View Full Version : Camp fires
Ladytrekker
01-06-2009, 15:38
I am new to this forum, but I do a lot of primitive camping in Florida mostly along the Suwannee River and other rivers, I am an avid kayaker.
I am interested in the AT, but in all the reading I do I see nothing about the ability to make fires anywhere. Is this not practiced along the trail due to using the wood or against forestry guidelines?:confused:
Alligator
01-06-2009, 15:40
Throughout the majority of the AT fires are permitted. There are times when there are restrictions and there are places where they are not allowed.
Lone Wolf
01-06-2009, 15:43
I am interested in the AT, but in all the reading I do I see nothing about the ability to make fires anywhere. Is this not practiced along the trail due to using the wood or against forestry guidelines?:confused:
TONS of shelters and campsites to have fires. most restricted areas are posted. there's very few of those
ChinMusic
01-06-2009, 15:45
I am interested in the AT, but in all the reading I do I see nothing about the ability to make fires anywhere. Is this not practiced along the trail due to using the wood or against forestry guidelines?:confused:
Fires are common. I don't know where you got the idea about lack of campfires. I think many just get "bored" with the fires after a bit and don't go through the trouble.
Firewood can actually be hard to find (without some good searching) because of so many campfires near shelters.
Fires lost their novelty with me. I would rather sit around at a place with a nice view and let nature give me a nice sunset without having to do all the work of collecting wood and such.
Ladytrekker
01-06-2009, 15:53
Thanks for all the input, I like a fire if I have time, but I thought in case you are low on fuel or feel like taking time to cook something that takes more time, etc. I was not sure, I have read some journals and I have seen no mention of them at all. Thanks again.
Lone Wolf
01-06-2009, 15:57
Thanks for all the input, I like a fire if I have time, but I thought in case you are low on fuel or feel like taking time to cook something that takes more time, etc. I was not sure, I have read some journals and I have seen no mention of them at all. Thanks again.
most thru-hikers are in a rush and don't have time or a desire to have a fire. they get up early and hike late. i get to camp early and have a fire for baking tatoes and such. fire is good
I like to save the lint out of the dryer for tender! you can compress alot of it into a ziplock and take up hardly any space/weight. Works well when there is just enough morning dew out to make it a pain in the rear lighting any tender you would find outdoors.
Blissful
01-06-2009, 15:59
Lots of fires early on, like in March and April. In the summer, no.
most thru-hikers are in a rush and don't have time or a desire to have a fire. they get up early and hike late. i get to camp early and have a fire for baking tatoes and such. fire is good
Agreed fire is very good. Its a natural mental medicine. Seems like a waste of a good trip to rush through it so much your always too tired to make a fire or dont have the time. I thought the point of a trip like this was to FORGET about time. No work for 6 months? YEEHAA!!:banana
buckwheat
01-06-2009, 16:21
I like to save the lint out of the dryer for tender! you can compress alot of it into a ziplock and take up hardly any space/weight.
Whittle some small slivers of fatwood into your dryer lint. Mix it up real good and then compress it in the bottom of your pack for a few days to flatten it up real good. Weighs next to nothing and is like molten lava when you light it.
Cheers,
Buckwheat
Plodderman
01-06-2009, 16:24
No problem with fires on most of the trail. Some places like the Smokies there is not much down wood to use. Picked pretty clean but usually someone comes along and wants a fire. I usually do not build fire.
peakbagger
01-06-2009, 18:15
If I am in the mood for a fire, I start looking along the trail a few minutes before reaching the campsite. Once I have taken off my pack and taken a break, I walk back down the trail with a nylon strap in hand and get past the usually "browse line" where the woods have been picked clean. I then pile up a bunch of wood with the stems roughly aligned and use the strap as a choker around the stems. I can then walk back to camp with a whole lot of wood over my shoulder. If I cant snap it by hand, its too big, plus there is usually some big chunks of wood in the fire pit that were too big to begin with.
Generally if its at an organized campsite, folks dont mind a fire, but a lot of them wont build one themselves. I make sure the fire is out when I go to bed and double check it in the morning.
peakbagger also noticed there is ALWAYS fallen wood in a forest. It's just a matter of desire and time. If I want a fire (and it is permitted) then I have a fire. I've had a few folks want to "borrow" mine after they "couldn't find any firewood anywhere".
If it is a social backpack with more emphasis on camping rather than hiking, I'll do a fire. Good company, a fire and some wine is always nice. 15 miles or less and I am good for a campfire.
