[at-l] Fw: Thru hiker Survivor Fire

[chaynes@megalink.net (Clifford R. Haynes)]

A few years back I worked for the summer in a scout camp, as Scout Craft
Area director. Every Friday we had a camp wide competition, between 400 and
500 boys and leaders competing for points and an award. Each area had to
come up with a contest for each skill covered by there area. Since we were a
bit under staffed I decided to wimp out and combine Survival and Cooking
into one easy contest. We divided each group into pairs ( 2 person teams)
each team received; one strike anywhere kitchen match, a raw egg in the
shell, paper cup, a napkin, and a plastic spoon, and there was a source of
drinking water. On go the teams were all timed the first to build a fire
cook the egg and eat the fully cooked egg won (had to stipulate building
fire and cooking egg because one little wise guy in the first group on go
cracked the egg tipped his head back and swallowed the raw egg). In 9 weeks
and about 4000 people "about: 80% burned the napkin, 50% burned the napkin
and cup, 30% burned the napkin, cup and tried to burn the spoon. During dry
weather only about 10% were able to start a fire with one match, in wet
weather only about 2% were successful. Every group complained that they
weren't give matches and paper enough. I suppose I should add that the area
is a large stand of white pine with tons of dead limbs close by, and the
area was carpeted (except around fire pits) with a couple of hundred yards
(as in cubic yards) of chips from chipped blowdowns from the ice storm the
winter before.
Course there was no right way to do it, the object was to just get it done,
but when asked why I provided what I did, my answer was; the match was to
light a fire, the napkin was to put the egg on while you eat it with the
spoon ( we were a genteel bunch), and the cup was for fetching a cup of
water to wash the egg down with.

As far as needing to know how to build a fire on the AT is concerned, I have
had occasion to need fire to help hikers in trouble from hypothermia some in
serious trouble. Yes some thru hikers. The last one was an ultra light thru
hiker, he thanked me by walking out to the fire in my old down sleeping bag
and ripping it on a snag. Don't know if he made it or not, my son and I got
them warmed up and dried out, suggested they should get checked out and get
the gear they needed for this part of the country. Course like the average
ultralighter, they informed me that they had the knowledge and comfort level
to continue on with what they had, and informed me that only the
inexperienced hiker would hike with gear like mine.

Now of course this last episode made me kinda ugly, well um always ugly so I
guess it made me kinda mad. I swore I'd never help another unprepared hiker.
Suppose if it happens again I'll probably change my mind, but yah never
know. Sure on the AT you can take the minimalist approach, and assume if the
weather turns bad you will just depend on keeping moving to stay warm till
you get to town.  Sure most folks are getting by just fine that way, but
most folks that drink and drive get by drinking and driving too. Doesn't
mean either is a really good idea.
Rocky