FOREST AND STREAM 
895 
To Camps of Proved Desire and Known Delight 
The Great Outdoors is Beckoning Once Again—This Broad Land Offersjan Infinite Choice to the Vacationist 
Of any Purse and Purpose]! 
T HE military spirit—set free by the warring 
nations of Europe—now pervades (or 
parades the breasts of many of our young 
men, and finds expression in their desire to im¬ 
prove their physical bodies. Only “able-bodied 
men”—men of the red corpuscle—are wanted for 
the world’s work. 
The re-awakening of respect for the ancient 
right of self-defense will have much to do to¬ 
ward directing the “feet of the young men,” dur¬ 
ing the coming vacation season, to places that 
will answer the call of the spirit and will afford 
requisite conditions for the strengthening of 
mental and physical fibre. They will want to go 
where they may enter fully into the outdoor con¬ 
test, where, in their own words, they may inflate 
the chest and shake a limb without endangering 
the bric-a-brac or bowling a fellow pedestrian off 
the sidewalk. 
It is certain that the right places exist in ex¬ 
cellent numbers. From Maine to California and 
from the mountains of North Carolina to the 
hinterlands of Canada, the earth calls him to the 
open road, to wide fields, and to silent forests 
where flashing pool and torrential waters provide 
a play for the quickening of brain and muscle. 
Not to be an outdoor enthusiast in one form 
or another, to-day, is to suffer from inertia of a 
fatal character. It may be that simplest of out¬ 
door pleasures—walking, with field glass or 
camera; motoring, canoe sailing, or mountain 
climbing; or simply letting one’s heart yield to 
the spell of natural environment. Magical dis¬ 
tances, the w-h-i-r-r of a wing, and the joy of 
telling the time of night by the stars are etudes 
in the recreative plan. 
In so vast a region it is the wealth and di¬ 
versity of climate and scenery that perplexes us. 
But the young man who is sincere in his desire 
to conquer some portion of America this summer 
may find an appeal in the suggestions that fol¬ 
low. May they help him to blaze a trail to the 
By A. S. Harlan. 
sources of health and bodily vigor. The woods 
are full of both public and private camps de¬ 
signed especially for his uses and entertainment 
—whether he is an angler, a hunter, or a canoe¬ 
ist, or, like Shelley, just “loves all solitary places.” 
Send a call into the Maine wilderness and the 
answer comes back from a succession of outdoor 
training camps, extending from the nearer Bel¬ 
grade Lakes to remote parts of the Rangeleys 
and the region of the Allagash and the upper St. 
John Rivers. These camps progress naturally 
from the one providing “all the comforts of 
home” to the rough log cabin or the lonely shel¬ 
ter of pine boughs. 
“Who hath smelt wood-smoke at twilight? Who 
hath heard the birch-log burning? 
Who is quick to read the noises of the night? 
Let him follow with the others, for the young 
men’s feet are turning 
To camps of proved desire and known delight!” 
A tour a pied or by motor through the White 
Mountains of New Hampshire will return meas¬ 
ure for measure in health and mental refresh¬ 
ment, and this is equally true of the Berkshire 
Hills. 
The Connecticut River Valley makes its appeal 
to the gentle type of nomad who likes the effect 
of pleasant surroundings and a bit of fishing by 
the way. The river is navigable for canoes al¬ 
most its entire length, three hundred and sixty 
miles. The Connecticut does not belong to the 
order of streams that foam and toss with special 
enmity for duffle bags, but it provides plenty of 
rough work in the nature of rapids and carries. 
On the whole the voyage is one of enchantment 
rather than excitement. 
A feasible river cruise from the point of ac¬ 
cessibility as well as scenic value, is the voyage 
down the Delaware. In the spring when the 
river is flush with the tribute of mountain 
streams, the usual cruise from Hancock to Tren¬ 
ton is plain sailing,—perhaps a trifle tame for 
the veteran voyageur. But the compensating 
feature of the trip at that time is the scenery,— 
on one hand, fields fresh with the colors of pink 
and young grass; while on the opposite shore 
the frowning hills put forth a flourish of rhodo¬ 
dendron—a glorious paradox. But the thrills 
that are born of the element of danger await the 
aftercomers when the river like a spent serpent 
draws its slow length through the valley. Then 
the treacherous Delaware becomes a real adven¬ 
ture. Sharp rocks spring the glad surprise 
through stretches of white water, and rifts and 
rapids call for the best in the one who attempts 
them. A map indicating locations of flags, 
rapids, towns, et cetera, en route is obtainable. 
Despite the fact that the primeval forest ex¬ 
ists in various parts of our country, “the Great 
North Woods” has one meaning to most minds 
—the Adirondack Mountains. That this region 
may be reached by an “over-night” journey 
Where Flashing Pool and Torrential Waters Provide a Play for the Quickening Brain and Muscle. 