If I am solo hiking (which is often on long trips), the ambiance of nature is enough.
most thru-hikers are in a rush and don't have time or a desire to have a fire. they get up early and hike late. i get to camp early and have a fire for baking tatoes and such. fire is good
I am with LW on this one. Fire is good.You will have NO problems finding places to have a fire. A major part of my enjoyment is a campfire.I make camp early too,the rest of the time before hitting the sack I cook and enjoy the campfire. Most mornings no campfire for me.I just hit the trail and have a snack when I get hungry later on. I have never been a breakfast eater.
Tennessee Viking
01-06-2009, 21:07
Fires are excepted at well-established campsites or make-shift sites that little disturbance is made.
The wilderness areas, parks, and certain shelters may have limitations on fires.
Then the USFS and state forestry services may change the status of open camp fires during dry seasons.
TrippinBTM
01-06-2009, 22:14
Fires lost their novelty with me. I would rather sit around at a place with a nice view and let nature give me a nice sunset without having to do all the work of collecting wood and such.
I'm with you, they are a lot of work; like a living thing, needing to be fed and tended. But you can't beat it for ambiance; everyone gathers around a campfire, it helps bring people together, complete strangers that just met talking like good friends.
On my thru, I tended to be the "fire guy." I always, like Lone Wolf, tried to get to camp early-ish, I like having time in the evenings to relax, don't like hiking late (hiking shouldn't be work). So I'd go collect wood, which was generally pretty relaxing, different from hiking (assuming wood is plentiful). Very quiet, sometimes I'd go out there to be alone and just sit and be still, to enjoy nature rather than just walk thru it.
Anyways, they were great when it was cold; but we had far fewer fires in the hot months, save the occasional ones where the bugs were bad and we wanted smoke. Some places there's a lack of wood, especially in high use areas (like the Smokies) but in general the areas around all the shelters tended to be more picked clean. But it'd be cold enough that I'd go looking for wood anyways, usually you can find some twigs and narrow branches that many other people pass by, but you may have to walk a ways.
I'd try to collect wood on the way to camp, so I don't have to walk back to get it. Can be a little cumbersome, but when you're tired it's worth it. Saves at least one trip.
Still, I'll admit, when I'm alone I don't do fires as much, or if I do I keep it pretty small. I'm remided of a quote, by Stalking Wolf (via Tom Brown Jr.):
Indian makes small fire and sits close, white man builds big fire and sits far away. Kinda like the Trail Days bonfire, haha.
For me, winter fires to warm up, dry wet socks and shoes. Summer fires to keep the mosquitoes away.
Tipi Walter
01-07-2009, 00:34
Agreed fire is very good. Its a natural mental medicine. Seems like a waste of a good trip to rush through it so much your always too tired to make a fire or dont have the time. I thought the point of a trip like this was to FORGET about time. No work for 6 months? YEEHAA!!:banana
The only time I start a fire is when I'm out with other people which is a rarity. I never build a fire nowadays unless it's a small trash burning fire to lighten my load. Every book I bring out I burn page by page, etc.
There are many problems with a fire for the solo backpacker, the biggest for me being paranoia: is the thing out when I leave camp? It's not something I want to think about, ever. And since many of the places I camp are on open windy balds and ridgetops, a fire isn't practical. And all fires should be doused with water before leaving, another hassle at a dry camp where water is precious.
I've seen plenty of backpackers(mostly in groups)build large bonfires when the winds are whipping past at 30 mph and red embers are flying everywhere, including atop tents. Alot of these same people include alcohol with their socializing. Alcohol will make groups built big fires no matter how high the wind. One night after a nearby group of drunks had their fun they crashed in their tents and the wind picked up in a high gap and I had to go out at 2 in the morning and douse their still active fire with water, my precious water.
In a survival situation a fire can save a person's life, the rest of the time there is no warmer place than atop an insulated pad inside a zipped up sleeping bag inside a tent. When the frigid cold daughters of Miss Nature come to play, that's where I go to stay warm.
For long term living in the winter, though, like in a hogan or a tipi or a witu with a firepit or woodstove, wood heat is the answer. There's nothing better than feeding a woodstove in a primitive shelter while all around you it is blowing snow at 5 degrees in a mean blizzard. The outside woodpile then becomes your security blanket, your pension and your savngs account.
ChinMusic
01-07-2009, 01:01
I like to save the lint out of the dryer for tender! you can compress alot of it into a ziplock and take up hardly any space/weight. Works well when there is just enough morning dew out to make it a pain in the rear lighting any tender you would find outdoors.
I find that cotton balls, with vaseline smeared in, is the way to go, small and compresses to near nothing.
... And all fires should be doused with water before leaving, another hassle at a dry camp where water is precious....
No need to waste water. Pee works wonderfully!
ChinMusic
01-07-2009, 01:28
No need to waste water. Pee works wonderfully!
Not for those that have to squat........:D
hootyhoo
01-07-2009, 10:21
Fires are common. I don't know where you got the idea about lack of campfires. I think many just get "bored" with the fires after a bit and don't go through the trouble.
