MccAUGHEv) OVER-NIGHT NATURE-STUDY TRIPS 151 



She has not known the joy of early dawn in the fields. The over- 

 night trip gives a new and delightful series of nature contacts. It 

 enlarges the soul. It gives old subject-matter a fresh spiritual 

 significance. The brook of afternoon is not the brook that sings 

 in the starlight. The first bird notes of early dawn are not those of 

 midday. The woodland floor pied by the last long slant orange 

 sun-shafts is a revelation to those who know it only in the day's 

 high tide. 



Another value of the over-night trip, for the woman teacher, is 

 that it gives her a new sense of freedom and simplicity. Such 

 women are likely to be house creatures, accustomed to their own 

 rooms, with all the little accessories and comforts; and used to 

 meals prepared by others. The experiences of carrying one's own 

 luggage; of selecting a camping site; of preparing food over the 

 camp-fire ; of making a bed in the open ; of sleeping without ceiling 

 or walls to shut one in ; of washing in the beautiful woodsy stream : 

 — these simple acts have a deep and direct spiritual significance. 

 New and enriching decisions, reactions, and experiences, are 

 invoked by wood-magic. 



The weather is an important controlling factor in the over-night 

 trip. Such outings should not be made when the ground or vege- 

 tation is wet, as people unaccustomed to sleeping out-of-doors are 

 sure to take cold. In all cases the camp site should be reasonably 

 near roofage or shelter, so that in case of unexpected rain the party 

 can easily move base. A rain-proof shelter is not easily constructed 

 in the woods; the labor is too great for a single night's use. Only 

 well-seasoned trampers can endure drenching rain. The over- 

 night trip is essentially a fair weather trip, and for its success, 

 demands a clear, starr\' or moonlit-night. "Rainy day" nature 

 studies, which are intensely fascinating, especially to those who 

 are not accustomed to tramping about in the rain, are best made 

 by starting in the morning, and returning to shelter and dr>- clothes 

 as soon as the party begins to feel chilly. A good nature-study trip 

 should always be tonic and beneficial . There is something radically 

 wrong with the trips from which people have to recuperate. 



The distances to be covered are carefully planned with reference 

 to topography, baggage, meal times, and camp size, as well as to 

 natural history features. We found that women (not in training), 

 could comfortably carr\' blanket rolls and provisions for three to 

 five miles \\'ithout suffering fatigue. Longer distances than this 



