Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

divide, BD a spur toBIVOUACS 23the southward separating twostreams that eventually flow in opposite directions,and let X be the location of the camp. A strangerwho had spent the day on the upper mountainsmight return toward evening to B, and, thinking tofollow the creek from / to X, might turn down atCj by mistake, and travel a considerable distance beforehe realized that he was going in the wrongdirection.Flat Woods.—In flatwoods, where the watercoursesare few and very meandering, the vegetationrank and monotonously uniform in appearance, andlandmarks rare, a man may return within 200 yardsof his own camp and pass by it, going ahead withhurrying pace as he becomes more and more anxious.In Fig. 2 a man leaves camp X in the morning, goingin the direction indicated by the dotted line. H^consults his compass at intervals during the day,tries to allow for his windings, and, returning in theevening, strikes the river at Z. If he follows itsbank in either direction,he is likely to spend thenight alone in the woods.If the camp were at A,and the homeward-boundhunter should reach thestream at B, he would bedumbfounded to find himself,apparently, on thewrong bank of the river.Another easy way to getbewildered is as follows:In Fig. 2 we will assumethat the current runs from • ^A toward Z, that a party Fig. 2.—Ox-bow Bendsunfamiliar with theriveris descending it in a boat, and that one of the menleaves the boat at Aj going ashore to hunt along thebank. At X he comes to the mouth of a deep creek,«r some other obstruction, or he starts game that