The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-12-14
There are bark Spots in The Spruce
Woods ut Night Time


| ing for eight or nine hours you found
yourself entirely lost as TO sense of
direction and the shades of night
/ coming down thru the spruce trees.
How would you feel to sit down very,
very weary to look up through the
branches at the moonlight, until that
also followed the sun behind the forest
covered mountains to the West?
How would you feel to lie down in
scant clothing and go to sleep in the
dense darkness underneath these
same trees? What would be your
/ feelings to awake in the gray dawn
with the dew dripping into your face
and onto your somewhat chilled body?
Very few indeed have had the eX-
periences to enable them to answer
the above questions and. while there
must be Il certain excitement in
! looking back to them, very few would
voluntarily undertake any such adj
ventures.
1t was. delightful aspect worn by
all nature as Ralph Burrill set out
from Lost Pond camp that September
morning to so to the farm house by
the kennebec River over tie two mile
trail He had his gun along hoping
he might see something for game.
Arriving at the farm home Of Mir. and
Mrs. Floyd Hunncwell. he secured Il
quart of milk and some green corn
to take back with him to the camp.
The Trail runs up Il sharp incline
from the Briggs camps at the shore OF
Lost Pond for perhaps 100 rods and
then dips down the other side of the
mountain range very sharply to the
/ river. The crest does not equally
divide the distance. The entire
Journey is perhaps two miles and
three-fourths of this is down the river
side of the hill. The return journey
was thought to increase his chances
fer game by leaving the trail ordi-
narily followed and taking enc that
/ branched off to the north. This
trail WAS the original route bat had
4 been found to pass through wet
/ area and new one had been made
further to the south. This old trail
was not we'll defined, being very
little travelled. but it lead to the pond
shore near the camp.
Mr. BGrrll finally decided that he
would leave the trail altogether and
4 81 Il ollOi ul0ldllNt lllAO iiti hppfio t@t
the NORTH Having done this he must
have tuned still further to The right.
! At any rate, be did not regain the
trail and what was still more unfor-
tunate, did not come to the pond shore.
He kept on thinking at least 10 come
in sight CT the pond and, as was
proven eventually, went by The north
eastcgly end Of it by about one eighth
of a mile. Early in the afternoon he
must have crossed the outlet OF Lost
Pond which flows down to the kenne-
bee River. 1t is a very small stream
however and at points quite obscure.
1t any rate, it, did not attract his
attention. As he tramped on of
course he became aware that he was
/ lost but yet he fully expected to come
ont before night at the camp CT pond.
He lunched occasionally on the milk
and corn until it was all gone. Be-
tween the Two lie had ample food so
far as the nee Is Of the day were con
carned. His wandering took him
through variety Of growth and over
a variety Of ground. Sometimes he
would be in hard wood growth, thick
, with underbrush and then in place
who're the haru "o'u trees "eie &c
from branches or small twlgs. lhen
again he would. get INTO spruce ana
fir thickets where the gong was eS-
pocially difficult.
With the approach oil sunset OF
course the darkness among the trees
came on very rapidly ana he soon was
unable to travel. There was moon
until about midnight and as long as
this mistress OF the night was up ne
felt little inclination to sleep Wheh
that too abandoned him II was lnky
dark in the shode OF the trees ana
there was nothing TO DO but 10 ne
down on the ground and make the
best Of it. II was fairly dry and not
very cold. lie had NOT seen or heard
any animal--not so much as blrd'
Or course he know that IN the Maine
woods there might ne big Things Ike
moose. deer. bear panther pop-catS'
etc Strange to say he lelt no Tear
of them and really no timidlty at all.
He reasoned ou' mat moose would