On the Trail: An Outdoor Book for Girls

Wind. Star Guiding. What to Do When Lost in

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t useful, and you should be able to recognize different s

essions

sam

ir, for of this the best of outdoor beds are made. In shape the tree is

needles appear to grow from the sides of the stem. The little twist at the base of the needle causes it to seem

er side and silvery-white underneath. The bark is gray, and you will find little gummy blisters on the tree-trunk. From these the healing Canada balsam is obtained. The s

and mountain bogs, and you will find it southward along t

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chlet on all sides, causing it to appear rounded or bushy and not flat. The spruce-gum sought by many is found in the seams of the bark, which, unlike the smooth balsam-fir, is scaly and of a brown color. Ear

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when balsam-fir is not to be found, and it

color, being rather of a bright red-brown, and when very young, tan color. The wood is not easy to split-don't try it, or your hatc

essions

r. Spruce

. Sycamore leaf and

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any kind of soil, high, low, moist, or dry

white pine for the skin or covering of the skeleton boat; but for you the pine will probabl

is there also, but rarely ventures into the densest woods, preferring to remain near and

les, and sycamore are among

e woods are easy to split, such as spruce, chestnut, balsam-fir, etc.; some very strong, as locust

r special powers. You would not go to a musician to have a portrait painted, for while the musician might give you wonderful music he would be helpless as far as painting a picture was concerned, and so it is with tre

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use t

own as the "camp axe." It is thicker, narrower, and has a sharper edge than an ordinary hatchet. It comes of a size to wear on the belt and must be securely protected by a well-fitted strong leather sheath; otherwise it will endanger not only the life of the girl who carries it, but also the lives of her companions. With the c

reak, but one end usually flies up with considerable force and very often strikes the eye of the worker, ruining the sight forever. Take the blunt end of your hatchet and do not give a very hard blow on the stick you wish to break; exert only force sufficient to break it partially, merely enough to enable you to

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l you understand something of the woodsman's art of "logging up a tr

nd on the log with feet wide apart and chop the side of the log (not the top) on the space in front between your feet. Make your first chip quite long, and have it equal in length the diameter of the log. If the chip is short, the opening of the kerf will be narrow and your hatchet will become wedged, obliging you to double your labor by enlarging the kerf. Greater

to cut off more. Chop slowly, easily, and surely. Don't be in a hurry and exhaust

rom the ground when chopping, to avoid striking snags,

Fell

rst, and as you acquire skill, slightly heavier trees can be felled. Begin i

the way is free of hindrance before cutting the tree, also clear the way for the swing of your extended hatchet. If there are obstacles, such as vines, bushes, limbs of other trees, or rocks, which your hatchet might strike as you raise and lower it

he marks the west side of the trunk; then he marks the top and bottom of the space he intends chopping out for the first kerf or notch (Fig. 13, A and B), making the length of space a trifle longer than one-half of the tree diameter. The kerf is chopped out by cutting fir

r behind or in front of it; either of the last two ways would probably mean death: if in front, the tree would fall on you, and if at the back, you would probably be terribly injure

nd, for tree-felling. You cannot contro

icular log or stump and always strike the blade in this wood. Leave your hatchet there, where

te of t

that personal property cached in trees, underbrush, beneath stones, o

s edge, again suspended from trees, and the temptation to borrow may be strong, but remem

to remain where they are. It is customary for campers to cache their belongings with the

t do not take these treasures from their homes to die and be thrown aside. Love them well enough to let the

oded wild lands by planting through the forests little young trees, some not over one foot high, and his indignation was great when he discovered t

by Natural Sign

ral signs as well as the compass. If, however, you do not know at what point of the compass from y

mp. Do not depend upon any member o

toward the east. Stretch out both arms at your sides and point with your index-fingers; your right finger will point to the south, your left to the north, and your back will be toward the west. What landmarks do you see east of the camp? South? North? West? And from what point of the compass does the wind blow? If it comes from the west and you trail eastward, the wind will strike your back go

there will be little, if any, danger of being lost. But you must constantly keep on the alert and refer frequently to these guides, especiall

ight; at night the North

ht and

sulting the sun. A fair idea may also be gained of the time of day by the length of shadows, if you remember that shadows are long

raight up and down. Place the point of the blade on your thumb-nail, watch-case, or other glossy surface; then turn the knife or s

shadow, and an hour when the sun is not im

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irection of the wind every morning. Notice the leaves on bush and tree, in what direction they move. Place a few bits of paper on your open hand and watch in which way the wi

e of your finger, the wind blows from the east, and so on. Keep testing the direction of the wind as you trail, and if at any time it cools a different side of the finger, you will know that you are not wal

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Moss on tree-trunks is not an infallible guide and you must turn to the compass to show the way, but unless you underst

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sometimes pearl. Let your eye follow straight along the line pointed out by the needle; as you look ahead select a landmark-tree, rock, pond, or whatever may lie in that direction. Choose an object quite a distance off on the imaginary line, go directly toward it, and when intervenin

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s as plainly as the north; try it. Naturally, if you go to the southeast away from camp, returning will be in exactly the opposite direction, and coming back to camp you must walk northwest. After learning to go in a straight line, guided e

mpass of

a watch in the woods and fields has another use, for it can be used as a compass. It will show just where the south is, then by

s afternoon calculate the opposite way. For instance, if at 8 a. m. you point the hour-hand to the sun, 10 will point to the south, for that is half-way

s stem thrown on the horizontal face of your watch. Hold the stick upright with the lower end touching the watch at the point of the hour

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ether to climb the mounta

ready to use at a moment's notice; that your water-proof match-box is in your pocket filled with safety matches, your pocket-knife safe with you

the mountain, take your bearings anew; then look up ahead and select a certain spot which you wish to reach on the upward trail. Having this definite object in view will help in making better progres

ven though there may be a trail already, you cannot be sure that i

detour, search out some large landmark, readily recognized after reaching the other side of the obstruction, a tall, peculiarly shaped tree or other natural feature. Now is the time to try earnestly to keep the landmark in sight as long

ken when the trail is very rough, steep, and rocky. The camper at the head of the line should tie the rope in a bow-line around her waist, with knot on left side, an

ly follow, each one cautious to keep the rope stretching out in front of her rather

s safer to turn sideways, so that you can place the entire foot down and not risk the toes only,

in th

see any distance, climb that and get an outlook. You may be able to see the smoke of your camp-fire, which, after all, cannot be so far away. You may find a landmark that you do remember. If you see nothing which you can recognize, make a signal flag of your handkerchief and put it up high, as high as you can. Your friends will be looking for that. Then give the lost signal, one long blast with your whistle, and after a short pause follow with two more blasts in quick succession. If you have no whistle shout, loud and long, then wait a while, keeping eyes and ears open to see and hear answering signals. If there is none, again sho

can blaze the trail by breaking or bending small branches on trees and bushes, or by small strips torn from your handkerchief and tied conspicuously

your camp lies, and if you remember whether your course in leaving camp was to the north, south, east, or

epare as comfortable a bed as possible, and do not be afraid. You will proba

ends and will ward off wild creatures that might startle you. Kee

umble upon dangerous places. If, when you find the points of the compass by the North Star, you mark

this subject is:

r Way by th

has ever been the mariner's friend, and if you do

r marks the north, its position never changes, and seeing that star and knowing it, you will always know the points of the compass. Fa

orth

t be easy to find. The diagram given on page 37 shows the relative position of the stars and will help you to find the North Star. The two stars forming the front side of the bowl of