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Preface The purpose of this book and of others to follow is to give more detailed information about the special subjects covered than was found practicable in the official handbooks of the Boy Scout Organizations in this and other countries. In order to cover the entire subject of scouting, so called, in a single inexpensive book of convenient size, it has been necessary for the compilers of the different Boy Scout manuals to abbreviate, sometimes to omit entirely, matter which a full discussion would necessarily include. The Boy Scout plan of organization provides for Scout Masters and others to fill out, from their own knowledge and experience, the said abbreviations and omissions, in talks to the Scouts, and this has been wonderfully successful. Still there is a persistent demand from the boys for more books. And it is my opinion, based on my experience as a registered and active Scout Master, in charge of a troop of forty members of the Boy Scouts of America, that books such as these I am undertaking to write are the kind needed. Not that existing practical books on camping, woodcraft, and kindred subjects of especial interest to Boy Scouts are lacking in merit, but simply because they are not written expressly to conform with the Boy Scout plan. As to my experience, it has been my good fortune to do a great deal of scouting in one way and another. The knowledge thus gained has been enriched by my work as editor of various magazines devoted to outdoor life and recreation, and especially by the friendship of many sportsmen of wide experience, among them most of the authors of the best outdoor books published in this country during the last twenty years. Naturally, the foregoing is not written for the boy, but for those who properly guard his interests to-day, I am glad to say, more intelligently than ever before. To the boy, Scout or not, who has broken all precedent by reading this preface, I have but one thing to say: Let's hike! EDWARD CAVE. Mamaroneck, N. Y. July I, 1913. Contents PREFACE Chapter I. LOOKING BACKWARD The value of experience. Influence habits acquired in play days may have upon one's success in life. Chapter II. HOW TO WALK Self instruction. The best exercise. Edward Payson Weston, Dan O'Leary, and other veterans, and some reasons for their wonderful records. Different gaits; care of the feet. Chapter III. REAL HIKERS Men who hike for a living, and their methods and outfits. Chapter IV. THE YOUNG HIKER Taking your own measure. Hot weather precautions. Care of the health. Proper clothing. Chapter V. THE HIKER'S KIT Various packs, and how packed. The kit, and how carried. Chapter VI. GRUB Grub lists, recipes and cooking for hiking trips. How to prepare and carry rations. Chapter VII. TENTS AND TENT MAKING The best tents for hiking. Materials, and instructions for making your tent at home. Various ways to pitch tents described. The hiker's bed. Chapter VIII. MAKING CAMP A spring hike in near-home territory down in Florida with an A tent for shelter. Chapter IX. HIKING ALONE A hike in summer to a Michigan bass lake, with a poncho for shelter and a fishing-rod for company. Chapter X. AUTUMN WINDS An autumn hike with a California patrol of Scouts, with tarpaulin tents for shelter. Chapter XI. ROUGH WEATHER Hiking in winter. A troop hike in Nebraska on New Year's Day. Clothing to wear. Charm of the wild places under a mantle of snow. Hiking on snowshoes, ski, and skates. Chapter XII. EXPLORATION Amateur exploration. Surveying. The modern Great Unknown. Chapter XIII. WOODCRAFT The sense of direction. Practical observation. The lay of the land. Some precautions. Chapter XIV. EMERGENCIES If you get lost. Travelling by the compass. Forest fires, wind-storms and floods. Chapter XV. OBSERVATION Something about eyesight. Practice for the eyes. Studying tracks. Chapter XVI. BIG THINGS Big hikes. The trek cart. Hikes by bicycle, horse and canoe transportation. Pioneering. Chapter XVII. USEFUL HINTS
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