Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Even with a ring of rocks, fires on duff can smoulder under-
ground and erupt later. Softwood, such as branches from pine,
spruce or fir, burns quickly and throws numerous sparks. Hard-
wood, from maple or ash, burns hottest, throws few sparks, and
leaves the best bed of coals for cooking.
It is considered common practice to let a fire burn down over-
night. Watch it until there are no major flames and see that all
burned ends are within the rocks or steel ring. When leaving a
site, douse all fires with water, stir, and douse again when break-
ing camp. Never leave a fire unattended.
Gathering Wood
At popular sites you may have to walk aways back to find good, dry wood.
Big soggy logs lying on the ground won't burn, so pass them by. Look for
good dry tinder in the small, dead branches under softwood trees. Cedar
bark and birch bark make excellent fire starters. Some backpackers I
know pick it up as they hike and arrive at camp with a pocket full of good
fire starter. Be careful not to strip a tree too closely, which leave it vulner-
able to insects and disease. Many places only allow the taking of wood
that is “dead and down.” But, at others, look for small (two inches or so in
diameter), dead, standing hardwood trees. The broken, leafless branches
at the top will be the give-away. Watch as you saw that upper branches
don't break off and hit your head! Cut off at the base and haul the entire
piece back to camp for cutting into smaller pieces (a practice called “buck-
ing up.”)
When planning how much wood you think you'll need for a nice, cozy fire,
collect as much as you think would be good - then double it. You'll end up
having just enough!
WISE WORDS:
Never, never, cut a live standing tree.
It hurts the forest, and green wood doesn't burn worth
a darn anyway. As a courtesy, try to leave some fire-
wood and kindling behind so if the next person com-
ing along is tired, wet or hypothermic, they can
quickly get a fire going.
Food & Animals
Being sloppy with food at campsites can result in the appearance of sev-
eral uninvited quests - insects and animals.
While ants and yellow jackets are manageables, dealing with a ravenous
raccoon or bear rummaging through your gear is not a pleasant experi-
ence. Unfortunately, many campground animals are very clever and will
