned on a tree telKng him so to greet him.

In the years I have devoted to sporting journalism I have found it to be an unvarying rule that the men who make the

Threshing It Out

most successful vacation trips are those who lay their plans months in advance. And I want to urge every Scout to take this tip. In fact, the purpose of this book is chiefly to tell how to he ready to get the full benefit of the time that is to be spent in camp.

Another very important consideration to be taken into account is the fun you get out of making preparations. There is a saying among campers that "anticipation is half the pleasure of reahzation." It is. There was a time when, in my ignorance, I had a good deal of fine contempt for the

MAKING PLANS ii

fellows who seemed to make such a fuss about getting ready for a little vacation. I imagined I was very superior in my stand that I ^'crossed my bridges when I came to them" until I discovered that often those same bridges were in no condition for crossing when at last I arrived, and, furthermore, that I had been missing a great deal of the joy of anticipation. I had been mixing my bridges.

Seeding Spare Time. — Big things grow out of planning far ahead. Ways and means are discovered for. turning what might ordinarily be a commonplace vacation into an event of a lifetime. Inspirations grow best if the seed is planted early in the season. Initiative, that priceless quality which is so much in demand in all walks of Hfe, and upon which so many successes hinge, is not something that happens along at the eleventh hour. It is found in the man who started in as a boy to make his plans well in advance, to be well prepared to take the initiative when the time came. It stands to reason that there can be no other explanation; for the man who wins our admiration by taking the initiative in a big undertaking, who steps in and starts things going when everybody else holds back, must be prepared.

Likewise, it may as readily be understood that the plans started, no matter how long in advance, are but little better than no plans at all unless they are carried to maturity. They must be built up until they are complete. A good example of this befell a certain troop of Scouts at their first annual encampment. They had decided that, among other things, they would have a gala day. Now a gala day requires a deal of preparation, being nothing less than an outdoor show. But when at last the time for their show came, there were only four members of the troop who did not insist upon playing the r61e of an onlooker. And as if that were not bad enough, these four had confined almost all their preparation to their costumes. One of the four, who turned out to be the comedian of the troop, sized up the situation to a nicety when, mounting a stump, he announced: ''The first ten numbers of the program will be omitted, on account of there being so many Scouts in the audience, and the show will start with a postponement, for which great preparations have been made."

Anticipation. — The habit of being ready is, as every Scout knows, a leading Scout virtue. In nothing will it pay a better profit of satisfaction than in connection with camping. Then think of the fun! In my own case I positively beUeve I have derived as much pleasure out of making tents as I ever have found in the actual use of them. Remember that you see only the bright side, in anticipation; it never rains, the canoe never upsets and ruins half your grub, you do not raise any bHsters, and flies and mosquitoes do not pester. You conjure up nothing but a grand, good time. Fun? You just bet it is!

So while you are so happily dreaming of those brave days to come — just take hold and make sure that you will collect compound interest.

The first thing to do is to provide yourself with a memorandum book reserved especially for jotting down ideas you get, things you want to attend to, and bits of information you pick up, with reference to the coming encampment. Whether or not it is to be your first experience, you will find this memorandum book invaluable.

The Other Fellow. — Next, make up your mind that

MAKING PLANS 13

you are not going to camp merely for your own pleasure and benefit, but intend to go out of your way to make the camp a big success, and to help as many other fellows enjoy it as you possibly can. No matter what others may or may not do, pledge yourself to this. Then prepare yourself to carry it out. And if you don't have the time of your life I miss my guess.

As for your actual preparations, you will find many of them discussed in detail in other chapters. Others, you of course have well in hand, imless you happen to be a brand-new Tenderfoot. Most scouting activities constitute preparation for a good time in camp, and if you have the opportunity for getting plenty of field work, you may go to camp a seasoned camper, with experience in nearly all the camp activities. On the other hand, many troops are compelled, for one reason and another, to put off much of their camp and field work until the annual encampment.

Big Times Coming ! — Hikes and overnight camps, as discussed in my "Boy Scout's Hike Book," are good preparation. I want to remark here, however, that the Scout's equipment for the annual encampment is in several particulars different from that which he carries on his hikes, and the activities of the permanent camp much more elaborate than those of any week-end camp. Just wait till we get to camp !

Some lucky Scouts are able to have a permanent camp, perhaps in the backyard at home, where they " sleep out" all summer long and cook some or all of their meals. A number of the Scouts in my troop camp in this way for as much as five months of the year. And of course such a permanent camp makes the very best kind of laboratory in which to get ready for a '^big time" when the troop goes to camp.

Chapter III

IT IS a far cry, as the old saying goes, from the Sun-Dance of the Sioux Indians to the summer encampment of the Boy Scouts. In time alone it is more than thirty years now, since these Sun Worshippers of the West held their last great ceremonial rite on famous old Red Cloud's Agency in southern Dakota. What Kttle I know of it I gained when on a visit to my friend Joseph Mills Hanson, the author, and his father, Maj. J. R. Hanson, who was an Indian agent in Dakota in those sometimes stirring days, at their home near Yankton. It seemed to me that the Sioux had the right plan of laying out a camping ground for a big celebration. And inasmuch as the Boy Scouts have a similar idea in connection with their conferences — that of forming a circle — I have adapted some of the features of the old Sun-Dance encampments to the Boy Scouts' summer camp.

