Nearly Burned My Beard Off ...

[Grizzly Adam]

... nearly ... but thankfully, not quite.

It was close, though!

I was out for a walk here on the farm and thought to myself, "Self, wouldn't it be nice to start a quick fire and brew a cup?"

I answered in the affirmative, and quickly combed a handful of primary tinder out of a nearby clump of dead weeds, peeled a bit of cedar bark for secondary and broke out a pile of dead twigs and a few sticks ... just the thing ... didn't take two minutes.

Having readied my materials, I placed a cotton-ball sized wad of 0000 steel wool in the center of my tinder bundle, and proceeded to strike a spark in it with flint and steel. It caught beautifully. As I have done so many times before, I gently wrapped my baby spark in it's blanket of wool and covered it up with tinder ... and raised it to the sky to blow it to life ... when it happened:

A chance gust of wind from nowhere ripped vigorously into my bundle and instantly turned my glowing spark into a explosive raging inferno ... only inches from my face!

Fortunately, even as the weird wind caressed my ears I immediately realized what was happening and was able to fling the fireball away from my head before it was able to do more than merely kiss my mustache ... and to stomp it out without setting my woods on fire!

Just goes to show ... doesn't matter how long you've been at it ... we can all get a surprise now and then!

Makes me glad I wear my hair and whiskers short ... because if they'd been long, there would have been a considerably bigger fire today!

While pondering this on the way home, I cut a length of river cane with which to fashion an impromptu blow-tube for my next time out.

There's more than one way to skin a cat!

[Pydpiper]

So you go in to the woods with flint, steel, water, some steel wool, coffee, and a cup, but yet you wern't prepared for wind? Jeeze, with all that stuff in one pocket you should have just brought a thermos, or at least a lighter..
Glad you survived thought, a hair fire on you wouldn't be pretty Adam.

[Grizzly Adam]

So you go in to the woods with flint, steel, water, some steel wool, coffee, and a cup, but yet you wern't prepared for wind? Jeeze, with all that stuff in one pocket you should have just brought a thermos, or at least a lighter..
Glad you survived thought, a hair fire on you wouldn't be pretty Adam.

That's just it ... I was in a sheltered location ... or so I thought!

I was in the lee of a cedar tree, in some pretty thick brush ... quite secure from any normal breeze ... but this wasn't normal. It was a sudden forceful gust of surprising strength. Just goes to show that nature can always throw you a curve.

I've got a really nice thermos, and every sort of lighter ... but it just ain't the same, Pyd.

I rather prefer to go the low-tech way! I commonly carry a pouch with the makin's in it, and I love to stop a while and make a brew, or roast something, or make some trail bread ... or all three.

That's just me!

[Grizzly Adam]

The good Lord has a great sense of humor and was having some fun messing with the Grizz is all.

Isaiah 30:33: " ... he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it."

Pyd might be right after all. Maybe I'll just take my Thermos next time.

[R.J.]

too funny ! ... Perfect description as well !

[Pink Panther]

with posts this great on crossbow hunting , who needs other topics

[wabi]

I gave up the flint & steel in favor of modern technology - the Spark-Lite fire starter.
The tinder can be home-made easily, cotton balls with petroleum jelly rubbed in.

One flick of the spark wheel usually gets the tinder blazing, and it's well away from the face!

[Doe Master]

A hair/fur fire would make Grizz look like a freshly shaved sheep .
NOT A PRETTY THOUGHT !!!!

[Grizzly Adam]

I gave up the flint & steel in favor of modern technology - the Spark-Lite fire starter.
The tinder can be home-made easily, cotton balls with petroleum jelly rubbed in. One flick of the spark wheel usually gets the tinder blazing, and it's well away from the face!

Yep ... I make fire-wicks out of 1/4" sisal cord soaked in paraffin. They don't have a thing on finely-split fatwood, though. Lots of loblolly pine stumps 'round here!

I have a version of a spark-lighter, too, and you're right ... they are more efficient and safer than striking a spark and nursing it to life.

Of course, that's hardly the point! I kind of like blowing a spark into flame, however I get it. I especially enjoy bow-drill fires.

I think 'Ol Bob has the right idea about the whole affair.

My location was wind-safe. No zephyr disturbed the tranquility; no freshet stirred the air.

As soon as my steel wool was glowing and I'd wrapped it in the tinder, a blast as if from a hair-dryer blew through ... and that was that: POOF!

[Grizzly Adam]

A hair/fur fire would make Grizz look like a freshly shaved sheep .
NOT A PRETTY THOUGHT !!!!

Too funny! Sorry, Grizz!

No need to be sorry, bud ... if I hadn't wanted the world to laugh with me, I'd never have posted the account!

[vixenmaster]

Maybe you peed off a wood sprite ? Best watch yerself in them there woods Grizzly Adam!

[longwinters]

Yep, the wind can be a tricky thing. I worked with a man for years that just hated the thought of spending money and as a result hated his mother in law because she had little and cost him, on occaision, some of his hard saved cash (I imagine there could have been other reasons also).

Anyway, the old lady finally died and there was no insurance or anything so he had to pay for the funeral. He was bound and determine to make it as cheap as possible so he had her creamated so as to save on the casket etc... but to make some amends with his wife he took the ashes up to a beautiful area of woods with a pristine stream to scatter the ashes...after all they were moving to the other side of the country and he would never come all that ways back to take care of a cemetary plot etc...so why not let her lay in peace amongst the natural beauty of the north.

As he related the story to me a week or so later, he opened the box of ashes and before spreading them throughout the ferns he decided to give the mother in law a final piece of his mind...something he had been careful not to do when she was alive if he wanted to remain on good terms with his wife. So he called her every name in the book and told her just what he had thought of her all those years.

With a final tirade of critical words he threw her ashes as hard as he could. Just as his arm was going full tilt forward..............yep, the wind switched direction and blew those ashes right into his face. He said he took em in his face, up his nose and into his mouth. I can just see him coughing and sputtering, swearing and cursing.

Guess the mother in law got the last word

Long

[Grizzly Adam]

Guess the mother in law got the last word

Just like 'em.

Oops ... gotta go ... here comes my wife!

[awshucks]

Hmmmm, thought everybody had a flint and steel. Here's mine, but I haven't paused along the path to brew tea and crumpets for a few years now, lol. That black squarish patch is called char cloth or char something, I made it 20 yrs ago out of an old under shirt and a can w/ a tiny hole in the lid.

[wabi]

I'll have to get a pic of mine (but I'm not going out to the shop in the snow tonight to get it ).
I have a brass "tinder box" that also has a magnifying glass built into the lid. If the sun's bright it's a lot faster than char cloth & a spark from the steel.

I also bought a "Kelly Kettle" a couple years ago for brewing up on my fishing trips or at camp. It's a bit too big & bulky to carry on hunting & scouting trips, but it works better than anything else I've tried at boiling water quickly. I can carry my fire starting kit + a couple cups + tea/coffee/hot chocolate mix inside the kettle for transport.
The small one might be easier to carry, but I got the medium (1.75 pt) size.
link to kelly kettles