Claude P. Fordyce

“ The daily local walks taken by the pedestrian to secure health with the longer weekly jaunt, indulged in perhaps as a member of some walking club, afford an admirable preliminary preparation for more arduous outings such as a week’s Forest Cruise, carrying in a back pack the shelter, bed and food and thus equipped one may break entirely away from civilization and eat and sleep independent of hotels or ranches. ”

“ A walking trip then becomes a real hike when one leaves the highways, beds and meals of civilization and hits the woods trails which lead him far into the wilderness.
On a recreation trip good companionship cannot be overestimated. Firstly, on a light pack trip most items of outfit can be used as well by two as by one. Again if one walks alone the trail is apt to become monotonous and doubly so after a half of a day’s trip has been completed. Good companionship stimulates a pleasant mental attitude and gets one away from the monotonous physical features of the walk itself. ”

“ Woods walking with a pack differs greatly from common road touring. In his primitive forest habitat the woodsman can outwalk the experienced pedestrian for he has the knack of negotiating a steady gait over uneven and slippery ground, edging through thickets and worming his way amid fallen timber, rocks, brush, etc., with less fret and exertion than one who is accustomed to smooth, unobstructed paths. The woodsman besides having the handicap of traveling over an uneven surface is more or less encumbered by a pack which even if made as light as possible gives the hiker a taste of real work. ”

“ Don’t try to break the record—it is endurance not speed that counts. Be free to choose your course, and never hurry lest self reprehension come upon you. It is the traveler on foot who has the time to receive and reflect upon his impressions and at the same time pleasantly rejuvenate his body and mind.
For one contemplating a long twenty-five mile or so hike it is well to choose a route where it is never necessary to march very far in a day for lack of intervening accommodations. ”

“ WOODS WALKING WITH A PACK THERE is a certain trick in learning the technique of walking outdoors. Unless one takes up pedestrianism to make the most of it he is not apt to perfect himself in an art universally practised in a slip shod fashion and yet which is one of the simplest functions of the human body. Just this careful attention to details is what distinguishes the pedestrian from the mere stroller. Indeed one must walk with the head as well as with the feet, studying to eliminate the faults of gait. ”

“ The moccasin is absolutely unequalled for warmth, it is light and perfectly noiseless and has stood the test of ages by that race of hunters, the American Indians, who originated also the camp, trail, snow-shoe and canoe. One is, when equipped with them, more certain in carrying a pack, he is not so apt to turn the ankle, and the whole musculature of the foot is brought into play which is a great desideratum in precarious climbing. ”

“ A good bed is no disgrace. The men who are obliged to live out of doors all the time, on the range or forest trails are likely to be the very ones most particular about their beds and to see some of them at work on browse bunk and rude shelter one would believe they were preparing to spend the rest of their days in that particular spot. So no matter how light you travel provide for a suitable night’s rest. Should your fastidiousness lead you to add any foible to the already completed pack let it be on this essential item of wilderness equipment. ”

“ For most people no other sport is such an untasted experience, yet none is so productive of healthful results or so well adapted to the means, physique, and temperament of the masses. Indeed in this age of mechanical transportation we have almost forgotten that we were endowed with a pair of legs, given us for the sole purpose of walking—an essential exercise in the building up of healthy bodies and minds. ”

“ Look well to the choice of your bunkie for nowhere else do weak and strong characteristics come to the surface so forcibly as when men are thrown together in camp. As a matter of fact a wilderness pal of proper qualifications is really hard to find. He may be a jolly comrade in town but that does not qualify him as a first rate camp mate. He must do an equal share on the trail and in camp, he should be physically fit, generous, fair minded and big enough to overlook the petty griefs incidental to rough trail life every where. ”

“ In real hot weather start at daybreak and you can get in a half day’s journey by the time the sun is hot. Slow down at the heat of day and hunt a shady retreat. On such days drink but little water and have it pure. One will perspire freely, which is good, for this is Nature’s way of cooling the body by evaporation: if one stops sweating there is real danger of heat stroke.
In wilderness travel the most dependable guides are the compass, combining with the North Star by night or the sun by day. Night travel is based on the North or Polar Star as the infallible guide. ”

