Campfire Basics
The basic rule of building a fire at your campsite is "safety first." Here are some guidelines and suggestions for safely building and maintaining your campfire.
- Gather plenty of firewood (figure A) of all sizes -- from twigs and kindling to larger logs -- during the daylight.
- Use an existing fire-ring for your campfire to minimize the impact of your fire on the natural surroundings. Be sure that the rocks in the fire ring are compacted tightly together.
- To start the fire, use newspaper or toilet paper to act as tinder. Add some small twigs to get the fire started.
- Light the tinder, and quickly add some larger twigs (figure B), taking care to avoid smothering the flame.
- Gradually add larger sticks as the fire builds.
- Keep your campfire small, for cooking and warmth. Don't build a large bonfire. After the flames of the initial startup, simply add wood periodically to maintain a bed of hot coals.
- For safety, keep extra wood stored well away from the fire.
- Never leave a campfire unattended. When you get ready for sleep, make sure the coals have died down.
- When you're preparing to leave your campsite, make sure that your fire is completely out -- dead cold -- before leaving your.
Camp Cooking and Food
- Aside from a campfire, you have other options for preparing hot food at your campsite. Small, packable camp-stoves use liquid fuel and a pumping mechanism to create a small flame for cooking (figure C). A nozzle control is used to adjust the flame.
- An advantage of the camp stove is that it facilitates cooking even in rainy conditions, when firewood is wet. The disadvantage is that you must pack the stove and fuel into the woods with you.
- Camp stoves are used along with lightweight camping cookware to prepare meals even in the back-country (figure D).
- Freeze-dried food is a staple of camping (figure E). Improvements in the flavor of these camping foods have been made in recent years. There is now a wide variety of dishes available -- and they are light and easy to pack -- so you are less limited in your camping fare.
- In our demonstration, Mary Catherine prepared a pasta dish by boiling water and pouring the water into an inner pouch. After sealing the bag inside an outer package for about 10 minutes, the pasta was ready to eat (figure F).
RESOURCES :
Backpacker's Handbook, 2nd Edition
Model: 0070653151
Author: Chris Townsend
McGraw-Hill Companies
Website: www.mcgraw-hill.com
Outside magazine
Magazine covering outdoor activities including adventure travel, hiking, backpacking, camping and the environment.
Backpacker magazine
Magazine covering outdoor recreation, hiking, backpacking, camping, equipment, etc.
A Guide to Happy Family Camping: A Little Help to Get Started Camping With Kids
Model: 156148248X
Author: Tammerie Spires
Good Books
Website: www.goodbooks.com
The Totally Camping Cookbook (Totally Cookbooks)
Model: 0890878072
Author: Helene Siegel, Karen Gillingham
Ten Speed Press
Website: www.tenspeed.com
Backpacking Tips (A Falcon Guide)
Model: 1560446617
Author: Bill Schneider (Editor), Russ Schneider (Editor)
Falcon Publishing Company
Website: www.falcon.com/
The Best in Tent Camping: Smoky Mountains
Model: 0897322339
Author: Johnny Molloy
Full title:
The Best in Tent Camping: Smoky Mountains: A Guide for Campers Who Hate Rvs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos
Menasha Ridge Press
Day and Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Model: 0897323815
Author: Johnny Molloy
Menasha Ridge Press
Leave No Trace, Inc.
Leave No Trace, Inc. is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Leave No Trace builds awareness, appreciation and respect for our wildlands.
Leave No Trace, Inc.
Website: www.lnt.org
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
