yep, like a fire in winter.
I will ALWAYS have a campfire!
I only use campfires to fight bugs and the cold.
Campfire? What ever my hiking partner wants.
I hate campfires.
yep, like a fire in winter.
I've camped without a fire when unsure about the rules or wanted to be alone. fire can be seen for a great distance (maybe an advantage of having one sometimes) and didn't want visitors coming from near by. But most of the time a fire is nice.
As far as caring for the environment... If you do not wish to pollute we might as well just stay out of the woods entirely or kill ourselves. You expel CO2, methane, pee, poop and consume resources as long as you live. And even having any number of people doing this and beating trails while in the forest could/is "disrupting it". At the very least you drove to the trail or park anyhow before you hiked.
In my mind pollution/consumption is not a sin; its waste which is sin. If it costs something for us to survive and enjoy nature- so be it, but don't unnecessarily waste it. The question is not "are you polluting?" but rather are you doing something that will serve you, enhance your experience and enjoyment of nature or is it just excess.
Last edited by mophead; 01-03-2012 at 12:42.
Nothing wrong with having a fire.
My Hammock camping adventures, and more can be seen here:
***WARNING! Many of my videos contain language some may find inappropriate!***
http://www.youtube.com/FAQUAD2010
Thanks for all your help, advice and more!
When Timberrr and I go out just the two of us we don't have a fire. Our site is small and we are content to lie in our hammocks and read or talk back and forthWhen we take Soggy with us or go with other friends we do.
A fire makes a nice gathering point and campers behave rather like moths, drawn to the comfort and warmth of the flame.
I like small campfires, not the towering infernos. and small ones to cook on.
I also use wood to heat my home, so get to start a fire almost everyday, satisfies my pyro tendencies.
Wow this thread is still going! I might as well give my two cents. When car camping i bring fire wood and have a freaking bon fire.
Backpacking is a different story. I dislike seeing random scorch marks where nothing will grow, half filled with melted bits of plastic, melted aluminum foil, and rusted tin cans, in an otherwise pristine area. As for fire keeping critters at bay...NOT! Critters are attracted to cooking odors, as campfire rings tend to turn into an all purpose garbage disposal, bits of unused food often go in....and unburned.. an all purpose critter buffet.
Generally after a 15 or 20 mile day in say the North Cascades, hunting around for dry wood is not on the top of the to do list. A quick meal and relaxing is.
That said i do occasionally have a camp fire, after getting soaking wet. Although i always have a back up, huddling over the camps stove with a space blanket is shockingly quick and effective to dry out.
Agreed, when I camp with nonhammockers I use a floorless tent tarp thing and after two seconds of turning the whitegas stove on inside the whole tent is heated up like an inferno.Originally Posted by Hulk
Do people really do this? I understand spilling food in the fire but I cant imagine throwing trash in the fire?Backpacking is a different story. I dislike seeing random scorch marks where nothing will grow, half filled with melted bits of plastic, melted aluminum foil, and rusted tin cans, in an otherwise pristine area. As for fire keeping critters at bay...
IF you know which trash will burn in a fire, you won't see any unburned trash after the fire. You mean to tell me that you've never seen anyone throw a paper towel, Hershey's foil or Ramen wrapper in a fire? I'd prefer to see it consumed there than spend a couple of decades in a land fill.Do people really do this? I understand spilling food in the fire but I cant imagine throwing trash in the fire?
As to food. I often clean my ti pot by putting it in the fire to burn off any residue. Suffice it to say that there isn't any food left where the fire was when I'm done.
I find that a fire created by a person lacks the worth of nature and man. I can appreicate the skills a person who builds and maintains a fire because they have have moral value oR inherent worth. This worth makes them worthy to move beyond simple utility.
Same with nature. Nature (trees, animals, streams, desserts, nursing logs, ect) to has inherent worth and there for are worthy of moving beyond utility. Being surrounded by all of creation creates a bond between man (we are creatures too) and the environment that brings people back to the core of existence- we are created to be in communion with all of nature. This bond doesn't mean the stark realities of nature is forgotten but rather this helps us to better see the interdependence of all life. I would have more to say but I would be heading down a path of a specific religous view and that is something left to PMs if anyone is interested.
A campfire is a utility used by man for the purpose of heat, cooking and protection. A campfire lacks inherent worth because it is a product of man. I don't see the reason to transfer that worth into a utility based thing. All the things about coming together around the fire are unique to the men and women who use it and not the fire itself. I think that we would do this regardless of a campfire. The campfire for many is a common and accepted form of a visual representation of our deepest nesecities and the above listed reasons.
I no longer use a campfire for those reasons and would rather connect with nature directly or around other forms of comming together. I like playing games and drinking PBR or some great micro brews, singing, talking, or sitting quitely with each other.
Last edited by Paprika bohlmann; 01-03-2012 at 16:33.
Seeing nature as having inherent worth should cause each of us to be better stewards of the biomas we burn. To burn a bonfire just to have a awesome raging fire seems to go against seeing the worth it has. Everything in nature has a purpose and a use for those who live in that area. Use what is nessecary, be good stewards and try not to abuse the goodness we have been given.
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