David, you still sound cold and miserable <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Your leader wouldn't put gasoline contaminated with water in his gastank would he? I don't know what your woodsource was, but was he trying to teach some character building life lesson or perhaps doesn't know any better? There is always dry wood available, even in a Cajun swamp with fireflies mimicking Jaque LaFitte's ghost. I bet old Jaque would have handed you a boarding cutless to split and trim the wood down to the inner dry portions. I also bet that old pirate would have kept a weather eye on the horizon and maybe bring in or protect the firewood at least for the first night, and build a seperate fire downwind specifically to dry out additional billets. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />