OUTING OPPORTUNITIES ON THE NATIONAL 



FORESTS 



A. G. JACKSON, '09 

 Forest Examiner. 



THE National Forests of Washington include ten million acres of the 

 State's area. These Forests contain most of the fine mountain scen- 

 ery in the State, and are open to the free use of the public for camp- 

 ing, hunting, fishing, tramping, and other outing activities. 

 The National Forests are the refuge for most of the remaining big 

 game of the State. Deer, bear, cougar, cats and coyotes are found on 

 practically all the Forefets, while elk and mountain goat occur on several, 

 notably elk on the Olympic, and mountain goat on the Forests along the 

 Cascade range, the Washington, Chelan, Snoqualmie, Wenatchee, Rainier, 

 and Columbia National Forests. Grouse and pheasants are common to all 

 the Forests of the State, while in a few instances duck hunting is possible; 

 There is no closed season on any of these animals or birds for the 

 merciful hunter who "shoots" iiis game with a camera and is satisfied to 

 carry away only the picture of the living creature. To many, this is the 

 ideal method of hunting, for the pictures of wild life thus 'Obtained call up 

 memories of happy days in camp and on the trail, together with the thought 

 that harmless lives were not sacrificed to secure the prized trophies. Those 

 who hunt to kill are restricted by the game laws, which limit both the 

 amount of game that may be taken and the season when it may be legally 

 hunted. The State game laws are operative inside, as well as outside, the 

 National Forests, and the Forest Service co-operates with the State and 

 county officials in seeing that these laws are observed. 



Lovers of outdoors who find their pleasure in tramping and camping 

 in nature's wide spaces, need look no further than the National Forests 

 of Washington to satisfy their soul's desire. Rivers, lakes, mountain 

 meadows, snowfields and barren peaks send forth their invitation to visit 

 the National Forests. A short journey from the bustle, dust and noise of 

 any town in the State will carry the traveler into the quiet freshness of 

 one of the people's big playgrounds a National Forest. 



A trip in the mountains either by horseback or on foot makes an ideal 

 vacation outing for the red-blooded man or woman whose profession or 

 business keeps them in town most of the year. The irk of the daily grind 

 at desk or counter is forgotten in the freedom of the open, while tire 

 complete change from the conventions of town life to the natural existence 

 of a man in the forest primeval hastens the heart beats and puts fresh 

 charm into life itself. 



The Forest Service maintains two thousand miles of trails and more 

 than one hundred and ten miles of roads inside the National Forests of 

 Washington. These trails are opened and repaired each spring. Bridges 

 are kept up where safe fords are not available. Fourteen hundred miles of 

 telephone lines make communication with the outside world possible when 

 necessary. There are ranger stations, shelters in isolated places and look- 

 out houses on many of the high peaks. These improvements, built and 

 maintained primarily for purposes of fire protection and forest administra- 

 tion, also lend themselves to the convenience of the forest traveler. 



Officers of the Forest Service are always ready to give information 

 to recreation seekers about the trails, streams, mountains, lakes and other 

 features of their districts. They are skilled in woodcraft and often render 

 valuable assistance to tourists by telling where camp sites, hunting, and 

 fishing may be found. 



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