I find that cotton balls, with vaseline smeared in, is the way to go, small and compresses to near nothing.Originally Posted by Brett
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
No need to waste water. Pee works wonderfully!
Not for those that have to squat........
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
That's what I was thinking.
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.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
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.
fires...love'em...i'm usually the motivating factor in getting one started...
Check out my website: www.serialhiking.com
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.
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.
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......
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
just don't let them get loose in your pack.
don't like logging? try wiping with a pine cone.
I put them in an old film container.....perfect.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
Kanati
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 keepyour 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.
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.
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'.
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.
Camp Fires
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.
Grampie-N->2001
fires
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.
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 ...
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.
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