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Dry wood burns best. Avoid making a fire out of live or rotted wood.
Neither burns well and, even worse, rotted wood may stink. There is
nothing worse than a stinky campfire. |
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Never use materials like gasoline or glue to give your fire a boost. This
is the equivalent to "fire steroids" (just say no). They are not just
flammable, but explosive, toxic, and dangerous. |
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Build your fire in a place clear of flammable materials, overhanging
branches, and large structures made out of paper mache. |
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Keep water or sand nearby in case of a fire emergency, and for
completely extinguishing the fire when you're done. Besides you never know
when a sandcastle may seem like a good idea. |
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Always completely extinguish any fire before leaving the site. You may
be tempted to leave it burning for woodland animals to enjoy but
don't--this simply encourages the "Yogi effect." Okay, now you are ready
to begin. |
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Start with small, easy-to-burn material called tinder. Tinder is
anythings that will burn quickly and ignite the heavier materials on top
(dried pine needles, dead leaves, dry grass, or even newspaper). |
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Next add kindling--very small, dry sticks. Place the kindling over the
tinder, gradually increasing in size, creating a small teepee. Then use
larger sticks, ranging from a half-inch to an inch thick. Break the
sticks down to around six or eight inches in length. Go ahead and
eyeball the measurements (it's about 7" from the base of the palm to the tip of the middle finger). |
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Add even larger sticks and branches--about inch thick and a foot or so
long to finish the teepee. These sticks forms the base of the fire.
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Next build a little "log cabin" around the teepee. You may be tempted
to build a "three-bedroom, with a two car garage" but keep it simple.
Start by placing a log on either side of the teepee. Place two more logs
on these, at right angles, making a square around the fire. Repeat this
pattern to build it up, making the square smaller and smaller as it gets
higher and higher.
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Light the tinder from the bottom of the pile. The flames should
gradually move to the larger and larger wood, creating a beautiful
roaring fire for you, and maybe the woodland creatures, to enjoy. If the fire doesn't catch, add more tinder and try again.
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