Scouting, Volume 8, Number 4, February 12, 1920 Page: 9
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FEBRUARY 12, 1920
time their winter camps to suit the maple
sugar harvest or to camp near some lake
where ice harvesting is being done, so as
to secure part time employment for the
boys. Advanced troops of older boys
have even undertaken a contract to cut
stove wood by the cord, thereby reaping
sufficient revenue to more than offset the
expenses of their outing.
Things to Do
THE first interest of the scouts them-
selves will be their program of activ-
ities, and whether or not there is sufficient
assurance of a good time. I visited a group
of five scout camps last year where 120
scouts spent the entire Christmas vaca-
tion. They went into camp with snow-
shoes, skates, coasters, etc., all prepared
for winter sports, but evidently the
weather man had his dates mixed and the
boys would have been doomed to disap-
pointment had it not been for the scout
leaders in charge, who were resourceful
enough to find other things to occupy the
boys' time profitably. The boys learned
winter woodcraft with no snow, learned
to use a full grown woodsman's axe and
a two-manned cross-cut saw, to cut kind-
ling, fuel and back logs for their camp
fires. They learned the characteristics of
trees and shrubs in winter. They prac-
tised tent pitching, rustic carpentry, sig-
nalling, map drawing, fire building, camp
cookery and all the woodsman's fire fight-
ing methods. They practised building
camp fires in the open, experimenting
with many kinds of wood. Around the
camp fire on the long winter evenings
they popped corn, toasted marshmallows,
told stories, practised bandaging, first-aid
and did whittling, carving and handicraft
stunts. They discussed with adult leaders
the problems of leadership and the tech-
nical requirements of first-class merit
badge advancement. And you should
have seen the minstrel show they pro-
duced on Stunt night. The absence of
snow made possible a visit to the historic
revolutionary iron mines and other points
of interest within hiking distance.
The boys learned from native trappers
how the professional woodsman makes
; r .: ; :, ,y. V. -
sure of his game. They discovered in the
mud and sand on the lake shores the
tracks of animals which none had known
how to identify or where to look for be-
fore. New trails were blazed, by tacking
white chips to live trees to lead summer
campers on their hikes to points of in-
terest, this being made possible by ab-
sence of leaves on shrubbery and under-
growth.
At the end of the week the unanimous
testimony of the winter campers was that
they had had a better time than they had
ever experienced in any one week of
summer camp, even though many of the
things they expected to do in camp were
impossible on account of the weather.
Such a trip for a day or more in the
winter teaches the boy a great deal about
the requirements of outdoor life. The
leader must think beforehand of what
kind of clothing boys should wear, what
covering will be required, the provisions
Keeping Warm at Night
COTTON blankets will not do for bed-
ding. Two or three woolen blan-
kets, total weight at least eight pounds,
preferably ten, and one waterproof
ground sheet or poncho should be used.
Boys sleeping on the ground will feel
much warmer with straw or hay under
them than on any kind of cots without
heavy mattresses. On such a bed be sure
that the boy has fully as much covering
over as under him. If sleeping on a
canvas cot allow one-fourth more covers
under than on top.
A bundle of newspaper will be a good
addition to our camp equipment, since it
serves to excellent advantage as the in-
sulator of heat when placed under the
blankets next to the ground cloth or
slipped between the blankets that cover
the scout. This will add fully 25 per
cent, to the warmth of the blankets es-
Chicago scouts camp in a 12 x 14 foot wall tent in zero weather.
*•
■ . It
't have to shovel snow before making camp.
to be used and what will be done in case
of a blizzard, ice accident, fire, etc.
Good Warm Clothing Necessary
CHOES are the first consideration be-
^ cause it is impossible to go without
them as might be done in warm weather.
Wet feet do not dry so quickly and the re-
sults are naturally more serious. Heavy
shoes properly oiled are preferable to rub-
bers. It is just as harmful for boys' feet to
be wet from perspiration, which is sure to
occur inside rubber shoes or boots, as it
is for them to be wet from snow or water
which goes through the shoe from the
outside. The probability is that with high
rubbers the boys' feet will be wet a greater
part of the time than with properly
treated leather shoes. Socks should cer-
tainly not have holes in them and should
be of heavy wool if possible, with always
an extra pair to put on when feet get
wet as they are sure to do. Clothing
should be sufficient in quantity and should
not be too tight. With a cotton summer
uniform, the tendency will be to draw it
on over extra underwear, making the
uniform so tight that it cuts off the cir-
culation and is very uncomfortable. Long,
flapping overcoats are bad in camp,
pecially in an open sleeping place.
Did you ever use a newspaper slipped
under your scout coat or sweater as chest
protector on a hike facing the strong cold
wind ? Dampened newspaper wrapped
around potatoes or eggs when it comes
to baking them in the coals or hot ashes
will also serve you to good advantage. Of
course there are times when, scouts find
it convenient^ to_ use paper to start the
fires, but this is not considered good
Scouting.
What Shall We Eat?
WHEN it comes to selecting food for
your winter camp, especially for the
short time overnight camp, we must take
into account economy in weight and cost.
It is usually better to buy in bulk rather
than in package lots when purchasing for
a considerable number. Dry beans, rice,
dried fruit, and cereals that require cook-
ing should surely be on our menu. Fresh
meat can be carried with less risk than in
warm weather, and bacon and corned beef
are eaten with even greater relish in win-
ter than in summer. Apples and pota-
toes of course are always in demand, but
they must be kept in a warm place even
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 8, Number 4, February 12, 1920, periodical, February 12, 1920; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth283134/m1/9/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.