Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-08-13
ABOUT CAMPING OUT.
How Tt Is Done and How It
Ought to Be Done.
The Fat Mans Ideal of Camp Comfort
Too Much Bread - Hints of Camp
Cookery-Tent Life a Medi-
cine-Women in Camp.
COPYRIGHT. 1So1,I

YES" said the fat man at about
eleven p. m, when the fire and the flick
ering shadows in the dark depths of the
woods at Saranac Lake and the sweet
breath of the piny air and the sense of
companionship had made us all COM
municative as no other influence can.
Eyes, this is a very comfortable camp
indeed, but it isn't as comfortable as
my ideal camp would be, by a long
chalk"
Tell us about your ideal camp,
Frank" said a sleepy voice near the fire.
''Well,'' said Frank, with all a fat
mans deliberation, Gin the first place
the tent would be very large, much
larger than this for instance. Any
pleasant place would do to pitch it; the
nearer to good grocery the better. 1t
would have mattresses or cots NV
back is sore now from lying on the
ground last night"
''That's because you were too lazy to
pick enough hemlock boughs," said.
my ideal camp" went on the fat
man, paying no heed to the Interrupt
ton, ''would have piano.
"a piano!''
ga piano and hammock, or two or
three hammocks, if necessary. Then
there would be a telephone to COM
municate with the grocery and the
Office
''And the brewery 1 interrupted
again.
''And the rest of the world. I would
take my wife and babies into camp
with me, and I'd have a man cook and
never move or go back to town until
cold weather"
This was many years ago, but don't
believe the fat man has ever vet at
tanned his ideal. Indeed, when he re-
ally got wife and baby he gave up
camping altogether, which shows how
unwise it is to expect too much in this
life. More recently 1 saw at the canoe
exhibition in New York city little col
lection labeled "a Veterans Camp
Outfit" which consisted of a tiny ca
noe, a blanket, a paddle and sheath
knife. This shows how ideals will diff
fer.
Of course, circumstances alter cases.
If the camper wants to stay in one spot
and rest and grow fat, he can convey to
that spot considerable luggage and
keep it there. can see the possibility,
if not the desirability, of that. But if
one would taste the joys of an ever
changing experience, camping in diff
ferent spot every night, he must go
light laden. 1 have tramped over a
good bit of country with two or three
companions, carrying my share of the
camp outfit on my back, and enjoyed
it immensely. A few pounds additional
weight would change enjoyment into
disgust. Better than this is to make a
highway of some river, load ones few
belongings in a light boat and set out in
quest of strange adventures. Who
knows where we shall camp tomorrow
night, and who cares?
Young fellows roughing it really do
not need a tent at all. 1 have spent some
portions of more than one rainy day
under my boat drawn up on shore and
tipped over, the edge to leeward
propped up on a stick; and when the
night is fair how could one ask better
bed than the bottom of his boat, with
only the star-dotted coverlid of the sky
over him?
An adequate outfit for any camping
scheme within reach of supplies will in
clude a tent, which may be made of
very light cloth. Stevens tent, which
he carried across Asia on his world-en-
circling bicycle, was made Of water
proof cloth and weighed only few
ounces. There should be matches in
a water tight box, a frying pan and
pail to boil coffee. A set of two or three
pals of slightly differing sizes, which
will ''nest" into each other, is very con-
venient. A jackknife is necessity, a
fork a forgiveable luxury; forked twig
cut from a tree will usually answer.
The blankets must be large and well
woven, but not necessarily heavy. Old
fashioned Indian point blankets are
the best. have used one which hung
up to make one side of an improvised
tent, and which turned heavy days
rain. To guard against dampness at
such time the tent should, of course,
be pitched upon slight rise of ground.
The camp cuisine presupposes enor-
nous hunger. Fish or game in season
may be standby. but on long cruise
some supplies must be carried. Tin cans
contain nowadays almost all that is
needed have seen Boston professor
dancing frantically about with can Of
baked beans in one hand and a can of
brown bread in the other and vocifer-
ously shouting that there was no more
are handy in camp, and take to rough
ing it more naturally than cynics would
suppose. Of course they cannot cook so
well in camp as men, having precon-
ceived notions and general dislike to
the wholesome amount of dirt, ashes
and bark. But they like camping, and
then they always have pins and needles.
Some campers never bother with
-four, but take with them an inordinate
amount of bareback and pick berries for
dletetic variety. Flour prepared SO as to
be self-raising is handy substance to
have in the tent. Used in combination
with the berries it contains the promise
and potency of short cake. If there is
a COW anywhere about which can be
MIXED in an absent-minded moment,
bread and milk is a practicable COM
bination; and as COWS feed on the far
thest fringe of civilization and browse
in the edges of the wilderness it is more
commonly attainable than might be
supposed. A great variety of dishes
may be prepared in the frying pan, but
almost any kind of meat, usually fried
in camp for lack of a better way, is