Article #2

How to build a fire in winter - Chantal MaCartney

Rating: *****

This article is a good read if you are looking to learn the best ways to build a fire while winter camping.

The first thing you need to do to prepare for a fire is finding a good site away from wind and things that will catch fire. Using an old pot or frying pan as a base can keep the fire from extinction from melting snow. Some good fire-starters to use during the winter are pine cones, since they are full of highly flammable pine sap or cotton balls saturated in petroleum jelly. Combining pine cones and cotton balls will start a fire very easily. To keep a fire dry, you can put a wide, flat piece of wood over the struggling fire. Fires built with softwood are hot and short lived, fires built with hardwood are slow burning and produce long lasting coals good for cooking. Safety and following the rules is important while camping so respect fire bans, make strict rules for children around the fire pit and don't cut down standing trees for your fire.

This article is rated 5 stars for a reason - because it's a great article. I found it very informative and I now feel  that I could start a fire in any reasonable conditions. There is lots of good information such as using an old pot or frying pan as a base for a fire in the winter, and putting a wide, flat piece of wood over your fire to keep it dry in case of rain or a wet, heavy snowfall. Lots of the information in this article solidified the knowledge that I have learned while going camping with outdoor ed, which shows that I've learned quite a lot if I can read an article and already know most of the information in it. One thing I was surprised about is that hardwood (anything with leaves) makes slow-burning coals that are perfect for cooking. Maybe I'll try hardwood next time I make a cooking fire.

I would recommend this article to anyone wishing to learn more about how to build a fire, during winter or any other season.

MaCartney, Chantal. "Quest for Fire - How to Build a Fire in Winter." Ottawa Outdoors Magazine Winter 05/06: 52. Print.