View Full Version : Camp fires ?
I am trying to do as much research as possible and looking to do a thru hike in a few years and want to be fully knowledgable and know what I getting into so , I been looking on here but cant see or find hardly any info on campfires. Are they allowed for comfort or cooking ?
Tipi Walter
10-11-2016, 09:30
Overrated. We had a long discussion on this topic here---
http://bpbasecamp.freeforums.net/thread/3637/fire
colorado_rob
10-11-2016, 09:36
If you're talking about the AT for your thru, you betcha campfires are allowed most of the way, a few restrictions up north (any down south?). Lots of folks build them at shelters, or at least try to, many times available firewood is soaked, but not always. A cozy campfire is a fantastic place to sit around enjoying camaraderie with your fellow hiker!
Not the greatest way to cook, unless you're roasting something on a stick or grill.
Obviously, some few pooh-poo campfires for some strange reason, whatever. I don't think the AT woods are lacking in available wood! Enjoy.
FreeGoldRush
10-11-2016, 09:57
I am trying to do as much research as possible and looking to do a thru hike in a few years and want to be fully knowledgable and know what I getting into so , I been looking on here but cant see or find hardly any info on campfires. Are they allowed for comfort or cooking ?
In my very limited overnight backpacking experience recently I found that camp chores required more work than they should. The fire gets you dirty, smelly, and requires lots more work and squatting. It's hard to imagine how all that would benefit my thru hike. Less bending and squatting at camp would allow for more daily miles. Campfires with my son are great for hotdogs, however.
Mouser999
10-11-2016, 09:58
No open fires in Connecticut
You can have a campfire in some form for almost the entire trail. In some states and places they have restrictions or outright bans. For most of the 2200 miles you can have a fire. I have noticed that even in those few spots with campfire rules that many people ignore the rules. Dry periods also cause temporary restrictions. I make a fire almost every day on the trail.
Slo-go'en
10-11-2016, 10:27
Fires are not allowed in NJ and CT. NY is a mixed bag if I remember right.
Most thru hikers quickly come to the realization that campfires are more work then their worth, although there are some who will build a fire every night and some who will build a fire where it's banned (I'm a thru hiker and rules don't apply to me mentality).
Spirit Walker
10-11-2016, 11:38
In the early days of my AT thruhikes, when dealing with the cold and wet, there were a lot of fires. Wood around shelters could be hard to find, but people who are doing low mileage days usually have the time to search out firewood. When it warmed up, there were fewer fires. 1) they weren't necessary and were often oppressive in the heat, 2) when you're hiking 10+ hours a day, most hikers don't have the energy or desire to go looking for fuel for a fire. Some people don't consider it camping unless there is a fire, but I've spent enough time hiking in burnt forests to find fires really overrated unless it's really cold - and then I'm more likely to warm up in a sleeping bag than around a smoky fire.
MuddyWaters
10-11-2016, 12:24
Fires are for car campers
QHShowoman
10-11-2016, 12:27
This document is updated by the ATC every couple years or so and indicates where campfires are allowed and where they aren't.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/docs/default-document-library/at_fires_and_camping_rules_inventory_5_28_2014_web .pdf?sfvrsn=0
Another Kevin
10-11-2016, 14:05
I'll happily enjoy sitting by someone else's fire. They're nice for socializing.
Having a fire doesn't do enough for me, usually, to bother with the chores of having my own. (One exception was after falling in a river in 35 degree temperatures - I needed a fire, and built one in a hurry.)
The only time we made fires was when the bugs were bad. The smoke helped keep them away. This wasn't very often though. I preferred not to have fires most times. Most of us were going to bed really early and the smoke from a camp fire usually wanted to come right where we were sleeping. I did see one couple using it for cooking but definitely more trouble then it was worth. The one thing to remember with fires it that you need to be diligent in putting them out. Several times in the South we came across unattended fire pits that were still smoking. This was during a time when there were several forest fires burning in that region.
Thank you for everyone's reply to this. I am planning the AT for a Thur hike but not in any hurry to finish as long as I get to Maine, also why o doing a lot of research first to be prepared. For me out on a trail nothing better then relaxing with a fire at end of day ��
rocketsocks
10-11-2016, 18:25
My daughters troop had a bon fire once for Girl Scouts, and all the parents were invited to swing on by and roast some marshmellows. When I got there I couldn't believe what I saw, about 40 girls in groups of maybe ten sittin' around a pie plate with a small fire it in. Anymore, that's about the size of a fire I'll make...no need for a roarer in the back woods unless you have a group, but as a single hiker, a small hand warming fire or to cook on is all that's needed, don't take much.
