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Snapping flames and dancing firelight from a campfire
is truly Romantic. Campfires connect us with our primal
instincts. They make us feel warm and safe.
When your campfire is going it is time to RELAX. Sit
and enjoy a delicious dinner with a glass of wine. Make
s’mores! Let conversation about the day and the soothing
ambiance replace your TV and computer. Leave those things
at home!
REMEMBER: Smoke follows beauty. This means you and significant
other might temporarily experience some campfire smoke in
your face. There is a secret solution to this problem. Hold
your hand out in front of you and say, 'White Rabbit' three
times. If you speak with a firm tone the smoke will change
direction!
Getting Firewood
Campfires are frequently prohibited during summer months
due the risk of forest fires. This means you should only
purchase firewood before your trip if you know that campfires
are permitted at your campsite.
Many grocery stores sell boxes or bundles of firewood.
If you bring your own firewood, be sure to also include
fire-starter (newspaper) and dry kindling. Of course,
bringing an extra lighter is always a good idea too!
If you are camping at a State or National Park they will
often have firewood available for sale. Some Parks even
deliver firewood right to your campsite! Be sure to ask
about the campfire policy and firewood situation when
you register for your campsite.
REMEMBER: Decaying wood is essential to the health of the
soil. If you must gather firewood, do so away from your
immediate camping area. Always gather dry and dead wood
only. This will help reduce your environmental impact on
the camping area.
Firewood Types
- Aspen: Burns
clean, but can be difficult to ignite. Good for cooking
meat.
- Birch: Easy
to light and good for cooking meat.
- Cedar: Lights
fast and burns quickly. Excellent for kindling and great
for cooking.
- Fir: Easy
to ignite, but NOT ideal for cooking due to its sparky
nature.
- Maple: Burns
clean, although difficult to get started. Great for
cooking meat.
- Oak: Clean
burning and great for cooking. Can be difficult to ignite.
- Pine: Quick
burning and easy to start. Often quite smoky and sparky.
Not good for cooking.
- Spruce: Easy
to ignite, but can be smoky and sparky. Not good for
cooking.
Your Campfire Spot
Always use the designated fire pit if there already is
one!
If there isn’t a previously designated fire spot you
can create one. Campfires can leave ugly marks on rocks
and destroy surrounding plants and soil. The goal is to
create a campfire in such a way that the next person at
your campsite will not even know you were there. There
are two basic options:
1) Fire mound:
Situate a few DRY flat rocks in the area you want your
fire (wet rocks will explode when they get hot). Then
cover the rocks with several inches of soil or sand. Creating
your fire atop of this mound allows you preserve the ground
vegetation below. When the fire is out cold you can then
appropriately disperse the evidence.
2) Fire pit:
This requires digging a shallow hole down to where the
soil is exposed. Be certain that there are NOT deep layers
of leaves, needles and other flammables. Clear the area
around the pit of anything flammable. Cover your fire
pit with non-flammable soil once the fire is out and you
are ready to leave.
Building a Campfire
Campfire building is a MUST HAVE skill for Romantic Camping.
Your ability to make a campfire distinguishes you from
the rest of the animals on this planet. If you can't build
and maintain a beautiful campfire you will NOT impress
your partner.
ROMANTIC IDEA: Being IMPRESSIVE is a primary goal of Romantic
Camping. Your partner’s sexual attraction depends on your
ability to impress them. Building a great campfire is an
easy and effective way to meet this requirement. So, do
it well!
There are several ways to build a campfire. The easiest
way is the “lean-to” method. Follow these five simple
steps:
1) Crumple some
newspaper into balls and set them in the middle of your
fire site.
2) Set a larger
piece of wood lengthwise behind the crumpled paper.
3) Place several
small pieces of kindling across the crumpled paper so
that the kindling is leaning perpendicular against the
large piece of wood.
4) Light the
paper.
5) Continually
add larger pieces of wood by leaning them perpendicular
against your original big piece of wood.
That’s all there is to it! Campfires are easy to build.
Just remember to give them space to breath. Leave small
gaps between the pieces of wood you add on top.
Campfire Basics
- Always clear space of five feet or more around the
fire area.
- Keep your tent FAR from the fire’s spark range.
- Use caution when wearing synthetic fibers. They can
melt!
- Wear shoes around the fire area.
- Use pot grabbers and gloves when removing cookware
from the fire.
- Never leave the fire unattended. Put it out before
you leave!
REMEMBER: The Romantic experience of having a campfire is
a privilege that must be respected. During summer months
there is always a high the risk of forest fires. Building
campfires correctly and extinguishing them with lots of
water is crucial.
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