Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-02


Among the social organizations Of the
metropolis whose names do not appear in
either the city or the swell society directo-
ries there is none whose dongs have at
tracted less public attention than the Spruce
Bark Camp Club; and yet there is none
whose history is better worth the attention
of people of good taste and small MEANS
for its members have fully solved what may
be called the vacation problem.
The club was organized about ten years
ago rs the outcome Of a vacation most
happily passed by a newspaper man and
his family in the edge of the Adirondack
wilderness. Just before vacation time one
year this man had nearly $500 which he
felt free to spend the outing to which
he was entitled In the years preceding he
had tried the usual run Of boarding houses
farm resorts and hotels along shore; he had
found some of them good enough in their
way but he was of country birth-he had
been reared literally in the woods. in fact
and there was a savage strain of blood in
his veins that went surging whenever he
thought of the forests he had known
child.
And because Of this. when the spring
came. and the sun made the air luminous
and the grass and trees of the park turned
green. he said to his wife:
A Happy Suggestion.
Lets go to the Adirondacks and camp
out instead of going to a summer resort"
The proposition was received by her in
kindly fashion. and by the chldren-one Of
whom was a boy Of eleven and the other a
girl of nine-with enthusiasm. Neither the
man nor his wife had ever seen the Adj
rondack wilderness but that made no diff
ference. They got map and a couple Of
guide books, and. going to a dealer in old
magazines. they bought everything that had
ever been printed in such periodicals in
connection with the region to which they
were bound.
Thereafter for month they passed about
all their spare hours at home, seated on the
paror noor with their map spread out be-
tween them and the magazine articles
handy by. real part of the vacation was
that month for 1t was passed in planning
and preparing for what was to come, and it
took the thoughts of the whole family al
most continually away from the city and
its cares.
Striking Good Trail.
Finally the day arrived when they board
ed train that carried them to a certain
village, standing not far from the south
west corner of the big Now York wilderness.
They knew nothing about the village-they
had selected 1t from the map-but this only
added to their pleasure, because it gave
them the feeling of explorers. But when,
at about sunset, they reached the tavern
y wagon road ran right up the creek vail
ley for more than twenty miles. For six
mics or there We're farms on both sides
of the road. but after that. the tavern keep
er said, the big woods came pretty close
to the wagon track and sometimes shad-
ed 1t.
That was encouraging, but more Informal
ton was to come that was equally cheering
A team could be engaged to carry their out
lit up the creek next morning for three or
four or five dollars. according to the dis
lance. and a man who could point out all
the good camping spots and would help
build the camp would go along for $; more
Very well content with their start, the
family went to sleep that night in bed
rooms where maple trees We're pushing half
grown leaves through the open windows
as a gentle breeze swayed the branches TO
and fro. They Were awakened in the morn
ing by robin. which sang with exuberant
glee among the same maple branches on
going down to breakfast they found their
guide sitting on the front porch with an
AK. a saw, shovel and a hammer beside
him. He asked for cents with which to
buy some nails.
Drive Through the Woods.
What Csc. besides these things was load
ed into the three-spring wagon after break
fast shall appear further on. They got
away at Z o'clock and followed a road
through fields that We're divided by lichen-
covered fences: through woods where birch
and naples Tapped their swinging branches