1922] SMITH, WOODCRAFT 191 



gone home, is a sort of free lance about the camp, teaching by after- 

 noon trips, superintending the clearing of camp sites and trail building 

 through interesting birch forests such as the one shown in figure 112. 

 One of the .objectives of the camp is to install in the assembly hall a 

 local museum of the natural history objects found about the camp. It 

 is a fine thing to keep in touch with young life, such as one finds at this 

 sort of a camp. The youthful enthusiasms react on the instructor, and 

 make it worth while to forego personal longings for other types of 

 vacations. 



Naturally, long canoe trips are attractive to the boys and a great 

 deal of woodcraft can be taught on these trips that can not be demon- 

 strated in camp. Actual doing is always better than theory. The only 

 difficulty is the limited number one can reach with a single trip. Two 

 ,or three canoes form the usual party with, at best, nine in the crowd. 

 Since the writer headed one of these long canoe trips to the Lac du 

 Flambeau Indian Reservation, fifty-one miles from camp, he will re- 

 count this as a trip narrative or travelogue to acquaint the reader with 

 the possibilities for instruction on such a trip. 



There were six in the party, five boys and the writer. It was sup- 

 posedly the easiest of four such trips starting from camp that morning, 

 because it was to be all paddling. Our outfit consisted of two eighty- 

 five pound Racine canoes, one carrying yoke, two tents, a bed roll 

 apiece in a poncho, five paddles, utensil bag and a food bag. In the 

 utensil bag we had a thin iron spider, a small agate coft'ee pot, a four 

 quart granite stew pan, six army mess kits and six army canteens, with 

 cup bases. 



We started at noon, and had our first bit of portage at the dam in 

 Manitowish river, barely outside Boulder lake. This brought us to the 

 first camp site beside a fine spring. From this point there is a combi- 

 nation of wading and shooting rapids for about two miles. Going 

 down river is very easy, coming back against the current is quite other- 

 wise. We pulled up at an abandoned logging camp for our first meal, 

 then followed down the river, keeping to our right till six-thirty, when 

 we came to Island lake. Enroute we shied a bait at the mouth of a 

 small creek and took a four pound bass, which somewhat helped sup- 

 per. Among some old snags, we also hooked a muskie, but were un- 

 able to land it with bare hands. We received permission to sleep on 

 the porch of the Clemens cottage at this end of Island lake, and soon 

 had supper completed. Sleep was rather sketchy, with these active 

 youngsters in camp, an occurrence which the writer has often had op- 



