Page 20 - Verge eMag April 2018

Wet fire III

Barnabas

Making fire when everything is dry is easy…
well, mostly easy. There is a direct
correlation between how hard it can be to
find dry tinder, kindling, and fuel; compared
to how cold and wet your feet get in the
woods. Here is a little trick that takes no
more than a good knife, something heavy to
hammer with, an ignition mechanism, and
the patience of Job.

Unless Noah is floating by, and you’re are a
month into the monsoon season, then most branches will not be soaked all the way
through to the center. Typically, not much than an inch or so from the bark. All you
need to do is get to the inside of the wood to find the dry stuff.

Here is where the patience comes in… split the wood in two lengthwise. Then split one
half into quarters lengthwise. There should be a couple pieces that resemble triangles.
The inner point of the triangle is where the driest of the wood will be found. If you are
lucky and got a piece of pine or other resin-heavy wood, then it will be more
combustible resin-heavy wood, then it will be more combustible.

Take your knife and cut the wood to separate about an inch of the inner triangle from
the rest of the piece of wood. Now, shave each corner of the triangle into long slivers.
If you are awesome, then you can stop just short of the end of the wood and keep the
shavings secured to the bottom of the piece of wood. If some of the shavings come off,
it’s ok, just pile them together and save for more kindling. Your goals are to make a
couple sticks that have several shavings attached at one end that looks like feathers
from some weird prehistoric bird.

Lay the sticks on top of one another without smashing them together. Put the loose
shavings on top of the sticks to add to the size of the bundle. Keep the bigger dry
pieces (about pencil size off to the side to be ready to be fed into the early stages of the
fire). Fire likes oxygen, and it also likes surface area of its fuel. More oxygen that can
get to more surface area, the faster it will burn. It is imperative that you do not rush this,
as you may find yourself starting all over again. Measure twice, and light once… or
something like that.