Most of the time, starting a fire involves little more than striking a match or clicking the wheel of a butane lighter. In minutes a cold night becomes warm, the steaks on the grill begin to sizzle, and we sit back, feeling content. An outdoor fire is the hearth away from home, a comforting circle of light that we share with friends and family.

Fire takes on a completely different meaning when you are lost or injured. Its warmth can save your life. Frayed nerves are soothed by its lively company, anchoring you in place and greatly increasing your chances of being rescued. Fire can also serve as a distress signal or a way to harden and shape wood into weapons. If you’re able to gather food, fire cooks your meal, making it safe to eat and renewing your strength. Is it any wonder that ancient man awarded keepers of the flame the highest stature, or that human sacrifices were made to fire spirits?

Not all fires are created equal. The Native American star fire, for example, is a terrific means of conserving fuel, but it produces little heat—not a wise choice in life-threatening conditions. Conversely, the parallel log lay is capable of warming the length of your body through the night. It permits you to rest and store up the energy you’ll need to get out of whatever jam you might be in.

To enjoy fire’s many benefits, sportsmen should learn how to build six types. Each begins with a tepee.

FIRST STEPS

Before a fire can save your life or cook your meal, it must pass through three stages of development: ­ignition, establishment, and maintenance.

Ignition requires kindling. Fine, dry kindling will ignite when exposed to a match, but it seldom catches fire if you use a sparking tool. In that case you will also need tinder, such as char cloth, fungus from the bark of a birch tree, or an artificial version. Collect larger pieces of wood to establish the fire once it’s begun. You may also need logs to maintain it.

Fires eventually take many shapes, but all are rooted in the same design—a tepee of loosely arranged sticks. Start with ­matchstick-size kindling, and create a pocket at the base for the tinder. Tilt progressively larger sticks into a skeletal tepee shape to ­promote air circulation

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Tags: camping, cooking, fire starting, Outdoor Skills, survival

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 | RSS 2.0 feed.