How Important Is It to Have a Campfire?

Things have gotten tough for campfire fans in the southwestern corner of the old U.S.A. Here in Southern California, the drought has gotten so bad it seems like years since open fires were allowed. Just recently, I tried to rally my family for a quick overnight in the local national forest, and nobody wanted to go; roasting marshmallows over a headlamp beam, they pointed out, just isn’t the same. The last time I slept in the woods, I surreptitiously lit a few matches just for nostalgia’s sake.

Our local campfire ban has reminded me just how far a well-built fire ring and nicely stoked blaze inside it go toward making camping feel like, well, camping. The smell of wood smoke, the crackle, the comfort, the DNA-deep atavistic connection to our most distant ancestors, the warmth, all of these add up to one of the most profoundly emoto-spiritual elements of time spent outside. Nothing compares to the pleasures of a campfire, even a micro-blaze contained within the confines of a twig stove. It is, to many people, as much a part of the experience as fresh air, stargazing, and whittling sticks.

So, how is it for you?

You may select more than one response.

[polldaddy poll=”8810977″]

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WIN SMITH SUNGLASSES JUST BY VOTING!

This week, one poll participant will receive Smith Optic’s Clark sunglasses. We’ll pick the winner via random number generator (and announce it here) – all you have to do to enter is vote and leave a comment so we have your email to contact you. Must have a U.S. or Canadian address. Contest ends Sunday, April 26, at midnight PST.

Congratulations to Stephen Turner, who wins the Smiths this week!

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Photo by James Wheeler