'Hey, Hiker!' 



113 



reason than the fun of it. All the hiker asks is a well-marked trail, 

 leading somewhere at the end of day. All the service he wants is an 

 extra pair of socks, a big bite of lunch, and a camera with which to 

 shoot the stag that stares pop-eyed from the azaleas. The national park 

 trails just fill the bill for the hiker, for he can leave cares behind and be 

 sure of a meal and a bed at the end of the day for almost as little as it 

 costs to stay at home. 



"You can rate yourself, brother, and take your choke," concluded 

 the Old-Timer. "I reckon the time for you city fellers to hit the trail is 

 any time you can get away from four walls and a roof." 



No one who has tasted the freedom of the trail will argue about that. 



Every so often someone bewails what the automobile is doing to 

 the American's ability to walk. Well, it is enabling millions of them to 

 find out where to hike, as a few days on any of the thousands of miles of 

 trails in the national parks or the national forests will prove. The call 

 of the trail is irresistible. Some lingering spark from the days when our 

 ancestors were trail-blazing flares up in each of us once or twice or 

 thrice a year, and there burns the longing for the winding trail that 

 leads now over mountain passes, now through fragrant forests, now by 

 rushing waters or past ramparts of rock. Then a million at a time take 

 to the trail during some months, yet so great is the magic of the wilder 

 ness that many multitudes can be swallowed without disturbing its 

 serenity. 



The legions of stay-at-homes who know the trail but vicariously, 

 some because of apprehensions of the rigors of the wilderness, some 

 because it is too much work, others because of queer notions of the 

 dangers involved, have some queer ideas about the trail. To answer a 

 few of the questions that are asked of the rangers : 



Nope, you don't meet wild Indians in the Western woods any more. 

 You may see some tame ones working on the trails, but they won't 

 molest you. ^ \ 



Yes, you might meet a bear. Just give 

 him a chance and he will amble into the 

 woods. No, you needn't fear wolves, or 

 mountain lions, or tigers, or wild elephants! 



Altitude? Yes, it affects some people. 

 Those with weak hearts should avoid trails 

 that lead into the high mountains. 



Yes, carry a compass, if you wish, but 

 in the high western mountains you don't 

 need it as much as in the eastern woods, be 

 cause in the Rockies or the Sierra or the 

 Cascades you can always see some high 



