Shelter & Fire Building
AdventureBlog March 14, 2021
Shelter. Fire. Food. Found!
by Kate Burnham
A fire can keep you warm, ward off predators, and provide heat for cooking. It sounds simple right? Well, today we learned that building a fire can be harder than it looks, especially if the weather is damp, cold or overcast. We learned several innovative ways to start a fire and got a chance to try our hand at using several different fire starting tools – all require practice and patience.
We also put our childhood fort building skills to the test and practiced constructing a makeshift shelter. We learned how to select the best location and terrain, the basics of a tarp-tent shelter and the best way to keep warm and keep out the elements. Several of us agreed that spending some time with a little rope and learning some basic knot-tying will help our chances at survival in the outdoors. I’m adding this to my list of “things to learn” this summer.
We wrapped up the day with some time around the campfire, roasting hotdogs (and venison) and hearing from each of the guides about what their outdoor survival essentials are and why. I think one of our members summed up our day perfectly, “I was amazed to be surrounded by veterans, Maine Guides, Eagle Scouts – that was really a wealth of knowledge and beyond what I had even hoped for.”
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