100 FOREST OUTINGS 



friendlier that way," says the stout, earnest woman of 50-odd, traveling 

 with her 18-year-old boy. "We camped up in the edge of the woods when 

 we came here. The camp was so full then. But when the crowd went, we 

 moved down here." 



The arrangement of the shelters is rather more than an instinctive huddle. 

 Such grouping enables these campers to share cooking fires and trade little 

 chores with each other, daytimes. But at night they make separate fires and 

 sit apart, as a rule. 



This third party, the mother and nearly grown son, are from Los Angeles; 

 or that, at least, was their last point of fixed abode, while the boy finished 

 high school there. His father is an Army engineer on duty in China, but 

 due to retire on retirement pay in the autumn of 1939. The whole family 

 lived in China for a while, but conditions did not favor that arrangement, 

 so the boy and his mother returned to the States. He did well in science and 

 in high-school journalism, and was through with high school at 16, but not 

 well. "He had grown too fast and burned his nerves, he worked so hard in 

 school," his mother says. "I was worried about him. And he didn't know 

 what he wanted to go on and do." 



"All I knew was, I wanted to get outdoors and stay out," says the boy. 

 "And Mother, she likes that, too." 



So his mother closed their little curio shop with its gay-colored umbrella, 

 which is a colorful part of their camp equipment now. She paints and sells 

 china and small decorations. The boy built a short two-wheeled trailer, 

 and fixed it skillfully, so that the china and painting materials could be 

 packed. They took to the road together, 2 years ago last August. They have 

 been about everywhere in this country since then. The boy has gained 15 

 pounds, and is strong and self-reliant. He and his mother have camped in for- 

 ests and parks from the Grand Canyon to Canada, from Florida to Mexico. 

 The boy had developed a definite talent for sketching. He likes to sketch 

 wildlife, especially. He knows what he wants to do now forestry. He and his 

 mother are stopping at different colleges on this swing, looking them over, 

 getting ready to set up a home again, where the head of the house will join 

 them, while the boy goes on through college. They are not quite sure yet what 

 school it will be. They are going to have another look at various colleges 



