| OCR Text |
Show HIKING DM THE LONG BROWN , PATH r Vacationists With Shelter Tents and Tin Cow Learning to Walk All Over Again. Oh I It's not the pack that you carry on your buck N'or the rlllo on your sliouMfcr, Nor th nve Inch crust of kh.ikl-cotorod lut That makes you fcl your limbs ar erowlnir nlder; And It's not the hike on the hard turnpike That drives away your smile, Nor the socks or sinters that raise the bloomlnc blister It's -the last lonir mil. l'lattuburRh Mnrchlnc Son. Stringing out from tho suburban transit terminals of New York every Sunday and holiday goes tho army of khakl-clnd hikers. There may be an, automobile for every twenty of tho country's population, but a host of city folks dlsitravc the theory of a future log-enfeebled citizenry and aro lenrnlng to walk all over again. To the moro casual minded, tho hlko is Just exercise, hut to those who catch Its real significance tho hike means a great deal more. It Is the cheapest form of recreation nnd therefore appeals to (lioso living In crowded districts nnd unable to avail themselves of tho moro expensive amusements. And theso people, bo It noted, aro Just those the country Is so nnxtous to havo spread out and settled in the farming sections. Tho hike, Indeed, has possibilities as a real starter for the "back to tho farm" movement. Doughboy and Boy Scout Lead Way Just n brief survey of tho rollicking groups which movo off from the outlying out-lying terminals on holidays establishes estab-lishes a tew general types. There Is tho ex-service man and his friends who will hear from him the story of more serious excursions on the muddy roads of France. He tightens tight-ens a strap here and another thcro on tho blanket roll adjustment or the "shelter half," in which tho commissary commis-sary Is packed for the mid-day feast I uy (tie ronusiue. uxpen directions come from hlm on tho method of slinging tho pack so It will not feel so heavy or Interfere with the free body movement. Ho will pass along the Information gained In his army days, of how that same pack was orolved after numerous experiments to find the easiest way of cnrryfng tho heaviest load. With results he now compliments, but which ho characterized char-acterized when a doughboy as a I "blankety-blnnk total failure." Then there are the boy scout par ties, ndept at evorythlng pertaining to "shanks mare" traveling and woodcraft. wood-craft. T)io cx-scrvlce man nnd the boy scout are pioneers In the hiking gamo. Listen to ono of them right ., it.. -.. I i.s i i .. vii niv hi til unit liiiiKiijjii i.uuj iur a twelvo rullo Jaunt: "Oct thnt canteen can-teen over to the side, Jlmmlc, and It won't keep bouncing off your leg every step. Is It tilled? Well, then, wo drink. How about tho eats? Let's check 'cm off. You got the spuds, Illll; tho bacon Jlmmlo. Who has the coffeo nnd the Borden tin eow?" "Illght here," announces a freckled) comrado of tho road, putting his knap sack. "Snitched the mocha and the can of milk when Sis wasn't looking." "Well, then, lefa gol" snaps the commander of the expedition. This party Is traveling light for real distance. Another must expert te mako a shorter hitch or elso bo count Ing greatly on lta power of endurance. endur-ance. Perhaps the camp la not far off becauso tho group Is equipped for an ovor-nlght stay with heavy blanket rolls, hntches, lanterns, canvas wa tcrpulls, rubber ponchos, kettles, pots,, new fanglcd flrcstnnd, etc., etc. Tho blankets aro laid out for a better packing of tho bags and cans of food. When tho party commences to load up the members brlstlo all over with camp tools and equipment Dack to the Farm Tho veteran from tho crowded city tenement has found a now territory to roam and ono almost unknown to his associates. He s Introducing them to this nowly discovered land and teaching them how to be Independent of any transportation but their own good legs and of any subsistence but what they can curry and prepare. "Walk, und cook your own," Is his motto. Who will say the leaven thus fermenting fer-menting In the city crowds will not boar fruit In a keener appreciation of country delights, especially as theso aro ndded to by Increased comforts on tho furm. With his radio hitched up. the farmer listens In on tho best entertnlnment tho country has to offer. Modern homo dovlces wlpo out many hardships formerly Imposed upon Isolated dwellers. There is, In IHhort, a rapid cutting down of tho differential between farm und city life. In tho meantime, knowlotlge must precedo a true appreciation of what the country holds, nnd this Is what the hlko supplies. There Is more appeal ap-peal in ono apple tree in blossom than In reams of printed matter put out to Induce the. citizen of tho city to change his abode to the country. The hlkors constltuto a growing array, equipped with bacon, suds, coffeo and tin cow for merely a day's outing hut nevertheless seeing sights that muko them yearn to bo among them all the time. It Is not too much te assume that the army may one day recruit the open places, 'H,l)hlimm..Hi" vtrf , K |
