THE CRUISE OF THE "HOBO" 



The story of two Americans who made a seven hundred mile cruise in a sixteen 

 foot canoe on the St. Lawrence. Two months of sight-seeing and pleasure at a 

 cost of $50 apiece. First of a series of educational articles for Recreation readers 



BY E. C. HAMILTON. 

 With photographs by the writer 



All through the spring and early sum- 

 mer, Brooks and I had been planning this 

 trip, and now, every obstacle surmounted, 

 we were actually at our starting point, Bur- 

 lington, Vermont. 



On our arrival, August 2d, from New 

 York, we found the canoe, dunnage, and 

 box of provisions awaiting us in the freight 

 house. After transferring our supplies to 

 the club house of the "Lake Champlain 

 Club," where the manager made us wel- 

 come and extended to us the freedom of 

 the club, we repaired to the hotel for our 

 last night of civilization for many weeks 

 to come. 



In preparing for a previous trip, I had 

 been greatly helped in making up my outfit 

 by reading various accounts of experienced 

 campers. While not agreeing wholly with 

 any one of them, in almost every case I 

 got new ideas. For the benefit of the un- 

 initiated, I give a list of our general out- 

 fit and personal belongings : 



A sixteen-foot canvas-covered canoe. 



Two maple paddles, 5-3 and 5-6. 



Lateen sail, area 2,$ feet. 



A tent J 1 /^ x 7^4, with heavy rope ridge. 



This tent could be stretched between 



two trees, making poles unnecessary. 



Two folding camp cots — weight, 12 lbs. 



Two blankets each. 



Two dunnage bags. 



One nest cooking utensils, as follows : 



Two kettles. 



One frying-pan. 



One coffee-pot. 



Two plates. 



Two soup bowls. 



Two knives. 



Two forks. 



Two dessert spoons. 



Two teaspoons. 



Two cups. 



These all fitted into the larger kettle and 

 this into a neat canvas bag. 



One dozen small food bags, for meal, 

 flour, pork, etc. 



One large bag to contain the smaller 

 ones. 



One axe. 



Gun. 



Fishing tackle. 



One large rubber blanket. 



CLOTHING. 



Two sets of medium-weight woolen un- 

 derwear. 



Three pairs woolen socks. 



One pair sneakers. 



One pair karki trousers. 



One paddling shirt. 



One heavy woolen sweater. 



One slouch hat. 



Two bath towels 



One waterproof coat, extending below 

 the knees. 



Two silk handkerchiefs for neck. 



Two cotton handkerchiefs for pocket. 



One roll toilet articles. 



One small medicine chest. 



Tobacco, etc., according to taste. 



The cots may be considered a luxury, but 

 anyone who has ever camped on Lake 

 Champlain knows that much time and labor 

 are saved by carrying a light cot. This 

 also proved true on the St. Lawrence. 

 In this region, balsam boughs do not grow 

 on every bush, and the choice frequently 

 lies between sleeping on the rocky shore 

 or gathering boughs from a distance. The 

 canoe was guaranteed to carry 750 pounds ; 

 we carried something over 350 pounds. 



The next day dawned bright and clear, 

 and after making a few additional pur- 

 chases we proceeded to pack the entire outfit 

 between the thwarts, covering the whole 

 with the rubber blanket. We then dipped 

 our paddles for the first stroke of our 700- 

 mile cruise. 



Port Kent, ten miles away across the 

 lake, was reached in two and ' one-half 

 hours, against a slight wind. Here we left 

 our canoe in charge of the dock master 

 and visited Ausable Chasm, which well re- 

 paid us for the time spent. The chasm is 

 only three miles from the lake, but the 

 short railroad which connects it with the 

 Delaware and Hudson saves the walk. 

 Upon getting back to the lake at two 

 o'clock, we paddled three miles north and 

 made camp on Ausable Point, where t!ie 

 river enters the lake, forming a large 

 marsh. 



We started early the next morning with 

 a moderate wind which steadily increased, 

 until by the time we reached the southern 

 end of Valcour Island it was blowing half 



187 



