Unconventional Athletes Issue 11

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can find last season’s dead dry stalks
next to any new growth.
Then there are things in an urban
environment like dryer lint, toilet paper,
newspaper etc. The rule with tinder
when you gather it, is that you need
enough to fill your hat. The more you
have the better off you will be.
Next in the fire pyramid is kindling.
Kindling is generally small twigs, dry
plant stalks or split wood smaller than
a pencil. If the environment is wet you
can break dead sticks off standing trees
and split them with a knife to expose
the dry wood in the center. You are
going to want at least a bundle of them
as large as you can make your thumbs
and index fingers making a circle.
And the next step in your fire pyramid
is fuel; fuel is wood that will burn,
generally the size of your wrist or
larger. Although round wood does burn,
anything larger than your forearm
should be split allowing thinner edges
that catch fire readily and burn with
a higher British thermal unit (BTU).
Although there are multiple ways to
build a fire, one thing they all have
in common is that fire moves up. It
is always hotter above a flame than
beside it, so when you build your fire
you start with your tinder and you
place your kindling directly above it.
Generally the best methods are the tipi
fire and the log cabin fire. (See photo).
Also great tinder can be made from a
dead stick by shaving thin curls from
it, referred to as a fuzz or feather stick.
These work great for spark based or
match/ lighter ignition. It is a good
idea to practice the art of feather
sticking because in a wet environment
you can shave the wet wood off the
dead sticks and then curl the dry wood
in the center.
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They both allow the tinder to ignite
the kindling directly above the flame
and allow plenty of oxygen to feed the
flame. It is important to gather all your
tinder, kindling and fuel prior to starting
the fire so it is readily available.
There are some primitive techniques to
start a fire - bow drill, hand drill and fire
plow are just a few. These are not easy
and take practice and skill to become
confident in their use, but if you master
these techniques you will be able to
start a fire anywhere, anytime, and that
is a huge confidence builder.
Water. Remember the rule of 3’s. Water
is the second most important thing
you need to put in your body next to
oxygen. Three days – but it doesn’t
take 3 days to start to feel the effects
of dehydration and your environment
can cut that 3 days in half if the
temperature is high, wind is strong and
sun is beating down.