This guest post is by Patsi
You need a few items before you begin – an existing fire pit, lighter, some newspaper, logs, and a magazine to fan the fire with. Once you have gathered these items you can begin, the earlier the better because when night comes it is very dark and you definitely want a fire blazing by this time.
Take the newspaper and wad up the sheets, remembering to have the lighter nearby. Once you have balled up the sheets of news paper light the ends and set the lit papers into the fire pit. If the fire dies out it is probably because you used more than two sheets of paper to make the wads. Unroll the wads and re-roll using only one paper per ball.
Now light it again. Grab the kindling. Did I forget to mention kindling? Okay, go into the woods, behind your tent, and find a couple of arm full of dried leaves. Bring the leaves back to the fire pit and, once again, light the newspaper balls. As the newspaper starts to burn add the leaves. No, not all at once, now you have to restart the fire again.
Pull the newspaper out from under the leaves and relight. If the wads of paper happen to be nothing more than ash tear out pages of the magazine and use those, balling up only one at a time. Now take a walk to the car to see if there are any matches under the seat because by now your lighter is probably out of fluid. You can never find matches when you need them so take a hike down to the camp store. This serves two purposes: 1) you can purchase a lighter and matches and 2) you get to walk the cramps out of your legs that you acquired while squatting in front of the fire pit.
Upon arriving back at your campsite you may notice that you have forgotten to lock up your food in the car while you were gone and the raccoons found the chips and candy bars. This is not such a bad thing; you can use them for kindling as well as the leaves. Not the raccoons, the wrappers! Light the crumpled magazine pages and then slowly add the leaves. Once you get the leaves going you are able to race back behind the tents to get the twigs I forgot to tell you to bring back when you grabbed the leaves. Hopefully the leaves are still burning; now add the twigs one at a time. Since you no longer have a magazine blow on the flame to get a larger fire burning. Now you may take this time to curse out loud since you just blew hot ash into you face. Once the fire has started you may add logs.
The fire is starting to die out but don’t worry just reach in and grab a stick to stir the fire with. Calm down, it is only a slight burn, go stick your fingers in your cooler with ice. Oops, I forgot about the raccoons, they knocked the cooler over. Just stick your fingers in your mouth for now and it will feel better, not to mention muffle the scream. By now, all of your paper and kindling has probably burned up and you still do not have a fire. Did I mention to you how fast night comes in the woods?
Search your car and see if you can find any napkins, McDonald bags, or old maps in the glove box. Okay, if you have to use the map then use it. You can always stop at a gas station and get directions from the attendant to get back home. Tear the map into small strips and set them on top of the dry, and I stress, dry leaves. Be very careful when choosing the leaves because the woods have a tendency to get damp in the evening.
Also while gathering the leaves remember to get more twigs and slightly larger branches. Here we go, light the map strips and sparingly add the leaves, so far so good. Now, add some small twigs, good, now the branches. Uh-ho, they must still be been green. Move your head away from the smoke while fanning it frantically with your hands. If that isn’t working close your eyes and blow on the fire. Try lighting a whole pack of matches and throwing those in there too.
Grab the flashlight out of the tent and walk back to the store. Purchase more matches and some candy, to hold over your growling stomach, until you are able to cook your dinner. On the way out grab some lighter fluid. Upon arriving back at camp you notice that you can’t see more than four feet in front of you, do not worry, there hasn’t been any bear sightings for three months. Pile half of your logs in the fire pit and soak them with the lighter fluid that you purchased from the store. Let it set for a couple of minutes and then add some more. Light a pack of matches and throw them on top of the logs. Take the fluid and squirt some more into the fire while tossing in the candy and chip wrappers. Add a can of beans.
Congratulations, you are officially a fire starter.
Pull the newspaper out from under the leaves and relight. If the wads of paper happen to be nothing more than ash tear out pages of the magazine and use those, balling up only one at a time. Now take a walk to the car to see if there are any matches under the seat because by now your lighter is probably out of fluid. You can never find matches when you need them so take a hike down to the camp store. This serves two purposes: 1) you can purchase a lighter and matches and 2) you get to walk the cramps out of your legs that you acquired while squatting in front of the fire pit.
Upon arriving back at your campsite you may notice that you have forgotten to lock up your food in the car while you were gone and the raccoons found the chips and candy bars. This is not such a bad thing; you can use them for kindling as well as the leaves. Not the raccoons, the wrappers! Light the crumpled magazine pages and then slowly add the leaves. Once you get the leaves going you are able to race back behind the tents to get the twigs I forgot to tell you to bring back when you grabbed the leaves. Hopefully the leaves are still burning; now add the twigs one at a time. Since you no longer have a magazine blow on the flame to get a larger fire burning. Now you may take this time to curse out loud since you just blew hot ash into you face. Once the fire has started you may add logs.
The fire is starting to die out but don’t worry just reach in and grab a stick to stir the fire with. Calm down, it is only a slight burn, go stick your fingers in your cooler with ice. Oops, I forgot about the raccoons, they knocked the cooler over. Just stick your fingers in your mouth for now and it will feel better, not to mention muffle the scream. By now, all of your paper and kindling has probably burned up and you still do not have a fire. Did I mention to you how fast night comes in the woods?
Search your car and see if you can find any napkins, McDonald bags, or old maps in the glove box. Okay, if you have to use the map then use it. You can always stop at a gas station and get directions from the attendant to get back home. Tear the map into small strips and set them on top of the dry, and I stress, dry leaves. Be very careful when choosing the leaves because the woods have a tendency to get damp in the evening.
Also while gathering the leaves remember to get more twigs and slightly larger branches. Here we go, light the map strips and sparingly add the leaves, so far so good. Now, add some small twigs, good, now the branches. Uh-ho, they must still be been green. Move your head away from the smoke while fanning it frantically with your hands. If that isn’t working close your eyes and blow on the fire. Try lighting a whole pack of matches and throwing those in there too.
Grab the flashlight out of the tent and walk back to the store. Purchase more matches and some candy, to hold over your growling stomach, until you are able to cook your dinner. On the way out grab some lighter fluid. Upon arriving back at camp you notice that you can’t see more than four feet in front of you, do not worry, there hasn’t been any bear sightings for three months. Pile half of your logs in the fire pit and soak them with the lighter fluid that you purchased from the store. Let it set for a couple of minutes and then add some more. Light a pack of matches and throw them on top of the logs. Take the fluid and squirt some more into the fire while tossing in the candy and chip wrappers. Add a can of beans.
Congratulations, you are officially a fire starter.
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/
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