Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

234 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTIt is impossible for a man, even though he bealone, to camp more than a day or two in one placeAvithout leaving footprints that a woodsman wouldnotice, unless the weather is extremely dry. Theproblem, then, is to mask the points ot ingress and€gress.If your presence in the country is known to lowcharacters, establish a woods alibi, by buildinganother camp away from the real one, but somewhatmore public. Build a fire there every day ortwo, freshen the browse bed now and then, andleave litter and footprints indicating recent occupancy.The more shrewdly this false camp is locatedthe surer you are to lead busybodies to spythe wrong places.after you inAn example of a successful masked camp isillustratedin Fig. 68.An old trail up the creek is used by herdsmen,hunters, and others going up into the m.ountains.Fishermen commonly wade the creek itself. Onthe south side of the stream is a forest mostly ofoaks and chestnuts. On the north side is a laurelthicket in which stand numerous birches and hemlocks.To the north is a cliif or steep-sided ridge,a spring.at the base of which isNeither hogs nor cattle will go over into thatlaurel thicket when there is an open forest of mastbearingtrees on the other side of the creek, and aregular trail running through it. Consequentlynobody looking for his hogs or cattle will cross thestream at this point. Nor is there anything overthere to attract game or its pursuers. About theonly people who would be likely to go into such aplace are timber cruisers, who, of late years, actuallycount every tree, or blockaders (moonshiners), orspiesserving the revenue agents.If 'you know those woods, you know how long ithas been since its timber was "cruised," and thelikelihood of it being gone over for tliat purpose thisyear. Anyway* cruisers are decent fellows. The