ill be a
miserable failure. A light-soled or light-built shoe is not suited for
mountain work, or even for an ordinary hike. The feet will blister and
become "road-weary." They must be neither too big nor too small nor too
heavy, and be amply broad to give the toes plenty of room. The shoe should
be water-tight. A medium weight, high-topped lace shoe is about right.
Bathing the feet at the springs and streams along the road will be
refreshing, if not indulged in too frequently. (See chapter on "Health and
Hygiene" for care of the feet and proper way of walking.)

It is well to carry a spare shirt hanging down the back with the sleeves
tied round the neck. Change when the shirt you are wearing becomes too wet
with perspiration.

The Pack

The most practical and inexpensive pack is the one manufactured for the
Boy Scouts of America. Price, sixty cents. It is about 14 by 20 inches
square, and 6 inches thick, made of water-proof canvas, with shoulder
straps, and will easily hold everything needed for a tramping trip.

A few simple remedies for bruises, cuts, etc., should be taken along by
the leader (see chapter on "Simple Remedies"). You may not need them, and
some may poke fun at them, but as the old lady said: "You can't always
sometimes tell." Amount and kind of provisions must be determined by the
locality and habitation.

[Illustration: Hiking Pack]

The "Lean-to"

Reach the place where you are going to spend the night in plenty of time
to build your "lean-to," and make your bed for the night. Select your
camping spot, with reference to water, wood, drainage, and material for
your "lean-to." Choose a dry, level place, the ground just sloping enough
to insure the water running away from your "lean-to" in case of rain. In
building your "lean-to," look for a couple of good trees standing from
eight to ten feet apart with branches from six to eight feet above the
ground. By studying the illustration below, you will be able to build a
very serviceable shack, affording protection from the dews and rain. While
two or more boys are building the shack, another should be gathering
firewood, and preparing the meal, while another should be cutting and
bringing in as many soft, thick tips of hemlock or balsam boughs as
possible, for the roof of the shack and the beds. How to thatch the
"lean-to" is shown in this illustration.

If the camp site is to be used for several days, two "lean-tos" may be
built facing each other,