SECTION XIV 
CAMPING FOR GIRL SCOUTS 
SONG OF THE OPEN ROAD 
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road , 
Healthy , free , the world before me, 
The long brown path before me leading wherever I 
choose . 
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune— I myself am good- 
fortune; 
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, 
need nothing, 
Strong and content, I travel the open road . .... 
• • • • • 
Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons, 
It is to grow in the open air, and to eat and sleep with 
the earth. — Walt Whitman. 
A Girl Scout likes to hike and camp. She learns 
to know the stars, and becomes acquainted with the 
plants and animals about her. She gains independ- 
ence from her ability to help herself, and health and 
strength from exercise in the sunshine and fresh air. 
These are the good things of camping. The bad 
things are catching cold from damp ground, or insuffi- 
cient bedding, uncomfortable nights, and weary feet. 
But a wise Scout does not rough it. She knows how 
to make herself comfortable by a hundred little dodges. 
The aim of camping is to make things simpler for the 
camper. She must make up her mind whether she is 
1 The passages in this section, from “Camping and Wood- 
craft,” by Horace Kephart, are used by permission of the au- 
thor and the publisher, the Macmillan Company, and are copy- 
righted, 1916, by the Macmillan Company. 
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