Good thoughts, kypaddler. Thanks for sharing them.

Tim

Indeed, life is grand.

Tim

Just for the sake of argument discussion:
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) to me. It's not my sort of fire but it seems to work better than I'd have imagined even in the best of conditions.

I wouldn't mess with this one too much beyond a stone or two placed inside for a pot or the grate. The way I look at it, I'd rather remove/move two rocks than two charred logs and I have become a big fan of charcoal over ash (hold the foil) the last few years.

I have been reading all the ( as db puts it discussion) and just keeping my mouth shut.  Well I may be guilty of some of what many of you see as sins. I generally don't build a fire to keep warm or to set by and watch although they do look pretty especially in the pictures.
If I am cold I may pick up some 3 to 4 footers on my way to camp and burn them into in the middle then through them in to finish burning.  If it gets late I have thrown water on them and leave half burned logs by the fire pit for the next person who is cold and I appreciate it if others leave me the same.

I do some times cook on the fire and for that I like small pieces usually less than ¾ inch diameter. I use a lot of camp trash (pine  cones and small sticks) for cooking.  I cook on fire not coals. My fire grate will not straddle most Quetico fire pits so I move some rocks around.

The third and most frequent fire I build is to chase the skeeters out of camp.  For this I like half rotten birch.  If you look under low hanging trees around camp you will find where some one has found half burned birch in the fire pit and carried it away and hid it so no one will burn it.  I drag a few pieces of this back and get it burning and it will smolder for several hours.

Sense this thread carries a hint of the, “what others do that I do not like” character I will add my gripes also.  There isn't a stick left in camp to prop up the side of the tarp or reach that rope that you almost got over that limb and back to the ground. I like a 3-4 inch diameter  6 ft long pole when I go to the john.  Just put one end on a log or rock and you got a one cheek seat. When I first started going to Quetico there were poles standing on end leaning against a tree some where around camp. Today the uneducated burn all the one cheek seats.  They probably cut them up and cook over them. Oh now I feel better

So if you don't like the wood I leave behind just move it out of your way and enjoy your self.

Db
I get the same message as solotripper.
Magicpaddler

MP, I'll leave a tarp pole for you. Always leaning up somewhere nearby so it doesn't rot on the ground. They may be a bit thin for your other use though. I've often thought of carving on the side "for tarp, not fire". But who am I to say, it was free to me.

I'll have to pay close attention next time a grab a 6' / 3-4" pole in the future. Thanks for the warning.