, 1921-08-13

life, though any one reading {
with its half-hundred attendants. and
its movie men catching Mr.. Edison in
<the act OF brushing n fly off his nose
and the president reading a paper.
must feel that Mr.. Harding scarcely
had a chance TO get the real flavor of
afe vithoat a necktie.
The everyday citizen is In his moro
fortunate. II he aspires to build a log
cabin in the woods and fish. hunt.
take pictures. tramp. study nature.
or merely sit. he can enjoy these rec.
reations undisturbed for as many
weeks as he likes. at the price OF a
few days at any fashionable resort.
Five Million Back to Nature.
Back to the forest is now the an
nual slogan of over 5000. 900 people
who have solved the problem OF a
restful. cheap vacation by using the
national forests. There probably would
be very little forest left TO get back
10 by this time IL the reckless cut
ting and burning of timber had not
been restricted some twenty years ago
and a national forest system built
up.
Since then. LAT forests. containing
i5e, 900. 900 acres of land, have been
dedicated as Fairgrounds for the PEG
pie.
In one way. the national forests
are OF necessity n one-sidec PROPOSE
>tion. OF the 147 forests all but 20
are in the west. In the east which
so much needs camping grounds there
is left comparatively little forest land
which could be set aside for the PEG
pie.
But the back to the woods germ ia
too contagious and virulent to be
checked by difficulties OF distance. We
are told that the Colorado forests.
which are perhaps the most famous
in the country. attract people from
every state in the union n from
G number Of foreign countries. The
other national forests are rapidly be-
coming known as practical play
ground, and automobiles, the wander
lust, good roads. nerves and high
prices are all contributing to h pop
ularity of the public Fairgrounds
everywhere.
TraclLess Forests.
The 5000, 900 people who have got
tho habit of using the national for
csts are only a beginning. Some of
the western forests are so extensive
and so comparatively unused by camp
crs thai a party may travel for days
At a time through them without meet
ing any other vacationists.
The west is h-oneycombed with
these vast forest stretches, with snow
topped mountains. lakes hidden among
tho pines. shady streams stocked
with fish. and smooth roads and trails
all at the service of the people.
The east has its national forests
too. in Florida. the Carolinas. Ar
kansas. Alabama. Georgia, Oklahoma.
Maine, New Hampshire. Tennessee,
Virginia, and West Virginia. These
forests, set aside. most of them. long
after the states were well built up.
are limited IN aren. compared to the
big western forests. The smallest of
these eastern forests. for instance.
Boone Forest. in North Carolina, *
only 1000 acres. while the largest, the
Arkansas forest, is some 600, 900 acres.
In the west there are a number Of
national forests with 1000. 900 or
more acres. and me-. in New Mexico
=ith $500. 900.
In all OF the national forests ex-
cept a few in the east any one who
wishes to build a cabin or cottage
may lease a camp site of from a quar-
ter Of an acre to five acres of ground
for from ten to twenty-five dollars
4 year. Timber for the house may
be bought where available, at cost
price off the stump from the forest
service. and the camper can cut 1t
md build his own house or hire some
one to do it for him. The land once
leased may be released in succeeding
years.
Not all the persons who patronize
the national forests build quarters,
many prefer to pitch camp in tents.
which requires no permit. or no motor
from place TO place.
Rangers Help yacationists.
Forest rangers have headquarters
at intervals through the forests and
at these headquarters. marked by the
American flag. campers and travellers
can obtain information. use a telc-
phone, and get help in an emergency
The different forests have their
own special attractions. Pixies Peak
is in the national forest of the same
name. Olympic elk. once almost ex-
tinct but now protected and increasing
may be shot-with n camera-fn the
Olympic forest in Washington state.
trout abound in the streams OF
most Of the forests. Deer. bear, elk
grouse. and other wild game are to
be found in the various forests and
ma be hunted under state game
laws.
In the Suiattle river forest in Wash
sngton the full-blood Indians of the
sNoiattle river tribe never fail to inter
eFi campers. while in h east, tic
White Mountains boast OF their lakes
Old Man of the Mountains cut by
nature in the side OF a cliff
OF them ali. the forests in Colorado