284 



RECREATION. 



he replied that he knew no lake in that 

 mountain, and he reckoned no one would 

 care to climb the mountain to find out. We 

 told him we would try to make the peak. 

 We turned our horses' heads in the direc- 

 tion of a foothill with a long ascending 

 ridge, covered on one side with sage brush, 

 and it looked from where we were as if it 

 would take us almost half way up the 

 mountain before we got into the fallen tim- 

 ber. We encountered considerable rock be- 

 fore we reached timber, but suddenly a deep 

 abyss opened before us, and at first it 

 looked as if there was but one direction to 

 go, and that was to back trail. However, 

 we decided to make a zigzag descent to the 

 right, though through the heavy brush and 

 timber we could not see where we would 

 bring up. Half an hour of rather ticklish 

 manceuvring took us into a pretty little 

 valley with plenty of wood, grass and a 

 swift stream of icewater from the water- 

 fall above. There were plenty of bear and 

 deer tracks, but we saw no bear and only 

 3 deer. 



In the morning Mack and I took an early- 

 start for the peak. It was just straight 

 mountain climbing for several hours, until 

 we came to a stretch of slide rock and 

 large and small patches of snow. That 

 was hard scratching to advance, and often 

 we only held our own with difficulty when 

 a great mass of sand and stone would slide 

 from under us. Rounding a great ragged 

 boulder of granite I met a sight that well 

 paid me for the few scratches and the great 

 fatigue I had undergone. Before us was a 

 most beautiful lake of indigo blue water. 

 The walls were solid snow ice, and where 

 they jutted into the water they were col- 

 ored like glaciers. Small mounds of snowy 

 ice floated on the mirror surface like min- 

 iature icebergs, and the whole scenery was 

 depicted again in the clear water. We de- 

 scended cautiously to the shores of the 

 magnificent lake, feeling sure we were the 

 first to discover it, and that it was our priv- 

 ilege to name it. It is now known to us, 

 and to all whom we have told about it, 

 as Lake Myra, after a mutual friend in 

 New York. 



There were numerous goat tracks and 

 plenty of white hairs in the brush where 

 they had rubbed while passing to and fro 

 in their exclusive domain. We were not 

 looking for them at that time, but had all 

 we could do to keep our footing. 



Will see you as soon as I get back in 

 town. I want to talk to you of what I have 

 heard about ibex in this country. 



H. L. Suydam. 



A PRACTICAL CAMPING OUTFIT. 



Cariboo, B. G 

 Editor Recreation : 

 Your suggestion, in July Recreation, 



that practical campers give their ideas of 

 an outfit for a 10 days' trip is good. My 

 business and mode of life compel me to 

 give great attention to that sort of thing, 

 and the following lists are the results of 

 many years' experience. I have found that 

 nearly all professional hustlers, who have 

 to pack everything on their own backs, 

 agree with me as to what constitutes a 

 properly proportioned outfit. 



Trappers, prospectors, etc., in this prov- 

 ince especially, have to depend entirely for 

 weeks on what they carry at one load, and 

 if any important article runs out it is often 

 a serious thing for them. 



In your list the principal item of the 34 

 pounds of grub is the bacon, 14 pounds. 

 I can not see why men on a hunting or fish- 

 ing trip require that much, as they always 

 get meat of some sort. What they want is 

 something to accompany it. Also 3 pounds 

 of sugar seem inadequate for 3 pounds of 

 dried fruit and 2 pounds of coffee. 



My lists are figured on the basis of a 50- 

 pound pack, which is affbut as much as a 

 man wants to carry in the woods, exclusive 

 of rifle and ammunition, knife and matches, 

 which should be carried on the person. 

 The tent should be a simple A tent, or else 

 a fly with ends of light drilling. Heavy 

 wall tents and those made of thick canvas 

 are only fit for trips where one takes horses 

 or a canoe ; they are not necessary then. 



Outfit for Two Men. 



Pounds. 



Blankets, or sleeping bags 16 



Tent or fly 5 



1 piece 6x6 canvas 3 



Axe 3 



3 small nest pails, made to fit inside one) 2 



another J 



Fry pan 2 



2 plates, 2 cups, 2 spoons, 2 towels, 1 / 

 cake of soap, etc f 2 



Pilot bread 10 



Flour 15 



Sugar 15 



Bacon (fat) 5 



Rice 4 



Oatmeal 4 



Dried fruit 4 



Salt 2 



Baking powder y 2 



Tea and coffee, or 1 cocoa 1 



Underclothes and socks 5 



98J4 

 Outfit for One Man. 



Blanket or bag 8 



Tent or fly 3 



Underclothes and socks 2 



Axe 3 



2 cooking pails 1 



1 plate, 1 large cup, 1 spoon, 1 cake soap ( 



and towel ) z 



Pilot bread 10 



Sugar 8 



Bacon 3 



Rice 2y 2 



Oatmeal 3 



Dried fruit 2 



Salt ' 1 



Tea % 



Coffee or cocoa .,......,,..,..., l /\ 



49 



