Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

84 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTpaper, a measuring instrument must be used, whichneed be no more than your octagonal lead pencil onwhich you have scored two or three inches with theirsubdivisions.If you are merely plotting a course, it is notnecessary to sketch in so many topographic featuresas are shown in these examples. In any case it is amistake to crowd the sheet with details, as theymight be confusing. In the present instance theroute ran through a mountainous country, but Imade no attempt to show contours, nor even to notethe steep slopes, for there was a trail all the way.Idid note, separately, the marching time from pointto point (not shown in sketches), and that is important.The time table of actual marching, inconnection with the plotted route, showed plainlyenough where the going was slow.Scale of Sketch.—The first thing to do Is tofix on a certain scale to be used in plotting. InFig. 14 it is four inches to a mile, meaning that fourinches on the map corresponds to a mile on theground Itself. Therefore a side of each of the littleI -10 inch squares represents 44 yards of actual distance.In Fig. 15 it is two inches to the mile. (Thecuts in this book are reduced from the originals).Sometimes it may be more convenient to use a man'space or a horse's stride as the unit of a scale. Inany case, the scale adopted must be noted on themargin of the paper, and an arrow must be drawnon the map to show the true north and south line.Pacing Distances.—^When traveling afoot, distancesare judged by counting one's paces. A man'snormal stride varies from 27 to 33 inches, accordingto individuals and nature of ground. Woodsmencommonly exceed this, owing to their rolling gait.The conventional surveyor's pace is 30 inches, andso Is that of infantry "quick time." Do not try topace yards, or any other arbitrary distance. That Isunnatural, fatiguing, distracts your attention, andcannot be kept up on a long hike. Walk at your