BigLoad
Trail Wise!
Pancakes!
Posts: 12,981
|
Post by BigLoad on Oct 19, 2015 13:50:33 GMT -8
I rarely have a fire. I visit too many places where a stray spark could become a big fire pretty quickly, and I've visited a few where that has already happened. I also frequently camp miles from water and I don't want to carry any extra water to kill the fire.
|
|
rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,707
|
Post by rebeccad on Oct 19, 2015 14:22:27 GMT -8
I'm pretty much like BlueBear. I like a fire now and then, but I also like just sitting out and enjoying the evening, or (I admit it) crawling into the tent and reading until I fall asleep. In any case, as others have noted, in California right now, fires are pretty much out. You don't want to start the next big fire I use a bear can only when I have to, because those things are heavy. I have invested in a couple of Ursacks, which are lighter, more flexible, and will do the job if used correctly. I'm one of those SF people...I'd be happy to talk about places around here to practice! Are you a student, Xiaolichen1988?
|
|
|
Post by hikerjer on Oct 19, 2015 14:42:05 GMT -8
I'll be the first to admit that I like a campfire. However, I rarely have one for a variety of reasons. First, in many areas they are prohibited. Second, sometimes it's just too much of a hassle - no easily available fire wood, too windy, too wet, etc. Third, if it's virgin ground and I'll be using an area where there is no evidence of previous fire, I won't have one. However, if regulations permit and there is adequate fire wood avaible, then I might have one.
|
|
davesenesac
Trail Wise!
Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
Posts: 1,710
|
Post by davesenesac on Oct 19, 2015 15:01:41 GMT -8
Hello xiaoli, We are neighbors. I live in the South Bay and make it up to The City occasionally. The SF Bay Area is a hotbed with the www.meetup.com site and there are a few local backpacking groups on that site. The below with 3900 members is the largest and there are always a few upcoming trips. www.meetup.com/the-other-original-bay-area-backpack-meetup/?a=wm1&rv=wm1&ec=wm1Most of the time after dusk we retire. As a photographer I enjoy experiencing sunset and dusk even if not out taking photos. In the summer High Sierra sunset is about 8:15pm and then a half hour of dusk so we are often asleep about 9:30pm. 7.5 hours later is 5am at dawn. That is a reasonable amount of body recharging time. So if one makes a habit of being a campfire person staying up late, then they are not likely an early riser because they won't have had enough sleep. Rather are the kind of groups we see just crawling out of their tents in t-shirts and shorts when we've already moved 3 hours along a trail or are just returning to camp after an adventure to some lake or peak. Dawn thru sunrise thru early morning is a wonderful beautiful time of day to not only get up but also to get out in our natural landscapes.
|
|
tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
|
Post by tarol on Oct 19, 2015 17:57:58 GMT -8
Most of the time I don't even think about having a campfire - in the backcountry or front country. I work as a Public Information Officer on wildfires and have also been part of a campaign concerning the damage being done to our forests by insects being transported via firewood. I guess I just know too much and well, to me it's kind of lost its appeal over the years. Every now and then when it's legal and appropriate we'll have one. Appropriate in that the risk of wildfire is low, you're following LNT principles, you'll make sure it's out before you leave, you're using local firewood, and the local wood supply is ample.
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Oct 19, 2015 18:35:57 GMT -8
Backcountry I'm not a fan. That's true even when I'm below 9600 feet and so they'd be legal, well above 6000 anyway. I cook using a stove, vastly simpler and cleaner and faster and I've got lots better things to do: look at flowers, rocks, birds etc. , it's easier on the local natural resources as I don't remove wood the ecosystem needs for nutrients. I'm not risking wildfire which in the Sierra and the west in general is a constant threat: the Rim fire that burned a quarter million acres was from a campfire. For warmth I carry my clothes. inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3660/Front country car campground with friends is a different story but that's not backcountry. Oh and as for environment? Wood smoke contains dioxin, a teratogen (aka: birth defects), benzene and formaldehyde, both carcinogens plus hundreds of other hazardous chemicals. Not to mention the soot which does no ones lungs any good. While rotting in place wood returns nutrients to the soil, not poisons to the air. Oh and bringing wood in to burn? That risks introducing forest diseases to the park's plant community. www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/forest-pests.htm
|
|
Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,960
|
Post by Westy on Oct 19, 2015 18:49:05 GMT -8
I'm anti-campfire to the max.
I figure it's 2015 and a fire for cooking is no longer necessary. Proper campfire preparation, execution and clean-up is extra work with no real benefit. I suppose it's aesthetically appealing to some and can provide an evening social event for others.
What I dislike the most is seeing used campfire rings, filled to the brim with ashes, semi-burnt large logs and the general mess left by the campfire people including broken branches and denuded areas from fuel extracted from live trees. When the campfire ring is full, the next campfire person simply constructs another campfire ring directly adjacent without policing the first. Many backcountry users think it's a trash incinerator but still leave their unburnt trash.
