According to outdoorlife.com, “tinder is the dry, dead, fluffy plant stuff that lights on fire easily”. You may have heard the term “tinder dry” meaning dry enough to start a fire. On a very damp, drizzly day like our Art of Fire outing on the 23rd, keeping your tinder dry is a challenge. But more on that later. First, we needed to come to grips with “the three Q’s”.
A few of our registrants were unable to join us as planned, so we met with a robust band of 9 explorers, 3 of whom were named Quinn or Quin. Luckily, as we learned when we played a name game to start our outing, they each have a different last initial. So, introductions completed, Quinn H, Quin M, Quinn T and the Non-Q’s headed off from the dog park area in search of a remote location to learn about making and tending a fire….in the rain.
If you hike into the off-leash area of Lake Padden park, you soon intersect a power line running East/West through the park. If you can overlook the soggy, muddy swale you need to negotiate on your way, this off-trail trail provides easy access to a less used area of the park, suitable for practicing the art of fire, so squish through the swale we did.
Our Explorers Club (EC) boys often clamor to try fire by friction, a sophisticated skill involving starting a fire without the benefit of a match or flint. And our older explorers get to try their hand at fire by friction. However, understanding the process of fire starting and managing is a more appropriate skill for boys this age and provide a basis of knowledge and respect for this essential natural process. That was our focus on this outing.
Three things are needed for fire - fuel, oxygen and heat. In order to gather fuel for their fires, the boys would first need to gather and cut wood, so mentor Brian began with a review of knife safety followed by mentor Tim’s demonstration of batoning (using a knife to split wood) and carving to fashion the materials needed for each step of fire building.
As Tim proceeded through his demonstration, he was careful to stow his tinder and kindling (larger sticks to grow the fire) in the many pockets of his camouflage jacket. When he had sufficient material (more is needed than you would think), he attempted a fire. Not surprisingly, his first effort fizzled in the steady drizzle. Fortunately, he had prepared enough tinder and kindling to give it a second try; this time he was successful.
Sufficiently schooled, it was time for the explorers to try their hand at starting a fire. The mentors, anticipating the challenge presented by the rain, encouraged the boys to team up and most did. The next half hour/45 minutes was spent sourcing and cutting materials as he rain continued, light but persistent.
Ah, the first pair was ready for the matches. With Tim overseeing, they struck the match and put it to the tinder, which resisted igniting. Another try with no more luck. This process was repeated multiple times across the group with but one small fire that quickly burned down. The materials weren’t dry enough. It is a daunting challenge to start a fire when everything is so saturated.
Discouragement follows hard on the heals of repeated failure on a cold, wet Northwest afternoon. Time for a change of focus. So, while Tim set about preparing a fire for our closing meeting, Brian and volunteer Dan called for suggestions for a game to be played. The clear choice was Where’s My Egg?, which begins like Red Light, Green Light but soon morphs into a game of pilfering the “egg” (in this case, a bandana) and attempting to return it to the start line without being called out. Many contestants spend much of the time on the ground (the wet, sloppy ground in this case) concealing, or pretending to conceal the egg. Great fun, even in poor conditions such as we had this day.
Spirits revived, we returned to the industrious Tim who had once again succeeded in starting a fire around which we sat to give thanks, something we do at the end of every Explorers Club outing. Finally, we hiked back through the swampy swale, with mud deep enough to overtop an explorer’s boot, and to the trailhead to meet our rides.
It was a tough day to learn how to start a fire. Your boys gave it their all and managed to keep a positive disposition despite the challenges presented by the very wet conditions. They’re to be congratulated on a strong effort. Click here for more pictures from our day.
p.s. Check this video for insight into why the explorers failed to keep their tinder dry despite Tim’s excellent presentation.
We were focused more on the techniques Tim was demonstrating than on where he was storing the wood. It's all about selective attention!
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