How to build a campfire?

Our ancestors created many myths, legends and fairy tales, sitting by the fire. People of many countries worshiped the fire, guarded it day and night, because in the past making fire was associated with big difficulties. Armenian sayings and blessings originated from that, such as “let your hearth never go out”․ This and other expressions testify to the enormous role of fire in the life of people.

Today, even schoolchildren know many ways to make fire. But this knowledge is not enough. We must be very thoughtful and careful with fire, otherwise this element can cause big tragedies. No wonder that people say that if you handle the fire correctly, it is your friend, and if you make a mistake – it is your worst enemy.

Campfire is an integral part of hiking life

After difficult trails it is impossible to imagine a hike without resting by the fire. Conversations, games, songs by the fire – it is like a ritual for hikers. And of course, the tea with a light aroma of campfire smoke.

Each hiker has to know how to build a campfire, how to choose a comfortable place for a campfire and how to make it in compliance with all fire safety rules and without harming nature. If you make a campfire in nature, especially in a wooded area, then you need to have certain skills for it. You need to be especially careful in reserves and national parks. For this, you need to familiarize yourself with all the warning signs. You need to build a campfire only in those places, where it is allowed.

How to make a campfire without burning everything around you

So, let’s learn how to build a campfire and not burn everything around us. First of all, you need to remember, that campfire needs to be made in an open area, 8-10 meters away from various structures, tents and trees. It is necessary to dig holes with depth and width of 15-20 cm around the campfire. This is done to prevent the fire from spreading deep into the forest through dry grass, leaves and branches. The best areas to build a campfire are next to a river, lake, spring or a sandstone. It is dangerous and forbidden to make a fire close to the roots of the trees, lichen, hay and anthills. In such places, the flame does not go out for a long time and can spread, causing a fire.

After you have prepared the right place for a campfire, you need to find brushwood. Collected dry branches need to be folded crosswise. Remember that the branches of oak, juniper, hazel and birch do not warm very much, but also do not create too much smoke. Dry branches of spruce, cedar and pine create a lot of smoke and sparks. These sparks are very dangerous.

To make fire faster, you will need to use birch bark, paper, dry lichen, alder branches and other brushwood.

It is forbidden to build an open fire in reserves. Here, it is necessary to use the primus stove, which the group must have.

Types of campfire

There are several types of campfire: “teepee”, “log cabin”, “star” and so on.

With a teepee fire the firewood is stacked vertically, and the upper ends of firewood or branches rest on each other at one point. At such fire you can easily cook food or make tea. Teepee can be also used to illuminate the camp. But this type of campfire has one specificity – it is calculated for a small group of people.

Another type of campfire is “Log cabin”. It is a quadrangular campfire, which consists of logs in two parallel rows, resulting in something like a cabin. Firewood stacked in the log cabin burns very slowly and generates a lot of heat. This campfire is very convenient for cooking, as well as for getting warm and drying clothes.

If you want to build a “star fire”, then you need to put thick logs in form of a star. As the branches burn out, the lower logs can be moved towards the center. The fire is concentrated in the center, and it can be used for cooking. You can hang a pot or teapot over a fire only when the flame has settled.

Extinguishing the campfire

No matter how trite this rule may sound, but if the campfire is no longer needed, then you need to put out the fire and put the remaining logs together. Campfire can be left only after making sure that it is completely extinguished and there is no threat to the environment. The fire is extinguished the following way: spread fire and fill it with water. If there is no water nearby, you can cover the campfire with 10-15 cm of soil and tamp it, or cover it with tamp.

Now you know how to build a campfire without harming nature and everything that surrounds you. Remember, that from a single tree you can get thousands of matches, but one match can burn thousands of trees.

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