Sun Dance Ceremonies. — For their Sun Dance the Sioux always required a very large camp ground. Think of thousands of tepees, all pitched side by side in one great circle ! There would be maybe ten or twelve thousand Sioux, and goodness knows how many guests — Pawnees, Cheyennes, Crees, Omahas, Nez Perces, Mandans, Blackfeet, and I don't know how many others — all mounted, and all decked out in their finest and best of gala day attire; by long odds the most spectacular and dazzlingly colourful gathering ever possible on this continent. Just think of going to a camp Uke that ! You cannot ever hope to see such a spectacle, you Scouts, nor even to ever have so large a camp.

To descend from Sioux and Sun-Dances to Scouts and summer camps, I want to urge the readers of this book to not underestimate the value of the suggestions it contains

B C

E F Q

"Sun-Dance" Plan for a Boy Scout Camp

A, Headquarters; B, Flag-pole; C, Camp-fire; D, Mess-tent; E, Serving benches

covered by a fly; F, Cooking fire; G, Commissary tent

for pitching the summer camp in *' Sun-Dance," or what should properly be Boy-Scout, fashion, and carrying out the various ceremonies adapted from ones used by the Sioux in connection with their Sun-Dance. And lest it may seem that I have wandered far from the subject of this chapter, I will say that before you select your camp grounds you should have a fixed idea of how you want your camp laid out. I think I have made it clear that, if possible, it should i6 THE BOTS CAMP BOOK

be in the form of a circle. The more tents, of course, means the bigger the circle. And that, in the case of a large encampment, requires a big camp ground. By every rule, it should be entirely out in the open.

Scouting for Camp-Sites. — This is always good fun, and excellent practice. One can profitably do much more of it than is necessary for the locating of one's camps, if one has the time, on any kind of a camping trip, and in the end find one's self in the superior class of the woodsmen, able to tell any one where to find the best camping places.

As a matter of fact, a good woodsman, and by that I do not mean a mere woodchopper, but a woodcraftsman, is always appraising the camping places he sees as he goes his way through the wilds. It becomes a habit with him, founded upon early study of what really constitutes a good camp-site. His camp-sites, however, are very different from these with which we have to deal in this book, being similar to those used on camp hikes, as described in my ''Boy Scout's Hike Book." Here we have the much more formidable task of finding the best camp-site for the troop's annual encampment. Quite a different matter, isn't it, when you think it over?

Old Camping Grounds. — In many cases there is a logical place, a recreation ground of long standing that is unquestionably the best adapted for the purposes of the troop. How it stirs us just to think of those places, too ! But alas ! far too many are known to us older campers only in memory. Talk of conservation ! I never see or hear the word but I think of the picnic groves and the camping grounds that are so rapidly passing out of existence, for one reason and another. Then, on the other hand, there are so many more people camping nowadays than formerly. So troops of Boy Scouts often find it by no means easy to get a first-rate location for their annual camp. Beside, having found one, it does not necessarily follow that the troop will wish to return there year after year; everybody likes a change of scene.

Presuming that the hunt is on, as it should be months before the time for going to camp comes around, it will be

The Kind of Camp-Site We Dream About Everybody off on a Hike

decided by common consent that the Scouts do not want to camp too near to home. They all want the change of scene above mentioned, and need it, too. A majority of parents, however, are apt to advise some nearby place, and so it is well to have a full report concerning the various sites, and i8 TEE BOY'S CAMP BOOK

make sure that the value of change of scene is taken into account. As this is a boy's book I will not dilate on this subject. But I urge the reader to vote for all the change he can get.

Change of Scene. — The troop of which I am Scout Master is located in a "salt water" town, and all but one or two of the forty-eight Scouts who at present are members can swim, most of them very well indeed. A majority of them go swimming at least several times a week all summer long. Some literally would rather swim than eat; and of course none would think of swimming in fresh water so long as he could get to '' the briny." Yet when it comes to selecting a place for the annual encampment all want to go to the hills. Swimming they must have, of course, but there is no longer any objection to fresh water. Last year we went forty miles away, and next summer we doubtless will go farther, in search of still higher hills. This, mind you, due to nothing at all but a common impulse.

And less than a mile from where this is written, in a big field we sometimes cross on our half -day hikes, but where we could not be hired to hold our encampment, a Brooklyn troop last summer pitched their camp and had, apparently, the time of their lives. They were over twenty miles from home, and, except that they had neither swimming nor boating, they could not have found a much better place to camp.

The roving instinct, when given rein, leads away from famihar scenes. Inasmuch as it is both a normal and a healthy impulse, why not follow it? Why not hunt some altogether new, strange, and perhaps, in some measure, wonderful place?

Big brothers are a fruitful source of information, but once a prospective camp-site is seriously considered, a delegation from the troop should, if possible, visit it and look the ground over. There are quite a number of very important requisites, chief of which, perhaps, is the water supply. Then comes the question of transportation there and back, the lay of the land, natural facilities for recreation, and proximity of houses, other camps, or undesirable attractions. Local conditions naturally must govern the selection, and it would be futile for me to attempt to describe what should constitute a proper location. I can, however, give some helpful suggestions as to what makes up a desirable site for the camp. But before I come to that, let me say a few words about what I call the "range."