Some shelters and campsites have fire rings, some do not. If there's a fire ring, then most likely it's OK. If not, then don't build one.
In general I think it's bad form to create new fire rings, especially at so-called "stealth" sites.
In general I think it's bad form to create new fire rings, especially at so-called "stealth" sites.
agreed....
i like a good campfire if I'm not too beat to do the work (I solo hike and like to sit around fire reading) but I always look for a campsite with a fire ring...
if I can't find one with a fire ring---I do without fire......
I hiked thru the pack near Damascus this year. There was a fire at every campsite and shelter in spite of forest fires burning in the area. So yes at least down south you will find fires everywhere.
pickNgrin
10-11-2016, 20:32
There are few things more soothing to the human soul than staring into a good fire, feeling its warmth, and bonding with those around us. This practice is as old as humanity itself.
That said, it is probably unwise to plan a thru hike that makes you reliant on fire every night (e.g. needing it for water purification and/or cooking). Many of the reasons have already been given: time, effort, scarcity of wood, soaked wood, etc. Rather than needing a fire, think of it as an occasional luxury, and make one as often as you see fit. But obviously not where they are prohibited or if conditions are unfavorable (drought, very windy, etc).
pickNgrin
10-11-2016, 20:37
And of course, heed the advice of Smokey!
https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety
Feral Bill
10-11-2016, 23:40
Campfires make me stinky. Can't have that.
Hikingjim
10-12-2016, 04:26
for cooking I wouldn't bother.
I make fires sometimes if it looks quick (wood available, not too wet). I only bother about once a week on solo hikes.
Traillium
10-12-2016, 08:21
Another possible option — perhaps only a bit better than the above-mentioned girl guides pie plate 'blaze' — is to bring along a wood-burning stove. Yep, the fire is small, but it's contained and controllable and uses remarkably little wood that's easily grabbed along the way heading into camp.
I am switching to a medium-sized Caldera Cone (TiTri, with 900ml pot set). Works a charm with Esbit or alcohol, and with finger-thick wood. I've burned 5cm/2inch wood that have lasted me 90 minutes with minimal stoking.
Using just the inner fire Inferno, I've kept a fine little fire going in small bonfire mode for several hours with five big handfuls of dry finger-thick wood.
YMMV …
(Oh yes — I remain clean and. It stinky, Feral Bill! [emoji106])
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Traillium
10-12-2016, 08:24
Correction:
(Oh yes — I remain clean and not stinky, Feral Bill! [emoji106])
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The new EPA regulations will severely limit campfires. Without the new emissions control devices, they simply will not be allowed, and most hikers will not want the extra weight in their backpack.
Tipi Walter
10-12-2016, 09:32
The new EPA regulations will severely limit campfires. Without the new emissions control devices, they simply will not be allowed, and most hikers will not want the extra weight in their backpack.
That's one facet of an overall increase in backcountry regulations, fees, permits, designated campsites, vouchers, and more nanny state surveillance of regular hikers and backpackers. See the new rules imposed on backpackers in the Smokies. I think the head honchos want to see everyone entering the woods for overnighters kicked out and/or tabulated.
I think it has to do with population explosion. 100 years ago people hiked and camped and never worried about a campfire or were banned from doing much of anything. The population then was small. Now with 330,000,000 Americans more rules have come into existence. Sadly, most of these Americans want to roll thru the backcountry in vehicles---and the ones who do get out to walk and camp can't have fires, must get a permit, must carry a bear canister, must camp where told, must stay only a few days (Linville Gorge comes to mind), must reserve a spot 6 months in advance etc.
Fast forward 30 years with 450,000,000 million Americans and Eastern wilderness areas will be surrounded by sprawl and constant overhead jet traffic. Heck, it's already like that now.
turtle fast
10-12-2016, 12:23
Realistically once you arrive to a shelter area (if your like most AT hikers), you will have more camp chores than you think. 1. Set up your sleeping arrangement or setup your tent if applicable 2. Locate-purify water (some water sources sent too close) 3. Set up for dinner cooking 4. Socialize 5. Read shelter journal (many times good info in there...once someone left 2 cans of beer in the stream for the first person to read the journal to find where it was...the last group the night before didn't read it!) 6. Eat 7. Read up on the next section 8. Bathroom break likely ...etc, etc.. You will find out that you will be to pooped out to care about a fire and once the sun goes down you will want to sleep as your body gets more in tune with the day/night cycle.
