The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-17
uMBAcoc DAYS.
The Delights of SoJourn with the
People Of Camp Helen.
CAMP HELEN, Umbagog Lake, /
Santanlhaf. 1899

CAMP HELEN, Umbagog Lake,
September, 1885,
To the Editor of the Press:
Dear Sir:--Human nature is fairly well
divided into two summer classes-the people
who are living out of doors, and those who
wish they were; and for the benefit of the
latter newspaper letters from various points
at the shore or mountains are welcomed as
good reading matter.
1 remember German friend who objected
to going away from home because she never
knew what articles to leave at home and
"what take nit" This is difficulty one ex-
periences to the full in preparing for camp
ing out trip. If your husband is an old
camper on Western wilds, and you are
novice-a tender-foot-the chances are you
will turn to him for help in packing your one
moderate sized trunk-and you will get it.
That is, when you, with feminine care, have
arranged pillow, blankets, warm under
clothing, wooden box for cooked food, and
have struggled in here and there parcel of
candy for the children or even dainty can
dlestick or bit of dish for ornamental as
well as useful purposes, your old camper will
come to the rescue to make room" for
things that are in danger of being crowded
out. And your tender-foot soul will be ago.
nized at seeing six-foot man get into the
trunk and "trompen" its contents into hum
BILE shrinkage. This, suffice it to say, before
the cooked food goes in. Never mind! The
trunk stands strapped and corded, the car
riage is at the door, farewells are spoken,
Lakesl
Friday was a bright, pleasant day, and
pumhpr 0f Tourists cfarfino off frof
the Grand Trunk depot, when / secured a
ticket for Bethel and joined the wandering
band. Now mine host and hostess and the
boys and the baby had already been in camp
to join them. In letters. received before
starting was strictly enjoined to write r.
at Upton and notify him of the day you are
to arrive and the amount of baggage you will
bring. Do this at least three days before you
start" For a space of seven days |
had studied memoranda and had
plumed myself upon having forgotten moth
ing Of the various injunctions laid upon me.
had trotted and purchased and packed and
written everybody, thought. Now, as the
seized upon me. Not one word had written
t0,our driver and landlord and where would
he be?-thirty miles awayl / smiled smile
OF self pity but walked bravely out upon the
platform, clad in my rough. gray camping
suit, with tennis shoes and soft felt hat. Ny
companion, looking very knowing in cordu-
roy knickerb0ckers and thick stockings and
shoes, handed out the fishing tackle and bas-
ket, the guns and parcels and rolls Of bed
ding and similar paraphernalia. And 80
wagon and span of horses ready and waiting
Said he, Il was looking some for a letter
from Portland"-and didn't it Gomez" fall
tered guilty voice-".well, no, but the folks
along to-day and so l CHANGED it." Looks of
sadness passed from eye to eye between the
two passengers but a finger was laid across
the lips, signifying NUNS the word, and
unless our hosts at camp should by accident
stumble upon this letter, one of our numer-
GUS derelictions will be forever concealed
from their knowledge. From Bethel we
drove down the AndroScoggin valley six
miles to Bear River; then, following Bear
River and stopping few moments at Poplar
Tavern, the fayorite resort of so many Port
land fishermen, we continued through the
magnificent scenery of Grafton Notch, COM
ing out on the Cambridge side and reaching
Chas. Ryerson's-the Lake House-where
weather faltered a bit that night; ia plain
English soaking rain maintained steady
down pour all night and next day. Satur-
day morning it continued undated, while
steamer across Umbagog to Camp Helen-or
rather within half a mile of it. Small
boats to right and left of us take us and our
baggage and land us safely at our destina-
btOu, SIcctluSS anu lduRUt6T ana merry
welcomes. Immediately we are warned that
there has been deal of rain, and that the
mosquitoes are plenty and of lusty appetite.
What care we! We have been here week,
and not an unpleasant day, and the winged
insect ssvages have gone, scared bya cold
night or two, which served to skim over the
camp water pals of morning, but not to
dau5t our spirits 1t is delightful, and
would be perfection but for the fact that our
two hunters find it early for game and come
h0mn fro ltro nj fhn
scarcity OF birds. We have had in one
weeks time trout, English snipe, ducks, par
fridge and plover, and yet the sportsmen
consider that mere Dagatelle, and say "wait
something"
Camp Helen faces the south, and is in
Whale Back Cove; to the east of us are
Sturdeyant, Sunday Cove, and, across the
ocean Molps Rock and Moose Point. But
geography with me is always an effort, and
my flimsy attempts at locating place are
ALWAYS seen through. | am far more at home
when say that the wooded slope that holds
our tent is cut by wild paths sweet with pine
and is green with every graceful tree that
grows; that we gaze out over an expanse ct
ten miles of blue water upon hills and noun
tains and shining shores" Hills where the
purple shadows shift and change, and which
lie under skies never twice the same from
she misty dawn to the rosy sunset, Our
large tent is 10 feet square, the small one
only big enough for our two sportsmen
Hnaer the fly of the big tent are ample din
t as Iaple ana benches; facing this, the camp
n1eplace Of big stones, brave with cranes and
Aes1es anu me tin baker. Our Pullman
cai aim cnair Is made of barrel one half
sawed away and seat of boards nailed on.
and is very comfortable with its cnrvad hacL'
can assure asssI you: An awning put up be-
skillful hands have built tables ana d moos
and shelves enough to satisfy the most citio
fed heart Then our cuisine! One eynects