Everybody has a good time at camp. Here's a scene that is typical of many in Western North Carolina.
Camping Comes Into Its Own
If lias a«lvan<‘CMl info flic realm of “big
business.** Kig not only from file amount
of money involvc'il but also big from the
the standpoint of building character and
bodies.
By J. B. IIICKMX
CAMPING lus
сото
into its
own iii Western North Caro¬
lina, and plans have been laid
for the most extensive season the
mountain country has over known
during the summer months.
While for more than a quarter of
a century, the Southern Appalachian
highlands have become increasingly
popular for campers, the western area
of the state now has become definitely
known and recognized ns “the camp
center of the South," attracting more
I Inin 4,000 youngsters and grown-ups
from the North and the West, as well
ns from Dixie. Within a radius of
70 miles are located more than 50
camps, most of them above the 2,500-
foot elevation, and there are double
that number in the entire highlands
region of Western North Carolina,
Eastern Tennessee and Upper South
Carolina. The total investment in
camps and camping equipment is es¬
timated at well over S 1,000,000, and
the annual cx|»dnditure* of these rec¬
reational centers exceeds $000,000.
Grown-ups are expected to go in
for camping
того
this summer also.
lor <’('(' workers have constructed
and enlarged a number of recrea¬
tional confers in the national and
state forests. Most of these camping
sites, such as in the French Broad,
Grandfather, Pisgah and Mount
Mitchell divisions of Pisgah National
Forest, now have adequate shelter,
oj»cn-air ovens, garbage caus, fuel,
drinking water, utensils and other ac¬
commodations.
For the youngsters there are camps
for wealthy lays and girls, and camps
for those whose parents are of modest
means- n wide range of facilities to
meet every need and every purse. So
carefully have the overhead and sil¬
lier vision expenses of many of those
camps been worked out that it is pos¬
sible for a youngster to enjoy one or
several months of outdoor life with
little more expenses than would be re¬
quired for him to live at home.
Those who wish to combine play
with a little judicious work will find
Camps that provide facilities for lim¬
ited study, particularly iii highly spe¬
cialized branches. Other camps go¬
ing in solely for recreation neverthe¬
less have rigid requirements as to
punctuality and discipline that make
them highly desirable places for
youngsters who need to bo taught the
meaning of responsibility and the
necessity for accepting simple tasks
without complaint.
Unlimited Recreation
The field of sports available at
these camps is almost unlimited.
Chief among these are the sports af¬
forded by miles upon miles of invit¬
ing trails to points of interest in the
mountains. Daily hikes are arranged
when weather permits, and those af¬
ford a most pleasing combination be¬
tween entertainment and healthful
exercise outdoors. Frequently these
trips arc made for an overnight stay,
and facilities and equipment for light
camping are employed to break the
monotony of living all of the time
near a fixed camp. Mountain climb¬
ing offers an endless variety, and
when combined with a supervised and
carefully worked out exploration proj¬
ect. never tails to delight the young¬
ster. These hikes are taken grad-