Milford chronicle., 1960-08-12

water detail was sent. This lOca-
tion was also the site of our only
water pipe, and three buckets per-
iodically throughout the days was
a minimum. After a while, We
broke the habit of washing in the
drinking water bucketi
We had been invited from the
Main Lodge to come hear a: lecture
] the evening of our arrival This
was given by the National Direc-
tor of Camping in India. Due to
our late arrival and the confusion
of making camp, we were ten min
utes late and had to wait until the
lecture was completed to meet Mrs.
Mohini. She proved to be a charm
ing person and invited us to see
her souvenirs and photographs of
Girl Guides in India. The new In
dia is so much like our own proud
country and their people are anx-
! ious for us to know how very
much they have accomplished. One
picture was an aid to a pressing
problem we had. We saw the girls
carrying two and three buckets of
water at a time by means of sus-
pending a long pole across the
shoulders of a team of scouts. Our
water problem became more simple
at once.
Mrs. Mohini graciously accept
ed our invitation to lunch in the
Adirondacks for Tuesday. We had
the forethought to inquire about
proper food to serve, and learned
that we could have no beef or
pork. Tuna Wiggle was the ans
wer. Armed with flashlights, we
proceeded the long way back to
camp. 1t had been busy day.
Tired and weary, we laid our
remaining bed rolls and settled
down A few minutes after all was
still, the excitement started. We
had been warned that we must
keep our dog on leash because
there was an abundance of wild
life in the area Nobody said what
kind.> And we never askedi Well,
the wildlife really came to life
after curfew. Sounds of creatures
scratching and moving within
inches of us penetrated the dark
ness. Actually, there was nothing
but a stretch of canvas between us
and them. Two girls in our tent
just could not sleep. Zippy, the
Homan dog, was almost crazy to
get out. Finally, after much admo-
milton, the young ladies grew
drowsy and at the precise moment
sleep was about to take over, there
was a deafening CRASH!!! None
moved for a moment, then Dee,
Chris and l ventured out to in
yestigate, armed with a hatchet
and fiashlight. The noise had
come from the direction of the
shelters and we knew our food
was cached there. Just as Dee
yelled, There he goes," we saw,
in the glow of her light, big,
fat, gray raccoon wander from the
shelter and make his way leis-
urely down the hill. Zippy strain
ed to be at him, and barked in
cessantly. Needless to say, the
food was in shambles and all things
not canned were ripped and scat
tered. The noodles for the Tuna
Wiggle had to be salvaged. Our
precious food was a sight!
Amid giggles and excitement, we
repacked everything in a tight
wooden box with hinged lid, re-
freshed ourselves with a cookie
or two, and returned to bed.
Noises continued throughout the
night, but sleep won the battle
and morning finally came.
We called Tuesday, our second
day, India Day. After completion
of camp chores, we prepared lunch
for our guest, Mrs. Mohini. 1t was
an excellent lunch, completed with
watermelon. The afternoon was so
beautiful that with the quiet talk
she gave and the many questions
we asked, time disappeared and
we found ourselves exchanging
songs, stories and momentos with
an Indian representative as easily
as an American. Mrs Mohini bid
us goodbye with a few autograph
ed Scout books and the presenta
ton of a pin worn by all Girl
Guides in India. She was bound
for New Mexico after lockwood,
then on to Hawaii. We enjoyed her
company immensely.
That evening, we had Shish-Ka-
bobs made from SPAN and vege-
tables in honor of India Day. A
few brave souls threaded their way
back to the Main Lodge for show
ers and all slept soundly, ignor-
ing the raccoon menace.
We had planned a hike to Great
Falls on Wednesday, but were
doubtful when the day proved to be
unbearably hot. Testing ourselves,
we tried a small hike to the near
est roadside stand, where we were
refreshed and decided we would
take a cookout later to the Falls.
That was a travelling day, as we
had shopped for souvenirs and
cards in Potomac in the morning.
AS we sat eating candy and drink
ing sodas at the stand, we were
delighted and surprised to see two
carloads of Delaware, boys drive
up. They were from Camp Arrow
head and on a Caravan Tour. The
road is fairly quiet and sparsely
travelled, so the girls felt our tim
Loo~ Tho. hnuc