Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CHAPTER VIITRIPS AFOOTQuand na pas choual, monfc bourique;Qnand na pas bourique, montc cabri;Quand na pas cabri, motxte jambe.(When you have no horse, you ride a donkey;When you have no donkey, you ride a goat;When you have no goat,you ride your legs.)— Creole Sayint/.The man who goes afoot, prepared to camp anywhereand in any weather, Is the most independentfellow on earth. He can follow his bent, obey thewhim of the hour, do what he pleases w^henever hepleases, without deference to anybody, or care forany beast of burden, or obedience to the course ofany current. He is footloose and free. Whereneither horse nor boat can go, he can go, seeing countrythat no other kind of traveler ever sees. Andit is just these otherwise inaccessible places that havethe strongest lure for anyone who delights in newdiscovery, in unspoiled nature, and in the charms ofprimitivesociet)^The man with the knapsack is never lost. Nomatter whither he may stray, his food and shelterare right with him, and home is wherever he maychoose to stop. There is no anxiety about the morrow,or the day after. Somewhere he will comeout—and one place is as good as another. Nopanic-stricken horse, or wrecked canoe, can leavehim naked in the wilderness.But how to do it? This is the hardest problemin outfitting. To equip a pedestrian with shelter,bedding, utensils, food, and other necessities, in apack so light and small that he can carry it withoutoverstrain, is really a fine art. One can't enjoy wild07