“ There is no doubt that walking is unexcelled as a short cut exercise to the attainment of physical fitness. One should never try to accomplish too much at one time, for overdoing disgusts one with the pastime. Start in easy, walk deliberately, adopt an easy, natural gait and maintain it. Short rests are permissible but if overdone they result in stiff muscles and chill.
The question of the number of miles to attempt on a day’s tramp is tempered by the several conditions of roads, trails, altitudes, hills, size of pack, if on such a trip, and physical capabilities. ”

“ When any kind of moisture gets on the body there is only one way to get rid of it—by the body heat. Clothing does not warm one, it only retains heat made by the body. The drawing away of heat reduces one’s vitality as well as affecting the temperature of the body. Where one is physically active it is advisable to wear ordinary weight warm winter clothing of the temperate zone. Of materials wool is best next the body, except in Arctic work where a suit of silk is worn under the fur garments to prevent chafing. ”

“ In travelling light of course one must necessarily deny himself many things that under ordinary circumstances are deemed essentials, yet it in no way needs to be a deprivation. On a back pack trip he must put his outfit selection through a rigid exclusion test. The equipment must be restricted to actual necessities such as food, requisites for cooking, shelter for the night and a good bed—all suited to the method of transportation. In camp and on the trail one will astonish himself at the makeshifts which he will invent to overcome camping discomforts as they arise. ”

“ A sleeping bag really is no substitute for a roof overhead on a rainy night as alluring advertisements would lead you to believe. Its waterproof cover retains inside moisture from the air and the body exudations of the sleeper thereby adding appreciably to the blanket’s weight. Thus a waterproof cover is no more wholesome to sleep in than a rubber boot is wholesome for one’s foot. In ordinary weather the sleeping bag is too hot and in chilly weather it is not as warm as it is supposed to be. ”

“ A man may abuse his physical powers by day in the most exhausting work. He can go into the wilderness expecting to pay small attention to a comfortable and rejuvenating night’s rest but he can not stand up under it. One can make out for a few hours on most any kind of makeshift for a bed if his sleep is from exhaustion but sooner or later he will be disturbed by the inequalities of the earth’s surface, rocks, sticks and mounds, and when awake his muscles will be stiff and sore, his powers unrefreshed and he will soon go to pieces. ”

“ A lost man has a tendency to travel in a circle which is explained by some as being due to the fact that most men step farther with one foot than with the other. It can be avoided by selecting some distant object, walking straight to it, picking out another in the same line of travel and continuing to do this until one has arrived somewhere. One has the satisfaction of knowing that he will not find himself at the place he started from a short time previously. The compass then is invaluable and its directions must under no circumstances be questioned. ”

“ Just the method of adaptation is the problem that confronts us.
The tenderfoot styles himself a woodsman by displaying willingness to sleep on a poorly prepared bed, even boasting of the smallness and lightness of this part of his outfit. He is out to “rough it,” you know. The seasoned campaigner on the other hand prides himself on the comfort of his nightly abode. The native Indian can and often does sleep on a hard bed and you can simulate him when you are accustomed to it but probably you will not have the time to get used to this on the short vacation you will have. ”

“ Physically greater exertion is necessary in winter to enable the body to generate heat sufficient for protection against cold and this is compensated for in the usually increased difficulties in travel over road or forest snows. Pure tramping methods and kits for summer must be modified to suit new conditions for doubtless you will not have ground to walk upon hence you must take to snowshoes or to ski for the snow work, the body covering must be adequate for additional protection against the elements, and the shelter and bed must be especially adapted to your needs. ”

“ One has a remarkable craving for sweets when on the trail which only sugar will satisfy. Sugar is the most concentrated food we have for it supplies so much heat and energy to the body. In cold weather Nature calls for more heat in the body and one’s appetite for sweets usually increases in proportion. Much is written in camp outfitting concerning a preparation called saccharine or crystallose which is a chemical of remarkable sweetness—a small portion of it equalling in sweetening power several hundred times its bulk of sugar. ”