Kevin Callan: Death of the Campfire

I’m a fan of a fire while camping. They’re warming, comforting, I love the sounds, the smell… hate the smoke in the face though. We cook on ours, dry our gear, relax by it, and warm up next to it. It just feels right. If there’s a ban, I’ll abide and I’ll only cook on the stove.

One of my favorite moments while tripping is waking up early and crawling out of a warm bed to make a morning fire. Once it’s going, I have some coffee, enjoy the surroundings and read a book or map. There’s something about a morning fire with a wilderness view and hot cup of coffee that has an irreplaceable feeling.

Glenn MacGrady said:

How about you?

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I'm in the "matured" camp I guess. In years pasts, fires were more of a centerpiece for social gatherings (including drinking in the woods) than they are now. Not that getting drunk around a fire was the focus, but social drinking was typically part of the gathering. Nowadays I and most of the people I spend time with don't drink much, if at all, and the centerpiece for socializing has transitioned from a fire ring to chairs overlooking the water. Plus, I spent over two decades fighting wild fires, where we were in thick smoke for many days and nights at a time so the smell and eye irritation from smoke particulates and the lingering odor just doesn't have the same nostalgic draw it once had. I'll still sit around a fire if that's what the group wants to do, but I don't bother with fires much anymore. I do sometimes miss the ritual of gathering wood and keeping a fire burning, but then the wind changes and I'm hit with a blast of smoke and the nostalgia quickly fades.

Wow, I guess some folks don't know how to socialize sober. Lol.
Our family settings have never been places to imbibe. Don't have a hangup about it, just always had a different focus.
Booze? No. Hot chocolate a big yes. A pinch of cayenne warms it up nicely. Or shave some chocolate into the hot brew.
Not being overly fond of chocolate means I've preferred Russian Caravan, Scottish Breakfast, or Darjeeling.
Let the stories and songs begin.

I cook with a twig stove mostly, maybe have one campfire on a week trip.

Years ago, I had small fires for cooking when going solo into the wilderness. For a while I used a Trangia alcohol burner stove that was great. Then I discovered a new crop of very compact propane/butane canister stoves that weigh almost nothing. Amazon twice offered me a super light foldable 3 leg stove for $3.00, shipped in packaging direct from China, so I bought them. Fast self-lighting, adjustable flame, clean burning so they don't soot my cookware like a wood fire does, and don't require dangerously balancing on a stack of stones or wood to support a cook pot over the right level of heat (to cook or simmer) without danger of it tipping over and ruining my meal and the fire itself.

Plus, at remote primitive campsites of the type where I often make my camp, those stoves are ultra LNT, leaving absolutely no evidence of burnt ground to reveal my passage. Not to mention, no smoke chasing me and getting in my eyes in my eddy of still air, no matter where I locate myself around it. They are such an efficient time saver, time for me at my primitive campsite better spent reviewing my topo navigation maps to do my bushwhack planning adjustments for tomorrow, preparing my gear for the night, relaxing by reading a book before the sun goes down, or perhaps doing some fishing at dusk.

When with a group that demands a fire, then the fire requires everyone’s attention, with the loss of night vision and hearing all the dark time night sights and sounds that can be so revealing, and other experiences new to most people. Many from city centers have never seen all the stars in a pitch-black sky with fully dark-adapted eyes. Sometimes with scouts I would place a small burning candle at the circle center and enjoy perceptions and discussing thoughts of what the night offers instead of staring at tall dancing flames.

Collecting good dry dead and down firewood, breaking or cutting it up to maintain a fire is just too much unnecessary work. For what purpose for just me? When I was camping with family, or now if I am guiding or training a BSA group, the youngsters are kept busy making and feeding a fire for their pleasure. Unless I can convince them not to.

Odyssey said:

Wow, I guess some folks don't know how to socialize sober. Lol.

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I guess it did come across that way so I edited my post. Not that drunkenness was the reason for the gathering but evening fires did tend to mimic cocktail hours in the woods.

Ha ha. No worries, I understand. Some camp gatherings do resemble lock-ins.

I'm about 5-50. Quite often I'm not at a campground and do want to leave the debris or call attention to myself. If I do find myself in a camp site where there's a fire ring I'll start a fire. Usually it gives me something to do after dinner and before bed.