Add to that "mystery" campfires in places that are decidedly dry camps, "Where does the water come from to properly extinguish the fire?" Additionally, a stray spark could ignite a tent. I also dislike having my costly clothing items and myself smelling like Smokey the Bear.
The backcountry is beautiful and the neglected, abused campfire ring is like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.
LNT? Removing all signs of a campfire? Not in the majority backcountry campfire people DNA.
My personal HYOH Backcountry style probably dictates no campfires for me. When it's time to pitch a tent, I am tired, prepare a fast meal using a stove and go directly to the interior of my tent and sleeping bag and get a good nights sleep.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
|
|
|
Post by llamero on Oct 19, 2015 19:58:52 GMT -8
I hike the Trinity Alps for my early season trips. No more fire ring campfires there for me, it's been a tinderbox for the last half dozen years or so. I confess that on a rare occasion in other areas I do indulge in a twig fire built on a fire blanket. Campfires in the wilderness are becoming (have become) a romantic relic. It's time to let it go. Enjoy the sky and find a snuggle buddy to stay warm.
Enjoy
|
|
davesenesac
Trail Wise!
Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
Posts: 1,710
|
Post by davesenesac on Oct 20, 2015 9:20:46 GMT -8
Although many on this board including this person have somewhat negative views on backcountry campfires that is in part because members here tend to be long time, more experienced, more environmentally knowledgeable enthusiasts. A broader demographic sampling of wilderness visitors would show a significant percentage of regular campfire makers. That is rather obvious when one observes all the well used campfire pits along trails where fires are permitted as well as the disgusting numbers of illegal fire pits one sees about popular destinations where they are not legal despite decades of policy against such. Thus there are numbers of backpackers that inconsiderately ignore policy and many are the same visitors that will also illegally set up camp spots much too close to lake edges. xiaolichen, please read the following in order to understand attitudes of our community: lnt.org/learn/principle-5David www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Trip_Chronicles/2015_Trip-Chronicles-0.html
|
|
desert dweller
Trail Wise!
Power to the Peaceful...Hate does not create.
Posts: 6,291
|
Post by desert dweller on Oct 20, 2015 9:38:44 GMT -8
First, welcome.
I haven't had a campfire in decades for two reasons.
One, is that it's not needed. With a camping stove, right gear and clothing, it's easy to stay warm.
The other reason is that nothing puts a barrier between us and "nature" like a campfire. It commands all your senses. You smell it, see it and hear it. You miss all that is going on around you. The ghostly moonlight through the trees, the subtle sound of something brushing up against a bush and the general scents of the forest.
Fire rings don't bother me. If it appears to be a one-time camp, I'll dismember it. If it appears to have repeated use, I'll let it alone that the next hiker won't have to build another one in a different spot.
|
|
johnnyray
Trail Wise!
Argle-Bargle, Jiggery-Pokery, and Applesauce
Posts: 2,050
|
Post by johnnyray on Oct 20, 2015 19:46:28 GMT -8
I don't bother with fires anymore, one less thing to do, don't have to worry about stray sparks getting to my tent or melting synthetic clothes. 5 or 6 years ago while on a fishing weekend I was car camping and had a fire the wind picked up and blew a big glowing ash right into and through my closed tent door it was probably 20 feet from the fire, but not far enough.
|
|
|
Post by ecocentric on Oct 21, 2015 8:03:58 GMT -8
I often have a fire in the back yard, when conditions are safe, which is most of the year in the Midwest. No shortage of dead and down wood here, and I have to pick a lot of it up to mow the grass. I allow the environment I'm in to dictate whether I build a fire or not, but for backpacking I never rely on them, though I am prepared to build one should an emergency arise that requires it.
|
|
|
Post by vinovampire on Oct 21, 2015 8:08:54 GMT -8
Like many here, have fond memories of campfires past, kids and s'mores, a required rite of passage. Nowadays though, seldom bother making one unless car camping or maybe at a trailhead before a hike...just too much bother. I'm in agreement with most people here that I never bother to have a campfire. I might do a campfire camping out in a friend's backyard or car camping, but never on a backpacking trip. At the end of a long day, it just seems like a lot of work that distracts from my ability to take in the sights and sounds of the outdoors. It's just too much of a bother, as stated above. Also, now that I've almost perfected the "canister stove s'more", I really can't imagine ever making a campfire again. Working on My S'more Technique on Mt Abraham, VT during September 2015
|
|
|
Post by cweston on Oct 21, 2015 13:47:31 GMT -8
Piling on to what's already been posted: most of my camps are at or above treeline, so building a fire is not even an option in most cases, because of the scarcity of wood. Sometimes the last night's camp may be at lower elevation in forest, so I might make one if wood is available and there is an already-established fire ring. But even then, I usually don't. I'm an early to bed, early to rise backpacker--I'm typically just too tired to fuss with it, as others have mentioned.
|
|
gabby
Trail Wise!
Posts: 4,539
|
Post by gabby on Oct 22, 2015 9:17:59 GMT -8
I carry the "survival bits" to make one every time I go out.
That said, I find them unnecessary otherwise. I prefer my fires to be distant - as, on stars. "Local fire drowns distant ones."
|
|