The fire for heat must needs be larger than the cooking, yet too big a roaring fire is what you don’t want. Something moderate which will be safe in a change of wind and which will throw heat into the tent will be found adequate. To enhance its value one should build the night fire before a reflector which borrows the principles of the old fashioned fireplace for throwing heat forward. It is located about six feet in front of the tent’s entrance and may be composed simply of a big boulder, a small flat faced cliff or a regularly made wall of green logs.
In making the log reflector cut two stout stakes long enough to project three feet above the ground after they have been driven down sufficiently to hold well, placing them one yard apart with their protruding ends slanting away from the tent. Now take a four foot green log, say a foot thick, and place on the ground against the stakes. Pile upon this three logs of lesser diameter, the difference in size will hold them in place. Then cut two short green logs to act as fire dogs and place them on the ground end on against the back log reflector. Across these lay several dry logs for burning, put your small starting twigs or trash stuff beneath and ignite.
In building a fire secure, if possible, for kindling the bark of the birch which is easily accessible if one goes to the North woods where most camping is done. It is torn in strips and rubbed dry to a fray. In other regions you will be driven to the use of dry grass or other highly inflammable material. Over this put twigs or the choppings from the cores of dead trees, laying them in pyramidal shape with open air spaces within. Now touch off the pile with one of the matches which you have been careful to pack in a waterproof matchbox. When well aflame put on carefully the branches of successively larger sized sticks allowing plenty of air supply to the flames.
In wet weather the task of the inexperienced fire maker is more difficult unless he is well supplied with birch bark which has plenty of oil in it. Without the bark one must get enough fine shavings of the dry insides of decaying logs and pile them up and carefully add small fuel as needed.
For larger fires purely for heating purposes start a small fire and add larger wood until you get the big blaze which will then likely consume even wet wood. It is important to know what kind of wood to choose for fuel. In general standing dead timber is always drier than down timber. You may be surprised at the good wood one can garner from dead stumps which are decayed on the outside but have a sound core which splits easily and burns to perfection. Always use these woods in preference to a growing tree.
One unfailing sign of the good camper is his use of just as little wood as is possible. It should be gathered before night and placed near the shelter.
In the woods always be careful about spreading fire, a forest fire may result and destroy not only the camp but your hunting and camping grounds and deprive others of their rightful enjoyments and heritage. Such carelessness is considered a crime among woodsmen and in some states is a direct violation of the law. Bear in mind several simple rules for fire prevention:—never throw a match in dry leaves: never leave a fire burning when there is no one to watch it, for a gust of wind may start a bad fire from a bed of half dead embers. In locating camp always build the camp fire in the open if possible or on sand or soil but never on forest loam. Note the direction of the wind and try to build the fire just to windward of a brook, road or green grassy plat which would act as natural barriers to a spreading conflagration. In fighting fire, pour water on the flames themselves, soak it, drown it or cover with earth. If the ground is of loam or peaty nature souse it also. If it is spreading use boughs dipped in water to beat flames with or use a wet blanket or even a shirt if necessary rather than let the fire leap from your control.
Having properly started your cooking fire you are now ready to unpack the grub bags. The cook kit is to be rinsed out well, the kettle filled with water and put over the fire; fill the fry pan with meat ration and start your batter for cakes. At the conclusion of the meal clean up the dishes at once so that the hours of relaxation before sleep may be unharassed by the drugery of undone scullion’s work. The dishes are wiped with tufts of grass, washed in clear water and thoroughly dried before the fire.
CHAPTER IX
THE OUTDOOR BED QUESTION
TO one who has never done any camping the choice of a bed is one that nettles him and he will have doubts about being comfortable with the outfits recommended by those of experience. Upon no article of wilderness equipment is there so much diversity of opinion expressed nor upon which more experimentation is lavished by the average enthusiast than the camp bed. From the cumbersome bedstead of civilization to the necessarily extremely portable bed of the movable camp is a far cry. In spite of all experiences the latter is found to be best patterned after principles of the former. Just the method of adaptation is the problem that confronts us.