COOKING

HOW TO BUILD A CAMPFIRE

Make a safe Fire Site
A safe fire site is one of which nothing will burn except the fuel you feed the flames. It's a spot from which fire cannot spread. Many camping areas have metal fire rings, grills, or stone fireplaces. Use those existing fire sites whenever you can.
Otherwise, select a spot on gravel, sand, or bare earth well away from trees, brush, and dry grasses. Look overhead for branches that sparks could ignite. Stay clear of boulders that could be blackened by smoke, or large tree roots that could be harmed by to much heat.
Rake away pine needles, leaves, twigs, and anything else that might burn. Save the ground cover so you can put it back when you are done with your fire. Keep a pot of water close to douse the flames should they begin to spread.

Bare-Ground Fire Site
When the ground is bare, haul enough mineral soil to the center of the cleared circle to make an earthen pad about two feet square and three inches thick. Kindle the fire on top of the pad, and the mineral soil will protect the ground from the heat. After you have properly extinguished the blaze and disposed of any unburned wood, crush the remaining ashes, mix them with the mineral soil, and return it to the sites from which you borrowed it.

Gather Tinder, Kindling, and Fuel wood
Patience is the key ingredient for successfully building a fire. You will also need tinder, kindling and fuel wood.

Tinder
Tinder catches fire easily and burns fast. Dry pine needles grasses, shredded bark, and the fluff from some seed pods all make good tinder. So do wood shavings cut with a pocketknife from a dead stick. Gather enough tinder to fill your hat once.