[Philmont] Campfires

Campfires:

It depends on how much moisture is there. As an example, with the several
years of droughts that started in 1996, Rangers stopped doing the dutch oven
cobblers. I don't know what the rain has been like in NM, but I know here in
Denver, its the greenest its been in a while.

Even if Philmont says its OK to have fires and the state has lifted fire
bans, the camp director at the camp you are at can still impose his/her own
fire ban if he/she thinks the area around that camp is still too dry.

If you do make a fire, be sure to do it correctly. I know that with all the
years of fire bans, there was a number of Rangers that never taught or built
fires at Philmont.

The book Soft Paths<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811730921/aphilmorangersgu>talks
about it pretty well.

Make sure you only build it in the fire pit that is in the campsite. Don't
burn anything bigger than what you can break with your hands. Don't burn any
trash unless it is paper or cardboard. Plastics, foils, metals, etc don't
burn well. The plastics melt and leave behind residue. Watch for over hangs
when building your fire. Make sure you don't leave the fire unattended. At
night, pile all the coals into a pile in the center of the fire pit. make
sure there are still no flames or large pieces of fuel left. If the embers
are still glowing red, that is OK. If it is windy, then its not OK. All the
embers will burn down to ash overnight.

Before leaving camp, make sure the fire is cold out. Take a trash bag and
put all of your ashes in it. Using your hands to do this will ensure that
the fire is cold out. If you find any chunks in the ashes, break them up
with your hands before putting them in the bag. Once the pit has been
cleaned out, find a small stick and stick it in the ground in the center of
the fire pit. This is done for investigative purposes. If a forest fire
breaks out later in the area, they will go to the fire pits. If a piece of
unburned stick is found in the middle of the firepit under the dirt, then
its a good chance that your fire pit isn't what caused the fire. (I don't
know how true it is, but that was how I was taught) Take your bag of ash
with you on the hike to the next camp. At some point along the way have the
crew walk off the trail a little ways and scatter the ashes. Each crew
member takes hand fulls and walks in different directions throwing and
scattering the ashes. This is done so that there isn't a buildup of ashes
around any of the campsites.

Back before the fun police got their hands involved with it, there used to
be 3 things each crew member did to prove they were a man. One was to eat a
piece of the charcoal from the fire pit, two was to use the residue from the
ashes to paint your face, and three was to drink your dish water. But that
is a discussion for another day.

-- 
Jason Cotting
Retired Ranger
Lakewood, CO
><>
My Philmont gear advice:
http://anvilgear.com/jason/backpacking
Philring
http://philring.anvilheadproductions.com
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