FreeGoldRush
10-12-2016, 12:51
That's one facet of an overall increase in backcountry regulations, fees, permits, designated campsites, vouchers, and more nanny state surveillance of regular hikers and backpackers. See the new rules imposed on backpackers in the Smokies. I think the head honchos want to see everyone entering the woods for overnighters kicked out and/or tabulated.
I think it has to do with population explosion. 100 years ago people hiked and camped and never worried about a campfire or were banned from doing much of anything. The population then was small. Now with 330,000,000 Americans more rules have come into existence. Sadly, most of these Americans want to roll thru the backcountry in vehicles---and the ones who do get out to walk and camp can't have fires, must get a permit, must carry a bear canister, must camp where told, must stay only a few days (Linville Gorge comes to mind), must reserve a spot 6 months in advance etc.
Fast forward 30 years with 450,000,000 million Americans and Eastern wilderness areas will be surrounded by sprawl and constant overhead jet traffic. Heck, it's already like that now.
Its really more simple than that. At Mammoth Cave the government confiscated (stole) all the private land above the cave. Decades ago the place was booming because small businesses would give tours on different parts of the hundreds of miles of cave. Now that the government "owns" it, all those miles of cave you could once tour are shut down and you will never see more than 3% of the cave system there. It's not allowed. The story you are given during the tour is "it's our cave", meaning the people's cave. But of course it is NOT. The people can't see it anymore except for just about 3% of it. People are told only highly educated researchers can go into the other 97%. So it is tiered access. This is the same story throughout all of history. Nothing is new. A small group has special access and you are told it is for your own good (to protect the cave). But this story has been told by the ruling minority to the majority for thousands of years. Clearly I understand that the cave can be easily damaged. But that is an absurd excuse to confiscate it and then deny all access to it. So now things like the underground river there you will never see. Tour volumes at the cave ar less than half what they were when it was privately owned and mostly available to the public.
Other "public" lands will go the same way eventually and you will be told it is for your own good and to protect the fragile resource. Access is only denied to you and I. There will always be a connected group of "highly educated researches" that will enjoy the resource, whatever it is.
I live off grid with wood heat so I get sick of fires . No camp fires for me .
Thom
Tipi Walter
10-12-2016, 13:15
Its really more simple than that. At Mammoth Cave the government confiscated (stole) all the private land above the cave. Decades ago the place was booming because small businesses would give tours on different parts of the hundreds of miles of cave. Now that the government "owns" it, all those miles of cave you could once tour are shut down and you will never see more than 3% of the cave system there. It's not allowed. The story you are given during the tour is "it's our cave", meaning the people's cave. But of course it is NOT. The people can't see it anymore except for just about 3% of it. People are told only highly educated researchers can go into the other 97%. So it is tiered access. This is the same story throughout all of history. Nothing is new. A small group has special access and you are told it is for your own good (to protect the cave). But this story has been told by the ruling minority to the majority for thousands of years. Clearly I understand that the cave can be easily damaged. But that is an absurd excuse to confiscate it and then deny all access to it. So now things like the underground river there you will never see. Tour volumes at the cave ar less than half what they were when it was privately owned and mostly available to the public.
Other "public" lands will go the same way eventually and you will be told it is for your own good and to protect the fragile resource. Access is only denied to you and I. There will always be a connected group of "highly educated researches" that will enjoy the resource, whatever it is.
Good post. It reminds me of our 400 year history as a country keeping Indians off their tribal lands and their sacred lands. One old tribal elder said many years ago that what happened to the red man will eventually happen to the white man---land will be taken, access only to the few, forests turned into golf courses, high property taxes, no squatting allowed, backcountry fees required, gold fever, rivers polluted. The beat goes on, just study the current North Dakota native struggle with the pipeline.
Puddlefish
10-12-2016, 16:24
On my hike I walked past miles of burnt out forest. I saw a lot of illegal stealth sites right off the side of the trail, that had from one to four fire rings. I saw one fire burn mark in the middle of a field with no fire ring or means of controlling it. I saw dozens of twenty foot branches dragged into fires and left there. I saw fire pits abandoned and new one started, because the first one was chock full of ash. I never once saw a single hiker properly extinguish a fire before going to sleep. I saw pounds of melted plastic and foil bits left in fire pits.
I'm not against the idea of a properly set, up properly tended, and properly cleaned up afterwards campfire, but I'm convinced that such a thing is rarer than a unicorn. LNT LOL.
tour-kid
10-12-2016, 19:01
If someone else has one going I'll sit by it and thank whoever is doing the work. Outside of that, I seldom lay build one on trail/ At home we burn scrap wood and brush all the time.