Firewood can actually be hard to find (without some good searching) because of so many campfires near shelters.
Where did that idea come from. The only lack of fire would be because all the wood in the area had already been used due to overuse. Sometimes the Smokies and/or other areas will have firebans due to drought and dry conditions, but otherwise it is okay to build a fire.
ChinMusic
01-07-2009, 11:55
Where did that idea come from. The only lack of fire would be because all the wood in the area had already been used due to overuse. Sometimes the Smokies and/or other areas will have firebans due to drought and dry conditions, but otherwise it is okay to build a fire.
That is exactly what I said. "Fires are common".
But they are not ubiquitous.
Tipi Walter
01-07-2009, 12:30
No need to waste water. Pee works wonderfully!
The days of my ability to discharge a couple of quarts of pee at "one sitting" are over, what once was a water hose has now become a tear duct. Wait, that doesn't sound right. I'm worried about the angle of my dangle.
Serial 07
01-07-2009, 13:45
fires...love'em...i'm usually the motivating factor in getting one started...
Ladytrekker
01-07-2009, 14:13
I love this site, ask one question and you get multiple stories and insight. I personally like fire. As I said I do alot of kayaking and primitive bank camping and the fire is just the cherry on top of the cake as a wind down for the day, just makes me relax even more. I hope to section hike the AT next year (unable to do a thru, bureaucracy) and am trying to read and get as much insight as possible, and I so enjoy reading everyones stories. Thanks again.
peepsters
01-07-2009, 14:20
I find that cotton balls, with vaseline smeared in, is the way to go, small and compresses to near nothing.
My father showed me this trick a few years ago. It works amazing as a fire starter and if you get dry skin like i do, a little vaseline will come in handy.
Another trick is alcohol based hand sanitizer. You can get a fire going in a downpour with that stuff.
ChinMusic
01-07-2009, 15:08
fires...love'em...i'm usually the motivating factor in getting one started...
I love em too. I usually hike slow enough that my group has a fire going before I get there.
One of the "advantages" of being the slow guy......:D
I find that cotton balls, with vaseline smeared in, is the way to go, small and compresses to near nothing.
just don't let them get loose in your pack.
ChinMusic
01-07-2009, 19:45
just don't let them get loose in your pack.
I put them in an old film container.....perfect.
Fires are great for socializing, warming and cooking, and are really no trouble once you learn how to make them. In cold damp weather a fire really warms one's spirits. Here's what I do in rainy weather to have "almost" dry wood to start a fire. I break off dead bushes that are still standing and almost totally vertical. They do not get as wet when it rains as wood lying flat or even slanted. Plus they also dry first once the rain has stopped. Avoid any wood that is in contact with the ground when conditions are wet, unless you have a roaring fire already going to dry it. To get tender, I will sometimes shave the damp wood off the outside of small dead branches, exposing the dry inner wood. My officers model Swiss Army knife, (about 2.5 ounces) is great for this.
I usually start gathering my fire wood a few hundred yards or half a mile before reaching my camping place or shelter, as the area around the shelters is usually picked clean of dead wood early in the hiking season. And forget green wood. It is no good for trail fires.
To have hot coals the next morning so fire starting is easy, bury your fire at bed time with 3 or 4 inches of ashes. Place your mornings wood near the bedded fire, which stays hot all night and will keep:) your wood dry. The next morning, just rack the ashes away and you will have a hot bed of coals to start your fire. Throw on some kindling, (tender), and it will catch fire almost instantly! I store my larger pieces of dry wood under the shelter or covered with plastic so that it stays dry. Heavy rain during the night will of course change things.
Do not make fires when conditions are dry and windy!!!
Happy hiking.:)
Tipi Walter
01-08-2009, 22:55
Until recently, most conditions in east TN have been very dry and sometimes windy. I was on an open bald not too long ago when even the little white gas cook stove caught some meadow grass on fire and ZAP before I knew it I had a small grass fire flaring up by my tent, put out only by a fevered mad scramble using hands, food bags and the cooking pot. Phew, heart rate went up a notch.
I can add this caveat, too, for not having a wood fire: it lets you stay hidden during stealth camping. It's possible to backpack and live outdoors around small towns and on hitchhiking trips in the stealth mode but only by forgoing the firepit. It's a good habit to make and a hard one to break, hence my reluctance even now to burn wood in the open rock circle.
TrippinBTM
01-08-2009, 23:14
Definitely, you don't want a fire when stealth camping. In part because you might get caught, but also because fire scars are some of the worst damage done to the backcountry. You don't want to be building firepits all over the place, they take a long time to be "erased". Even for one who would only moderately want to follow LNT, this is a big part to follow.
