Learning how to build and tend a fire is a very old skill. It is seemingly simple, yet it can be exceedingly difficult to learn. Where we live and explore in the Puget Sound Lowlands means we often have challenging conditions for fire making. Our forests are damp from September to June, and it is often raining, making the task fire lighting very difficult.
With rain and wind in the forecast for the day, the Alevin met mentors Greg and Matt in the busy parking area of South Lake Padden. While the parking at this spot is difficult, the forest in the south end of the park is a perfect place to learn fire making. Once all the explorers had arrived, we began our opening meeting. We welcomed a returning explorer, Henry, back to the Alevin, and also Liam from the Red Tailed Eyas group. After a round names, and the distribution of jobs, we headed down the trail to a promising spot for deepening our skill with fire.
After a round of HIDE!, the boys discovered a branch with a fascinating mystery. Matt led the boys through many questions and helped them look deeply at the marks on the branch to figure out who had made them. So again who made them? Can you remember what fascinating purpose they serve, which of course is much more interesting than the name of the creature who made the holes in the first place? Challenge your family to open a field guide and find the answer!
With the excitement of the mystery solved, we left the muddy trail and followed a faint deer trail deeper into the woods. The forest floor was mossy and damp, and a light rain was falling. Perfect conditions to learn about fire! Greg held a brief circle and asked boys to give a rating from 1-10 on their fingers about their confidence for fire making. He asked questions that range from “Can you make a fire in a woodstove with dry split wood, kindling, and newspaper?” to “With no tools other than a sharp rock can you collect materials to make a bow drill and start a fire in these conditions?” The Alevin lack no confidence! Most answers were in the 7-10 range, but a few boys were less confident in the 3-5 range. With that, it was time to jump into fire making.
The Explorers first task was to divide into groups of three. The groups would have 10 minutes to gather materials and prepare a fire with matches Greg and Matt provided. In an effort to create a little urgency and focus, Greg told the Boys “OK, let's pretend that Matt has just fallen in the creek and is a bit hypothermic. We need to get a fire started. GO!” The boys raced into action gathering all kinds of interesting material they thought might aid them in starting a fire. After ten minutes had passed one group had managed to get a fire to briefly light before it went out. With the full appreciation of the challenge of fire making in our perpetually damp forest they boys circled up to learn a few tricks.
The art of fire requires some basic tree identification in our forest. The Western hemlocks often go unnoticed in our forest, but they are a fantastic tree to know for fire making. The lower branches of these trees are a key fire-starting tool. Most hemlocks will have many lower branches that are dead and free of needles, but still attached to the tree. Since they are not on the ground they are usually reasonably dry enough to make the perfect fine kindling to get a fire going. The wood is also resinous, which further helps it to combust. The mentors and boys gathered a large armful of hemlock (a hugs worth) and created an initial bunch to light. With the aid of a couple shavings of fatwood gathered from a nearby stump, we lit the bundle and then started a small fire with very little fuss in the drizzle.
The boys were eager to use the remaining time to try again on their fires and they set out to gather materials. After getting enough hemlock to get a fire started they circled up for the lighting of their fire. Cole provided a small box of matches and we all quickly discovered that the gentle breeze made the simple task of lighting matches very difficult for the boys. Greg gave a quick lesson on lighting matches so as to guard them from wind, but even with that knowledge the explorers struggled to get the fire from the match to the bundle.
Before the fire could be lit, it was time to have our closing meeting. We gathered and shared something we learned and a gratitude for the day. A special treat was a pot of Douglas fir tip tea that had been simmering on the small fire that Greg built. Cups were emptied and tea was poured. Explorers shared they were thankful for the forest, for learning about fire, for hemlock trees and for finding lost knives. The boys shared that they learned that there are many small, but important, steps in getting a fire to light on a typical day in our wet forests. With that in our hearts we walked back to the parking lot filled with parents eagerly awaiting stories.
A big thank you explorers for stretching your edges and sticking with fire making for so long. Your energy and desire to learn this skill will lead to your success. Another thank you to the parents and family members of these boys. We couldn’t do this work without you. It is a gift to have the opportunity to share the knowledge of fire making with your boys!
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