Lone Wolf
10-12-2016, 19:41
Realistically once you arrive to a shelter area (if your like most AT hikers), you will have more camp chores than you think. 1. Set up your sleeping arrangement or setup your tent if applicable 2. Locate-purify water (some water sources sent too close) 3. Set up for dinner cooking 4. Socialize 5. Read shelter journal (many times good info in there...once someone left 2 cans of beer in the stream for the first person to read the journal to find where it was...the last group the night before didn't read it!) 6. Eat 7. Read up on the next section 8. Bathroom break likely ...etc, etc.. You will find out that you will be to pooped out to care about a fire and once the sun goes down you will want to sleep as your body gets more in tune with the day/night cycle.
that's the problem with thru-hikers. always rushin' and not relaxin'. i always had fires when hikin'
Wise Old Owl
10-12-2016, 19:49
Fires are for car campers
Uh what? .................
Wise Old Owl
10-12-2016, 20:36
The new EPA regulations will severely limit campfires. Without the new emissions control devices, they simply will not be allowed, and most hikers will not want the extra weight in their backpack.
Wow.. OK. cant wait to see this one... seriously, I get it. I have seen weekend warriors set fire to their State Park Rings in Maryland and they are burning on Monday after they leave... No I am not Sar-cast-tic. I am Frus-trat-ed. :-? We are somewhere between a joke and OMG. While a few people are ruining it for others, some of us need to cook food and boil our water, nuff said.
The skills of getting a wet wood fire are clearly forgotten....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYTTMojhJgY
MuddyWaters
10-12-2016, 20:49
Uh what? .................
Turtle explained it for ya
Realistically once you arrive to a shelter area (if your like most AT hikers), you will have more camp chores than you think. 1. Set up your sleeping arrangement or setup your tent if applicable 2. Locate-purify water (some water sources sent too close) 3. Set up for dinner cooking 4. Socialize 5. Read shelter journal (many times good info in there...once someone left 2 cans of beer in the stream for the first person to read the journal to find where it was...the last group the night before didn't read it!) 6. Eat 7. Read up on the next section 8. Bathroom break likely ...etc, etc.. You will find out that you will be to pooped out to care about a fire and once the sun goes down you will want to sleep as your body gets more in tune with the day/night cycle.
colorado_rob
10-13-2016, 09:31
Realistically once you arrive to a shelter area (if your like most AT hikers), you will have more camp chores than you think. 1. Set up your sleeping arrangement or setup your tent if applicable 2. Locate-purify water (some water sources sent too close) 3. Set up for dinner cooking 4. Socialize 5. Read shelter journal (many times good info in there...once someone left 2 cans of beer in the stream for the first person to read the journal to find where it was...the last group the night before didn't read it!) 6. Eat 7. Read up on the next section 8. Bathroom break likely ...etc, etc.. You will find out that you will be to pooped out to care about a fire and once the sun goes down you will want to sleep as your body gets more in tune with the day/night cycle.ALL of those chores (except the socialize part, which is a great reason to have that campfire) take a grand total of maybe an hour, most of the time less, at least for someone who has done it for a while. Plenty of time to enjoy a nice cozy campfire and camaraderie with your fellow hikers. Sure, it's great when others light it for you, but I always try to contribute by at least a little wood gathering.
Smell? Campfire smoke smells a lot better than I do after a few days out. bring it on!
Tipi Walter
10-13-2016, 10:30
I discourage fires around my $800 tent, probably because I don't want ash pinholes.
rocketsocks
10-13-2016, 10:36
I love those adds in the outdoors magazines where they show a picturesque view, fella campin' with his tent, cup a joe in hand...and a roaring fire about six feet from the tent, don't these marketing folks do their homework? Epic failure!
colorado_rob
10-13-2016, 10:37
I discourage fires around my $800 tent, probably because I don't want ash pinholes.good point. Even with a mere $400 tent, I make sure mine is way away from a fire
dudeijuststarted
10-13-2016, 10:41
too much work for a long day. my stove and something to read are usually enough for me. carrying some paraffin soaked cotton can make the task much easier though.
rocketsocks
10-13-2016, 10:48
too much work for a long day. my stove and something to read are usually enough for me. carrying some paraffin soaked cotton can make the task much easier though.how do you prepair your balls?
Tipi Walter
10-13-2016, 10:53
how do you prepair your balls?
Vaseline-coated Schweddy balls are the best, at least in the field.