Definitely, you don't want a fire when stealth camping. In part because you might get caught, but also because fire scars are some of the worst damage done to the backcountry. You don't want to be building firepits all over the place, they take a long time to be "erased". Even for one who would only moderately want to follow LNT, this is a big part to follow.
actually stealth spots are where you will find fire pits in areas where fires are banned. the ATC guidebooks specifically state that campfires are banned by the local clubs in NJ and CT. signs are posted at all of the official campsites there. something about 'due to heavy use'. guess NY, smack in between NJ and CT, does not get 'heavy use'. :rolleyes:
the AMC also strongly discourages stealthing and fires along the AT between franconia and pinkham, even though the book says otherwise. this year, we grilled our steaks at a pre-established firepit in a stealth site one night and reported the condition of the site, including our fire, when asked by a caretaker the next day. she wasn't happy until we told her we picked the garbage out of the pit before we used it and tidied up a bit after. although we did not fully disperse it, mainly because it seemed fine and why encourage other 'scars' when people find the burnt wood.
the no-fire area rules seem random and silly. the maintainers can shovel them moldering privies all day, but maintaining a fire ring is too much effort. :rolleyes:
I have some great memories of time spent sitting around a camp fire during my thru-hike.
Less and less camp fires as the weather get's warmer and the hikers thin out as you get farther north.
Ozzieninja
01-09-2009, 11:08
Going SOBO it seemed every camping spot with a fire ring (including shelters) had been picked near dry until we got to VA. You really had to go far to get any amount of wood. By VA new limbs were down and no NOBOs had been through so we had a fire every night till springer. Bull**** you're too tired to build a fire thats the first thing we did when we got to camp. It doesn't matter how crappy your day was the fire at the end of the day raises moral and brings out good conversation.
If it is a social backpack with more emphasis on camping rather than hiking, I'll do a fire. Good company, a fire and some wine is always nice. 15 miles or less and I am good for a campfire.
If I am solo hiking (which is often on long trips), the ambiance of nature is enough.
Exactly, I LOVE fires but sometimes your just so tired after hiking all day ... it doesn't cross your mind ... I try to hike from about 7-8am to 6-7pm and get enough wood for a round or two or fire .. enough that by the time the wood runs out, its 10-11pm and i'm in my sleeping bag ... :banana
Johnny Swank
01-09-2009, 11:48
I had maybe 8 fires on my thru-hike (SOBO), but have been using small fires for most of my cooking on trips for the last couple of years. We usually take a long break in the afternoon and cook dinner, then hike on for a few more miles till dark.
TrippinBTM
01-09-2009, 12:01
the no-fire area rules seem random and silly. the maintainers can shovel them moldering privies all day, but maintaining a fire ring is too much effort. :rolleyes:
Well, yeah, but I wasn't talking about "rules" per se, just about being responsible in the backlands (away from shelters).
I agree, the rules are pretty dumb. If there's a shelter built, it's going to be high-use and damaged; might as well allow a fire.
Tipi Walter
01-09-2009, 12:05
actually stealth spots are where you will find fire pits in areas where fires are banned. :rolleyes:
Naw, I'm talking about real stealth spots like off a highway in some trees, behind churches, next to little towns in treelines, under big oaks in little city parks, or behind a tombstone in a cemetary. Only a newb would try to build a fire at these spots. And you won't find the slightest trace of a fire pit in these spots.
buckwheat
01-09-2009, 13:05
My father showed me this trick a few years ago. It works amazing as a fire starter and if you get dry skin like i do, a little vaseline will come in handy.
Another trick is alcohol based hand sanitizer. You can get a fire going in a downpour with that stuff.
Vaseline is better, I think. I've tried both. The hand sanitizer is mostly liquid alcohol in a gel, which evaporates quickly if allowed to mix with the air. You can end up with dry cotton balls if you're not careful about your container. But with the Vaseline, it's mostly petroleum, so if it evaporates, it does so a lot slower.
I've tested Vaseline-dabbed fireballs on fresh snow. Yep ... just setting the cotton ball down on top a fresh snowbank and lighting it to see what would happen. Even as it melted the water around itself, that fireball will burn for about 3 minutes (give or take, depending on how much Vaseline you soaked it with) and won't go out.
Try it yourself sometime ... but wait till the worst weather to practice! Anybody just about can light a fire when its calm and clear.
Cheers,
Buckwheat
flemdawg1
01-09-2009, 13:17
I find that cotton balls, with vaseline smeared in, is the way to go, small and compresses to near nothing.
just don't let them get loose in your pack.
And put them down on the ground before lighting. The vaseline sometimes make them really sticky. I early caught my daughter on fire when a lit one stuck to my finger and as i paniced and flung it off, it nearly landed in her hair. :(