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"The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness." ~ Henry David Thoreau
In recent years, campfires have taken an awful lot of "heat" from numerous sources. Environmental groups, park officials, even over-zealous Scoutleaders have been leading the charge of telling all of us the dangers of campfires. I have read several books in the last few years indicating that recreational fires are selfish, wasteful, and dangerous - I politely disagree. Although it is true that we need to minimize the impact of our campfires in Scouting, educate Scouts about safety, and learn to use campfires properly, there is an awful lot of misinformation going on by the people that I would call misguided. It has gotten so bad that some leaders and Scouts informed me recently that they were afraid that they were violating Leave No Trace ethics by having a campfire in their established fire ring during their week at Scout camp (they were wrong, of course).
Some reasons fires are important:
They raise our spirits - they help foster a sense of togetherness and brotherhood
They allow us to create lasting memories for youth
They give us an opportunity to teach children about fire safety
They allow us to teach everyone about survival situations, which are VERY real
They allow us to warm ourselves in the winter
They help us dry out wet clothing as we camp and backpack
They give us a means of cooking our food if stoves fail or are unavailable
They allow us to purify our drinking water when stoves aren't available
They clear out dead debris from woodlands - much of this debris can cause natural fires that may burn hundreds of thousands of acres of woodlands in warmer climates
They are fully renewable sources of energy, indeed one that doesn't produce greenhouse gases
They help keep away many dangerous animals, from bears to mountain lions
They allow us to introduce Leave No Trace ethics and teach children about minimizing the impact of their fires
So long as a park allows a campfire to be built, there is NOTHING wrong with building one. That said, we should be doing some things to make sure that we build them safely and with minimal impact to the environment around us.
Some good rules for minimal-impact fire building:
Make sure that fires are permissable wherever you're staying
Make sure that the climate is not too windy nor too dry to support a safe fire
Whenever possible, use an established fire ring
If an established fire ring isn't available, make a small fire on mineral soil or on a dirt mound
If mineral soil or a dirt mound isn't available, build your fire on a flat rock
If none of these things are available, dig a hole into some sod - replace the sod once the coals have been put out and dispersed
If you're forced to create a new fire circle, make sure to disperse the coals and ashes afterwards
Let me be clear, I am not suggesting that every trip you go on needs a fire. There are many national parks where campfires are forbidden, and you should always respect such rules. But teaching children "campfires are bad and unnecessary" is misguided and counterproductive. To do such is to waste an opportunity to teach America's youth about survival situations, responsible fire usage, and Leave No Trace ethics.
And a message to the tree huggers - in order for America's youth to appreciate the Earth, to truly get involved in the right causes of preservation and naturalism, we must teach them the value of the outdoors. Without the warmth and the crackle of the campfire it's going to be awfully tough to compete with iPods and Nintendos. Let's not miss the forest for the trees... both figuratively and literally.
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