As millennials, Tyler and I never really appreciated the skill of making fire without fire. I remember not too long ago we were in the middle of a state park, lighter fluid, dry wood, and a lighter. Struggling to get the fire started, for over an hour. Not understanding basic skills that even cavemen were able to conjure up. Flash forward to now we rarely use a lighter and hardly ever struggle to get a fire going. We've mastered the skill and are efficient at it. We've gained the knowledge on how to make our own fire-making aids such as punk wood or char cloth. I prefer punk wood. It's easy to make and use and is something I can find easily in the woods. I will go into detail on how to make your own punk wood and char cloth at a later date.
It is funny when you bring up a conversation, about starting a fire with your hands, no one is ever really impressed. Probably because they have never had to do it. Until then it will be underappreciated. Now we are working with our girls to help them gain this important knowledge, all while teaching them about the responsibility of maintaining a fire and safety hazards. We witnessed grown adults ( from Oklahoma none the less) stack up twigs and limbs 5 feet high, set fire to it, and had zero control. Infuriating stupidity. 20 ft away from my trailer and family, they decided to burn a fire that reached over 6ft high.
After being in Colorado for several months, on August 1st we were finally able to have our first fire. That part of the country is so dry even during the rainy season. Chomping at the bit to have our first fire we sent the girls searching for kindling. Tyler and I took the truck and robbed vacant fire pits of their leftover wood from the previous season. I believe we had every dinner on the fire until we left the high country. One night we got the girls in bed early and had ourselves a tin foil grilled dinner by the fire as we sipped on locally brewed craft beer. Enjoying the cool night air beside the fire. Now we are melting away in the swamp, dodging deadly hurricanes. I miss the dry crisp air. I miss my mornings drinking coffee by the river, watching fawns and their mothers graze on the dewy grass. Soon we will be back.
Watching the girls making fires was very rewarding. Raelynn gathered her own material to create a birds nest. She breathed it to life rather quickly and soon we were cooking dinner on it. Marlei had a rhythm going, she would rock back and forth while striking onto the charcloth. She threw a good spark and it landed perfectly and caught fire to the nest. When she went to blow on it she accidently inhaled the smoked which discouraged her to try any more. With dads help they finally got it started and the fire lasted all night until bedtime.