Gilpin observer., 1911-07-27

Won viii and the fur the most useful. Linen silk
and cotton absorb the moisture of the body much
better than woolen under garments The ieet
should be encased in moccasins or some sort OF
moccasin shoe-pack bootpack. because the artl-
fetal elevation Of the heel which, however useful
when pounding the city pavements is unnat-
ural and anything that is unnatural interferes
more or less with your progress. After wearing
conventional heeled shoes for IL months. l have
put the leather moccasins Of oiled moose hide
and tramped through the forests for weeks at
time without feeling any Ill effects from the
change. But when returned and put on my high
heeed shoes. the first day spent hitting the trail
on the Great White Way made the muscles OF my
shins that was almost unable to walk the
next day.
For shelter or temporary camp for a night so
do not use the "asohagan" OF the Indians. common
ly known as teepee by the whites. 1t is splendid
thing for more or less permanent camp. but 1t
takes too long to erect It, there are too many poles
for it, and it is heavy and cumbersome in
packing. The big fire which can be kept burning
in the center OF the "asohagan' is fine in cold
nights and the comforts of the teepee have never
been improved upon by white inventors of tents
The best Of all teachers Tor would-be campers
is good old mother nature. Bless her kindly old
soul, 1t at her knees that race first
learned to exercise its baby brain and muscles. 1t
was in natures kindergarten that we learned to
build first rude shelters, from which has evolved
sky-scrapng palaces. Even today we people lv'
ing in the artificial atmosphere Of the opera, the
and all that hothouse type of pleasure. must go
back to good old mother nature to be really en-
thused and to experience the healthy thrill. only
to be produced by the boom of the avalanche as 1t
tears down the mountain sde the rush and roar OF
the torrents issuing from the grinding glaciers the
roar of the sea- the song of the birds and the rap
ture experienced by watching the sunset clouds re-
feet their tints upon the mountain tops. And then
comes the night! Every camper is more or less
of a naturalist; every camper must be something
of a poet and artist before he can fully ap-
preciate the surroundings; and his surroundings
make a poet and artist and naturalist Of him.
The best advice that be given to a man who
has never camped is to go and do It," 1t is pos
sible that he may come back from his outing dis
gusted with his first experience. Illuck may have
apparently followed his experiment; It may have
rained most of the time; the black flies and mosqui-
toes may have sized him up tenderfoot and
made his life miserable; Vt may be that the fish
refused to bite that the game refused to show It.
self his horse may have stumbled and ducked
may have upset spelling his films and soaking his
gun Stray varmints bears. dogs wolves may
have stolen his provisions, and ho may come back
to civilization grumbling that he has wasted his
vacation time.
But Lord bless his innocent SOUL He has for
the first time In his life had q real vacation. He
has added to his experiences and, as a French
man would say, he has experienced new sensa
ton II he is q man of spunk, the knowledge that
Il was his own inexperience which caused all these
disasters will make him try It again next year with
n manly determination to conquer all obstacles and
then he will come back slapping his friends or
their backs and shouting that he has had the time
OF his life!