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/images/2011/09/20110913-schweddyballs.jpg
I'll happily enjoy sitting by someone else's fire. They're nice for socializing.
Having a fire doesn't do enough for me, usually, to bother with the chores of having my own. (One exception was after falling in a river in 35 degree temperatures - I needed a fire, and built one in a hurry.)
This exactly.
Tipi Walter
10-13-2016, 14:51
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/images/2011/09/20110913-schweddyballs.jpg
Wow, I only use my schweddy balls as a fire starter---they will combust an area into a conflagration!!---but never actually considered EATING my schweddy balls as a snack. Hmmm, let me rethink everything I know about this subject.
rocketsocks
10-13-2016, 15:34
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/images/2011/09/20110913-schweddyballs.jpg
Oh my, now I've seen everything.
Traveler
10-13-2016, 15:48
Campfire regulations can be the result of conditions or past problems with carelessness. Its up to those hiking the trail to understand the regulations of the areas they walk through, most of the places with fire bans are signed or posted. If you do opt for a campfire where allowed, observe proper fire management and be sure its out before you leave (the cause of most forest fires are very stupid people not paying attention).
bcjohnson
10-17-2016, 21:01
how do you prepair your balls?
Soap and water.
Kaptainkriz
10-17-2016, 21:23
I do not like them, Sam I am...
johnnybgood
10-17-2016, 21:27
Campfire regulations can be the result of conditions or past problems with carelessness. Its up to those hiking the trail to understand the regulations of the areas they walk through, most of the places with fire bans are signed or posted. If you do opt for a campfire where allowed, observe proper fire management and be sure its out before you leave (the cause of most forest fires are very stupid people not paying attention).
This ^ . This past Spring saw the Rocky Mount fire scorch 10,000 + acres of mountainside in Shenandoah National Park because a backcountry camper didn't douse his fire completely.
Wise Old Owl
10-17-2016, 21:30
OK all joking aside... I noticed an odd issue... Lets take a moment and ponder the idea of a tiny contained wood fire.... green ALL Natural Twig Fire.... to boil water or make a meal...On one hike I was forced to start a freeze dried dinner on a ridge in 30+ (best guess) winds. Even behind multiple rocks and wind breaks the alcohol stove was a joke. Yes I had a aluminum flash... didn't help that one night, but I wasn't allowed to use a wood stove by the trail runners. So what would you use as a back up? Here is the real scenario... would you want to have a uber light titanium stove that works in a pinch and can be added to when needed?
There are risks in everything.. but I am a solid person in understanding how to use the best UL stove for the AT and PCT where wood twigs are available...and it folds flat----and it comes in a solid plastic sleeve that keeps most of the lamp black off your stuff.
Uber.....LIGHT, as soon as you decide to pull the stove apart.... and dump the wood ... guess what a touch of water and its COMPLETELY OUT!
CHECK IT OUT (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/90473-Firefly-wood-stove-(2-7oz)-totally-badass)
Old Hiker
10-18-2016, 08:32
Didn't see the need of MANY other campers who seemed to need on every night. Didn't have too many insects during my hike, so I didn't think it was needed. I'm fairly anti-social, so I didn't need to sit around one to converse, plus most of the "conversation" seemed to be smoking weed. No thanks. Yet another reason to avoid shelters, if possible.
Had 3 fires in 7 months:
1. Smokies shelter in March - Socket wanted to warm the shelter up, so we gathered wood in 4 inches of snow and made a fire. He, myself and one other hiker were the only ones there. Warmed the shelter up until about 0030, when 2 other hikers came in. The other hikers saw the coals, added more wood and kept it going.
2. Found a nice, pre-existing campsite in NC close to a water supply. Fire ring had FRESH sardine cans, tuna packets, etc. I built a small fire to burn out the cans and get rid of the trash as much as possible while setting up camp. Would NOT have stayed if no water nearby.
3. Built a fire the last night before my summit on 03 Oct at the campgrounds. Close to water, nicely laid out fire ring/grill. Also wanted to see if birch bark was as good a fire-starter as other hikers were claiming. Oh, yeah, it was !!
Helped 2 other people build fires on the Trail, but only because water was nearby.
Camped at a small forest fire clearing in the Roller Coaster with 2 section hikers and saw the aftermath of a larger fire later on, so I had my fire opinions re-emphasized. Fire helped clear a LOT of the nasty overgrown undergrowth. Ridge runner or maintainer who came by was not too happy with us camping there, but did not care about his opinion on how far I should have gone that day.