Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

64 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTor lake to another. The blazes are likely to bainconspicuous. The line probably meanders a gooddeal, but not to escape ordinary obstacles, not disdaininga steep climb for a short-cut. Along itscourse, at intervals of eight or ten miles, there areprobably rude shanties containing supplies or theruins of such shacks, if the line is no longer used.Such a line does not lead to any settlement, and canseldom be of any use to a wayfarer.A Lumberman's Line.—Timber-lookers may ormay not leave evidence of their wanderings—morelikely not, for, like other seekers after bonanzas, theymay have excellent reasons for not doing so. Atmost, they would merely mark the easiest route fora prospective road from the river to some "bunch"of timber. Where logging operations have alreadybegun, then, wherever a stump stands it will not behard to determine the direction in which the logswere twitched to the nearby "lizard road," wherethey were loaded on lizards (forks of timber usedas sleds), or on wagons, and dragged to the river orsaw-mill.(I am assuming primitive operations in aremote wilderness.) The lizard road was blazedwhen first laid out. Logs are never dragged uphillif that can be avoided ; consequently the trend ofthe road will be downhill, or on a level. The lizardroad will show ruts,whiffle-trees, and other characteristic marks.trees barked along the way byWhereverthere is a bridge or a corduroyed road the timberswill be worn most on the side opposite the camp,because heavy loads were drawn toward camp, notaway from it. Once the old lumber-camp site isreached, even though It be long deserted, the signsof an old "tote road" can be discerned, leading towarda settlement from which supplies were transported.A Surveyor's Line is absolutely straight (withexception noted below). When it reaches an impassableobstacle, such as a swamp or a cliff, anoffset is made to right or left; but this offset Is also