Even
after a number of days of solid rain, its still possible
to start a fire with just one match if done with care.
Preparations for the fire have to be undertaken
carefully, but it can be done with confidence.
The
first step is to locate the fire pit in a safe spot that
won't cause a problem once started, yet still has enough
shelter from wind and rain. If there is a good location
that's exposed, you might want to consider erecting a
tarp over the spot. Set the tarp over the fire pit with
the side towards the wind much lower (touching the ground
if the tarp is big enough) to minimize wind problems.
Smoke and ashes need to escape, so the downwind side may
need to be quite high.
Finding
dry tinder is the most important step in the process.
Once the fire is established, even wet wood will dry out
and burn. One of the best places to look for dry tinder
is under the shelter of live evergreen trees. Scout
around under the lower branches of pine, spruce and cedar
trees and you'll find small twigs that have been
protected from the rain by the branches above. The twigs
should be pencil size or smaller. Try bending them and if
they snap, gather those. Any that bend and don't break
easily won't burn well, so ignore those. Once you have a
reasonable quantity of dry tinder, bring it to the fire
pit and place it under a shelter. You'll also need a fair
bit of dry kindling and that can be found in similar
locations. Some of the larger branches on the bottom of
live trees will have died due to lack of sunlight, those
make excellent kindling. Pieces laying on the ground or
ones that break off easily are what you're after. Take
nothing that still bends. Once you have a good quantity
of kindling, bring it to the fire pit and put it under
the shelter.
Two
remaining items that will help is a small birch bark
chimney and some tinder that will quickly catch flame.
Inner bark from dead cedar that is well dried can be
pulled apart and rubbed between the palms to produce
something that looks almost like raw wool which easily
ignites. The seed pods of cattail plants also works well.
Other, similar sources are available, but the two
mentioned are common and easy to find. If birch bark is
available, its one of the best. Use only loose bark
that's on the ground or bits that are loose on the tree
and can be pulled off with fingers only.
Try to
find a birch branch that's been laying on the ground long
enough for the wood inside to rot. Break off a chunk the
size of your hand and get rid of the wood inside. Put
that on your fire pit in vertical position to act like a
chimney. Lift it off the ground a bit by putting sticks
underneath. Put the highly combustible tinder you've
gathered at the very bottom, then places some of the
twigs on top and around the chimney.
Once
that's done, you're ready to light the fire, but you
should have some firewood handy to make sure it doesn't
go out while you're gathering more firewood.
When
everything is ready, apply a flame to the bottom of the
chimney and it should ignite easily and spread to the
twigs and bark chimney. Once the flames are established,
add firewood until you have the size of flame you want.
If your firewood is damp, keep some near the fire to be
drying out.
