Zen and the Art of the Campfire

The snap, pop and hiss of the fire. The hypnotic dance of the flames. The immediate response to the warmth of the fire. The simple concrete task of finding wood and building a fire. These things are all conducive to staying present. I use the opportunity around the campfire to practice presence. In the regular world I am often so focused on doing that I forget the being side of life. This is what I love about the campfire, an opportunity to let go of limitations and open my mind to new possibilities. Thoughts?

Although in years past, I routinely built campfires, I do so less and less because of their hazards and their environmental negatives in most of the places I frequent. When I do build them, I appreciate that they warm me up, and cook my food. Actually, a cartridge gas stove is a lot more efficient, quicker, and more clean, with less smoke.

Recently tried out a Java Log, a firelog made from compressed coffee grinds.

Pros:

Excellent survival heat source.

Burns hot for a full 2+ hours.

Quiet. No crackling.

Doesn't pop out embers like burning wood.

Very little ash.



Cons:

Expensive at $6-7 each.



I imagine you could make these yourself. The problem would be compressing the grinds enough to get keep the form and have a long burn time.

Love the snap, crackle and pop of a campfire -- especially when sitting around it with good friends on a starry, chilly night.

Great for conversation, silence and toasting marshmallows.

There is no substitute.

Campfire cooking and sitting around our campfire in the evenings are two of the finer parts of camping.

A campfire is one of my very favourite things.

The campfire is a special time and place for me. There is no better escape from everyday life then to sit beside a small fire to heat your food or water as you watch the night sky slowly darken and listen to the soothing sound of the river as it winds and flows past you. Nights like this take me back to a time when life was much simpler then now.

a camp fire of some sort is a part of every canoe trip.



sometimes,like here,it's needed after a long day in a rain suit when you feel the need to re-charge your body heat.just piling on the clothing and wrapping up in a poncho liner do not help.



a camp fire like this is a real treat,no need to do anything more than heat up some wash water and sit back and listen to what the wilderness is doing,Loons calling,breeze in the trees,water on the rocks.my thought is always,well this is whats going on and has been going on in this spot undisturbed for many-many thousands of years.when i first started canoe tripping i was working a evening shift and got off at midnight and went to bed around 2AM.i would sit around a fire like that,in this camp now that i think about it,until at least 1AM tossing sticks in to keep the fire going and just drinking in solitude.



at home i like a little something in the back yard fire pit,being careful of course that 2X4's don't burn thru and fall into the leaf piles!!--

It has always amazed me how the entire Chippewa and Superior National Forests and all of their woodland creatures seem to fit into my back yard when I have a fire in my firepit after dark.....