let me stand next to your...

...fire

yes, i realize it has been hundreds of thousands of years since humans discovered fire, but it occurred to me, amid the this weekend's annual Spook-O-Ree, that maybe some of you don't understand the aesthetics and semantics of the building and tending of a proper campfire...

the Forever Wild patrol have been taking it to the mountains the last full weekend in October for many years now, calling the trip the Spook-O-Ree after the Boy Scout camping weekend that occurred closest to Halloween. At some point the district council changed the name of the weekend to the Trek-O-Ree, as if some ghouls and ghosts would be offended by being called spooks—i guess political correctness exists in the spirit world as well. Anyway, knowing that the weather was forecasting some nasty rain all Saturday, Dean Thrilla, playing is everyday unruly self, and K-Luv A.K.A Jahboy decided to leave on the Thursday so we could enjoy some decent weather and be able to break out early on Saturday. K-Luv brought bonus pooch with him as well, Hailey A.K.A Eater of Four Burgones, making the ride up tight but we made do...

invariably, when i talk camping with folks the conversation turns to fire...

'i like tending the fire,' or 'we usually have crazy bonfires' or i'm always starting the fire'—whatever, let's make this clear from the get...

i don't build fires, i build blast furnaces...

i don't tend fires, i exploit them...

the mission was clear this past weekend. We needed a fire that had good cooking heat, enough warmth to keep us comfortable in the low 40's/high 30's we would be experiencing and something that could last the night and be easily restarted in the morning by laying some tinder or kindling on the stoked coals. Not necessarily and easy task given the fact that, upon perusing the the latest weather report for the Haines Falls region, that it would actually begin raining around 7 pm on Friday night. This fire would have to be strong and long for the purposes of keeping warm, dry and leave something for the morning to keep the hands warm and nimble as we broke down our campsite in the coming deluge...

now, i don't care how you start your fire—burning leaves or paper, one match, flint and steel, zippo, blowtorch, what have you. Its not how you start the fire its how you build it once you have your flame...

1. Tinder—the forgotten fuel. The tiniest little twigs, dried up pine needles, and other assorted dried up seedlings, pine cones or other organic burning material. Tinder is crucial at the beginning stages of building your fire, keeping the flame going as you slowly add kindling of progressively larger size and length.

2. Kindling—wood of 1/4" to 2" in diameter, get plenty of it. Start by adding small kindling and work your way up as your fire allows.

3. Heavy Duty—2" and up in diameter. When your kindling is caught up in flames and seems ready to be let alone, go forth and go for the big stuff.

when you have your wood supply, you're ready to build your lasting hearth. You can go with a tee pee, or a vigil but normally the log cabin fire is usually the most effective for generating heat, light, and aesthetic—especially if you are dealing with a fireplace that most campsites have built in. Use your big stuff to build the cabin's outside walls, interlocking log on top of log. Bigger stuff on the bottom for a sturdy base, you don't want your cabin collapsing while you are relaxing in the warmth of your hearth, beer in hand. on top of the coals you have established place a layer of tinder on top, be generous, the more tinder you can add throughout this process the more coals that you will have producing heat and endurance for your fire. Add your kindling on top of the tinder using the cabins walls to support if need be. Continue to add tiers in accordance with your needs and your wood supply. Each tier should be treated this way. Once you have a fire that please you, its up to you how you proceed. Again, depending on your wood supply, the sky's the limit, and believe me if you give me enough wood i'll burn it all, regardless of the melting flesh...

the fire i built Thursday evening and into Friday allowed us to cook in a timely fashion and when it began to rain on Friday evening, although Thrilla and K-Luv had propped a nice tarp shelter over our tents and a sitting area, we were able to stay out amongst the raindrops, heavy at times, and enjoy the Saranac mutli-12 packs and the John Tesh radio show—its camping music, you take what you can get. The next morning, after a night of downpours in and amongst the steady rain, the fire lasted, i stoked the coals, added some small wood and started a small fire to keep my fingers and hands warm as i packed my gear and broke down my tent. i left it be as we went about the business of bugging out but the result was clear, another job well done...

enjoy the outdoors, enjoy your fire, just remember to keep it forever wild...

editor's note: due to a failure of equipment, no pics were available of this weekend's fire. The pic above is stock footage from The Shining.