New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-21
THE ADIRONDACKS.
THE 1rXrRIEs OF CAMPING OUT

l.
A. 70 pressed close to the stove. and listened TO
a. rottline of the rain on the tumg-room roo.
az - not fashion that has transformed camping
ont I'm the AdIrondackS. So much rs II Is weather
Assoon as families began 10 come here. ana l"uh"
that they had TO providc aeoiu>; weeks OF ram,
the, naturally Pat MP pretty substantial cahiAN'
and of course Whcn You once build house you can
stop improving 1t until your money Is gone. Nhue
the sportsmcu had the AdrondackS To- themselves
II was different They did NOT want houses
"NNhy y asked DIANA
@Whyl Oh we'll, you know the fishermen always
90 fishing when it rains. ana come in when 1t is
fine and the dcerSlavcrs do not begin hunting uh'l
the dry time of the late summer and autumn And
then thee classes like hotels when They can get
them. If they did not meet at the hotels no" could
they hc to one another about trout and bears, ana
big buckS'"
am not M all sure that this is the true eNplana-
ton of the recent development OF camping hn' T"
was the only one that occurred To me at the mo-
neut. I'm our own case there ram enough 10
account for anything. On the dav We had hNe"
for moving into still unfinished camp u was
raining har1 and had been raining for week.
Nevertheless. We mounted a blackboard, wrapped
ourselves in rubber coats and drove away from the
hotel with the last Of our luggage getting over
Jim's @road" without accident lthe blackboard
was very strong and finding in our loored tent not
n particularly cheering refuge, but at least dry
one II was well that we had not waited for the
weather TO clear because it did not clear for week
longer During that week We gained great deal oil
valuable experience in camp-buldng.
do not mean however, to describe orr own
establishments but TO say something about the
much finer and more costly camps on the ST Regis
Lakes which may he considered typical OF the
new style of wilderness life all over this popular
RI. stvta In "a
the smaller of the two sheets of water, offer few
favorable sites and those are occupied principally
I heleye bv "day camps" These are tents and
rustic buildings sometimes prcttily furnished and
adorned whose owners sleep and take their meals
at Paul Smiths hotel on the north shore OF the lake
They are all reached by canoe The larger ana lar
more beautiful Upper St. Regis and the romantic
little Spithre Pond between the two lakes tho three
being connected ly tortuous uaVigablc channel
are the chief haunts of the new school oi campors
who have brought into tho woous slightly
erotcsuuc but altogether delightful com
hnation Of luxury. rusticity and aesthetics
There Ia a certain attGciaity. not to say an
nnoctntion m ths mode of life which Il Ia impoast
bic to discuss with perfectly utfaght face but
a Ia substantially genuine after ALL and thoeo who
rcsort o. il for the sake Of health, aN ~ many do
generally observe tho essential hyRlcnic conditions
The banks OF spilhro aud Upper St Kcgl, are all
rupt aud thickly wooded. All the camps are ON
high ground aud near the water, the water beng
the usual aud ina few cases the only way "l
npproach. IL IL important 10 have light sandy
soil on account of the rains. and situation where
the wind can blow freely through the camp and
sweep away flies and mosquitoes; consequently
there is somebody perched on every projecting
point Sunlight IS necessary to keep out dampness.
The prmeva forest is essential for poetry, but the
second growth is a great deal better for camping,
being free from the fallen and messy trunks, the
tangled branches and the deep layer of rottlng
vegetation which obstruct the old pine woods. In
LAYING out the camp the underbrush Is cut away.
the lower limbs of the trees are Topped and the sur
face covering of dead leaves and other refuse which
the guides call "duf," is scrapcd of. This duff
holds water IN wet weather, and in dry weather IT
is a terrible ally of fire.
However costly the camp may be, the practice OF
sleeping in tent is almost universal Indeed, do
not see how who has ever tasted this Injury IL
the woods can be satisfied with the best bed IN
house. The delicious breath of the night, the fleet
ing odors and halt-compTehende sounds, the pratt
Ting of water, the flight of nocturnal birds, even
the rush of wind through the trees and the oc-
casioual hooiug of distant owl Ut Will not do to
have your owl too near, are Incompatible mar
cotics; if the weather favor, you may leave the
front of your tent open and watch the stars and
then with what sense Of rclrcShmcnt You rise IN
the morning when the air has been Pulhed ana
vitalizcd every moment of your sleep! good tsnt'
with iiy. Is. moreover perfect protection AGAINST
rain and dampncSs. The loor raised on "a frame OF
LOGS, is often painted sometimes spread with rugs.
or even carpeted Most of the tents have seen are
furnished simply, the bedstcad' being generally OF
rustic work. which the guides put together with
considerable skill. japanese hans.ug,. OF window
shades, of bamboo sphnts. make am effective dc.'lH-
zion for the canvas walls.
I'm the arrangement of the rest of the camp there
is the widest opportunity foG the indulgence of IL
dvidual taste or caprice. After sleeping INA. been
provided for. the two indispensable structure are
the kitchen and dnng-IOom, and these may he SAID
TO give the settlement its tone. separate building
is sometimes put mp for sittugr0om, but this is a
convenience with which many people dispense.
speak OF tie kitchen and dining as structures
they are almost always of wood. tent, being very
hot under a summer sum- and therefore only do-
sirablc for sleeping purposes. And many of th,se
structures are extremely pretty. Here, for in-
stance is a logcabin, the logs neatly Iouc' and
their ends painted i'm Indian red the chukS s.utc /
with moss a rustic porch over the rustic door. the
frames OF the swinging windows painted bike the
ends of the logs Here Is house entirely coyrl.l
with bark Here is one whose external walls are
shnglel and painted in dark tints, and here au-
other which is of logs to the height of thrc feet.
and above that of bark ou board lnn-. over
hanging the water. on a point of the ppcr ~t
Regis - dining room OF logs hcVu sIua.. and
shellckc1 4 rallied verndah surrounds TO- Tie
character ol the kitchen depends great dc7, uuop
ITS situation. If It stands where It can Dee .o.p
from the Lake. it is buiit t. harmonic with tue
dnug room. which hardly supi,.rs 1t boo outN ud
adornmcut but ~ it 3. set we'll b. tIo back .'HuHd.
OF attached g. thctcar of thcdmu room. t uHt Ur
only PLAIN Square board hut. In m' ,a.. huU
ovor 1t "a substantial aud Nultb,rusht uud It It
rarely left without coat ot either palut or h.tl
rustic boat house and landing. Wltb ll.hl oi .l.pi
N lhr -lnnnI IrnuIla IAn NM -I-Luu- .----L.