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Making a simple fire
One of the things I always like to work on is fire building
when I go on vacation. Part of the challenge this time is most of the wood was
damp or wet.
Why practice? It
is a good skill to learn, it may save your life one day. I work on trying to
see the least amount of tinder it takes to get it started.
Here is a quick series of pictures
that show you the preferred way I like to build mine.
I use a log on one side (right side of
the picture) and the place my tinder on the use small branches and split wood on top.
I prefer this set up for a couple of reasons;
first it is simple, second it serves to to basic principles needed to make fire.
What I mean us you need a way to start
the paper (tinder), then it starts the smaller branches and small split wood to burn.
The you can add larger wood
as you the fire starts and is burning well..
Just like any other skill
it must be practiced, you don’t want to learn this skill when your family is wet and cold, looking to you to do something. How ill you cook without you electric stove?
This is one way.
Cooking over a fire is a
skill that needs to be practiced; it is not as easy as the movies make it look.
You could do worse then cooking
meat and bread over the fire.
Besides it is fun, at least
now it is. When cooking and not ruining the food is not the difference between
life and death.
A few last thoughts; always make sure you have a area cleared before you start. Nothing would be worst then
for you to start a fire and it get out of control because you neglected to clear a safe area around the fire site, before
starting. As you can see from the pictures i have a designated area devoted to making fires, it is surrounded by bricks
or stones. They are used to help contain and focus the fire.
You don't want to use wet river rocks for you fire pit either. If they have water trapped in them it is possible
that when that water heats up it could make a small explosion and cause the rock to shatter.
Have fun but be smart and be safe.
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