Cooking a meal

I always loved the outdoors especially a camp with friends around who all muck to make things happen.

Having got our fire lit, we are entrusted to keep it going while we are cooking our meal which I suspect will be a stew of some kind or other in the pot.

Fires bring out primeval elements  and teaching a boy how to prepare and light it is a sensible  move in teaching him independence and maturity having to be responsible for something others depend on.

How to light a fire in the rain

Many challenges faces the would-be camper and scout such as how to light a fire in the rain when you need the warmth and the means of cooking a hot meal but it seems impossible.

In this extract from  the 1954 Sports Afield Camping Annual, Ed Dodd shows just how you can and what safety measures you need to consider  in a simple comic strip style.

The Gathering

The call of the roaring fire summons the Scouts together in an act of unity.

Never underestimate the value of symbols in our lives, speaking to us in a language we may not get at the intellectual level but are most proficient in emotionally and spiritually.

Of fires and digital awards

This group of scouts have got themselves a roaring fire going by putting some kindling down and then building a den type structure over it to help fan the flames as they sit around it having a warm during the evening.

I just live a warm outdoor fire.

A newer Award is the Staged Digital Citizen (IT) Badge available in different levels which of course was not something had I been enrolled at the time I would of had the opportunity to have been awarded however having looked at the checklist for suggested topics to show proficiency in I feel I'd certainly qualify for a Level 2, not least in having set up new computer, keeping myself and computer safe and connectivity never mind make myself a blog!

Starting a fire

Almost certainly at the same camp as the last entry, here the boys are having got some kindling together as they attempt to build and then start their very own fire which I'm sure will be a big achievement for them.

They are carefully cutting and the material using a sharp knife safely which is essential.

Log making

Gathering material while camping is more a preoccupation for those who are Scouts or above because it used to meet some of your needs such as finding material for tindering or putting on the open fire.

It's not always enough to just find and drag it back to camp though because it may need to be cut or have any bark removed.

Here the Scouts are using a simple cross-cut  hand saw to remove the bark to making cutiing this branch into logs much easier.

Gathering in the wood

Here we have a boy on wood fetching duty which no doubt was cut into chunks using the axe before and a small fire started which naturally enough everyone has gathered around for a warm although I think the appeal of a fire goes beyond that most useful property somehow.