Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1922-08-17
HIKING Down THE
LONG GROWN PATH
vacationists With Shelter Tents
and Tin Cow Learning to
Walk All Over Again.

ohr It's not the pack that you carry on
your back
Nor the rifle on your shoulder,
Nor the five inch crust OF khaki-coioreo
dust
That makes you feel your limbs arc
growing older,
And it's not the hike on the hard turnpl8s
That drives away your smile, s
Nor the socks Of sisters that raise tho
blooming blisters--
It's the last long rifle
-Plattsburgh Marching Song
Stringing out from the suburban
transit terminals of New York every
Sunday and holiday goes the army OF
khaki-clad mixers There may be an
automobile for every twenty of the
country's population. but host OF
city folks disprove the theory Of
future leg-enfeebled citizenry and are
learning to walk all over again.
To the more casual minded. the hike
Is just exercise, but to those who
catch it's real significance the hike
means a great deal more 1t Is the
cheapest form of recreation ana
therefore appeals to those living in
crowded districts and unable to avail
themselves of the more expensive
amusements And these people, be
1t noted, are. just those the country
Is SO anxious to have spread out and
settled in the farming sections. The
hike, indeed, has possibilities as a
real starter for the back to the farm"
movement
Doughboy and Boy Scout Lead Way
Just a brief survey of the rollicking
groups which move off from the out
| lying terminals on holidays estab-
fishes a few general types. There ID
| the ex-service man and his friends
| who will hear from him the story
of more serious excursions on the
muddy roads of France. He tight
| ems a strap here and another there
| on the blanket roll adjustment or the
shelter half" in which the commits
| sary Is packed for the midday feast
| by the roadside. Expert directions
| come from him on the method OF
| singing the pack so 1t will not feel
SO heavy or interfere with the free
| body movement He will pass along
! the information, gained in his army
| days, Of how that same pack was
| evolved. after numerous experiments
| to find the easiest way Of carrying
| the heaviest load With results he
now compliments, but which he char
| acterized when a doughboy as 4
! .blankety-blank total failure"
| Then there are the boy scout par
! ties, adept at everything pertaining
| to "shanks mare" travelling and wood
| craft. The ex-service man and the
| boy scout are pioneers in the hiking
| game Listen to one of them right
| off the train and making ready for a
twelve mile jaunt Get that can
| teen over to the side, Jimmie, and
| 1t won't keep bouncing off your leg
| every step Is 1t filed? Well, then.
| we drink How about the eats? Let's
check EN- off. You got the spuds,
| Bill; the bacon Jimmie Who has the
! coffee and the Borden tin cow?''
Right here" announces a freckled
| comrade of the road, patting his KNAPP
| sack Switched the mocha and the
can of milk when Sis wasn't looking"
well then, let's go!'' snaps the
! commander of the expedition
| This party is travelling light for real
| distance Another must expect to
make a shorter hitch or else be count
! ing greatly on its power of endur-
ance. Perhaps the camp is not far
| off because the group is equipped for
an overnight stay with heavy blanket
| rolls, hatchets, lanterns, canvas wa
| terpails, rubber ponchos, kettles, pots,
new tangled firestand. etc, etc. The
| blankets are laid out for a better
! packing of the bags and cans of food
| When the party commences to load
up the members bristle all over with
camp tools and equipment
Back to the Farm
| The veteran from the crowded city
| tenements has found a new territory
| to roam and one almost unknown TO
| his associates. He is introducing them
to this newly discovered land and
teaching them how to be independent
Of any transportation but their own
good legs and Of any subsistence but
what they can carry and prepare.
walk. and cook your own" Is his
motto
Who will say the teaven thus fer
menting In the city crowds will not
bear fruit in keener appreciation Of
country delights, especially as these
are added to by increased comforts
on the farm With his radio hitched
up, the farmer listens in on the best
entertainment the country has to
offer. Modern home devices wipe out
many hardships formerly imposed
upon isolated dwellers. There is 10
short, rapid cutting down Of the
differential between farm and city
life