Ever since I was a wee child, I've been fascinated by campfires. Building them, watching them, fiddling with them, stoking them—it is strangely relaxing and satisfying for me.

A few weekends ago, I was fortunate to be invited to a cottage on a lake. They had a firepit and firewood... so I got to work!

Stage 1: A sound structure

Campfire success relies heavily on a strong start. You can't just chuck wood together and throw in a match! You want strong, even heat. And you want to build up gradually from firestarting material to bigger pieces.

This construction isn't just to look pretty. Symmetry is important! The square stacking of kindling (dry, thin wood) supports a triangular bunch of dead/dry forest branches. Stuffed in the centre and in a slight pit in the middle is a bunch of birchbark and paper products.

I want a nice, concentrated heat upon which to put slightly larger pieces. Also, I want to start developing a collection of hot coals in the centre.

Two matches around the edges, and we have ignition!

Stage 2: The young fire

I think this is where it's most easy to lose your fire. You need to add fuel in stages, and it helps to have it stacked up nearby. The small, dry stuff burns bright but also very fast. You can leave for a minute and come back to find it smoldering, and most of the heat gone.

Here you can see some chunkier pieces added—the original structure makes stacking them on nice and simple.

Stage 3: The mature fire

Once you get a larger piece burning (and not just smoking), then things start to get easier. The fire can hold its own and doesn't need as much babysitting. Coals have started to develop, giving you a bank of intense heat from which you can easily restart a stubborn fire.

In this picture, there are a few nice logs going now. These ones were pretty waterlogged when I first put them on, and spent a long time venting steam before they caught.

With the fire sustaining itself, the evening relaxation can begin in earnest. For me that often involved poking the fire. A lot.

Some of the poking is strategic:

repositioning wood so unburned parts are closer to the middle
attempting to restructure things for better airflow
breaking up spent wood into coals

Most of the poking is for fun though 😜

Phase 4: The old fire

Eventually, folks want to go to bed instead of staying up until sunrise with the fire. Weaklings!

A decision is made to not add any more fuel. Slowly, flames are replaced with coals. This is prime roasting time, if you're so inclined. As it turns out, modern smartphones are really good at capturing nighttime fire pictures... so here are some beauties of our dying blaze.

Phase 5: Dousing

With no more flames and only the glow from the coals, it's time to say goodnight. But not before dumping a lot of water on it all. Usually more water than you think you need. It's not enough to kill the light of the coals: you want to feel a significant drop in temperature too.

Failing to properly douse a bed of coals can be a deadly mistake. This firepit was located pretty close to the forest too, so we made sure to really soak it down before we turned in.

And that was that! Clothes smelled delightfully of smoke, many beers were sipped, and the weekend was that much better for it.

Cheers!

Thank you for reading. All images in this post were taken by me.

The joy of creating a campfire 🔥

Stage 1: A sound structure

Stage 2: The young fire

Stage 3: The mature fire

Phase 4: The old fire

Phase 5: Dousing