FIRST CLASS SCOUT

7a Discuss when you should and should not use lashing.

7b. Demonstrate tying the timber hitch and clove hitch and their use in square, shear, and diagonal lashing by joining 2 or more poles or staves togther.

7c. Use lashing to make a useful camp gadget.

Native Americans had no nails or screws with which to make their tools. Settlers moving into the American frontier built homes with materials they found in the forests. In Indian camps and pioneer settlements, people depended on lashings to bind together structures as simple as tripods and as complex as river crossings. You will seldom have the time or the need on campouts and backpacking trips to build pioneer- ing projects. However, where they are appropriate, a few structures can make you more comfortable. A table will lift food preparation off the ground. A tripod can hold a washbasin. Lashings can bind together several pack frames to form a stretcher for an emergency evacuation. At Scout camp, you might even have a chance to lash together a tower or a bridge. Obtain permission before building camp gadgets or other smctures-they are prohibited in many backcountv areas as a way of encourag- ing no-trace camping. Use only the materials that have been approved for the project. Take every- thing apart when you me done, and leave no evidence that you were there.