by Bryan Poole

Created on: March 01, 2010

Whether you are out in the woods with friends and family or in a life or death situation, a fire is always the number one priority. Fires provide warmth at night, am easy way to cook food, and even just a way to bond and tell ghost stories. There are several different ways of making fires, but the main item that you need to get one started is timber.

Depending on where you are, the first thing you are going to want to do is set up a fire pit. State and National parks tend to have iron fire pits, but if you are out in the middle of no where, you need to dig a small hole and surround it with some rocks. This is just so you have a barrier between you and the fire. The next thing you need to do is find some timber. Be careful about the wood that you get because some of it might be wet. A good way to tell if you have dry or wet wood is to take a piece and break it in half, if it makes a snap sound then it is dry. Also, find different sizes, small twigs are an essential because this will help your fire get going.

After you have found all your wood, you are going to need to set it up. There are several different ways of setting up a fire, but the most basic is the log cabin.  Basically all you do is get some paper or something that will catch easily, then set up the sticks in a square around it, and then build it up like a log cabin. But first you will want to use the small sticks, wait for the fire to be lit and the twigs to catch, then gradually add bigger twigs and sticks until you have a big fire.

Now the last thing that we need to start a fire, is fire. As for a fire, there are also several different ways of making one. The most easiest is a lighter but you do not always have one on you. Another method is to use flint. This is when you have a flint rod or stick, and you take a knife and scrape it which will cause a spark. The last method is probably the hardest. First youd need to find a flexible stick and some string. Then you make a bow and arrow, wrap a stick around the string, but the stick on the ground and move the bow side to side creating a spinning motion on the stick. This will cause friction which in turn will cause embers.

Making fires can be easy, depending on the supplies you have and your environment. All you have to do is remember these tips and youw ill have a fire in no time.

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