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Just wanted to share this little story with y'all...

 

Last Saturday night my 17 year old daughter hosted a party at our house for a bunch of her friends in the high school band. My two sons & I were camping with the troop, but my wife and another mom chaperoned the party.

 

We have a fire ring in our backyard with a good stack of firewood and kindling, and she was planning on having a cozy campfire with s'mores, guitar playing, etc. However, are any of you surprised that NONE of the high school kids could get a fire going? That is, EXCEPT for the ONE fellow who was a Scout? He was the only one who knew to prepare the lay first and to get the kindling and firewood assembled at the ring before lighting the match. He was the only one who knew that the match lit the tinder (not the logs!), which got the kindling going, which eventually got the firewood going!

 

When my sons and I got back home on Sunday, we chuckled at this story ...

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Yes, many, many, many years ago my wife and I went on a ski trip to New Mexico and stayed in a lodge with 6 other people. There was a large fireplace and split oak, but no newspaper or gas jet. None of the other adults could figure out how to start the fire and I disuaded one guy from trying to get gasoline from his car! With only my Swiss army knife and my Scout training, I had a roaring fire going in no time. Hold the applause, just throw money.

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yes, I can believe it!

 

it even amazes me how many BOYS can't get a fire going when they first join the troo! Even when they do learn - we found they often get rigidly set on ONE CERTAIN WAY to make a fire, without really understanding what makes a fire 'work' n certain conditions, and what doesn't.

 

However, our boys can NOW start a fire - pretty much - by rubbing two sticks together - or any other firestarting / building method. The boys really enjoy learning the 'alternatives' to matches - flint and steel, magnesium stick, magnifying glass, and yes - the old "rubbing two sticks" method. Most of our boys can now start a fire almost as fast with magnesium sticks or flint and steel, as they can with a match!

 

Nowadays, we only use matches for the lanterns!LOL!

 

laura

 

PS -

 

has anyone else noticed how it's been hard to find 'strike anywhere' matches anymore? our troop was finding that they wore out the BOX and Strikers faster than we used up the matches in our patrol boxes!

 

 

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I've heard and experienced different versions of this story time and again over the years. The closer you are to a city the more likely it is that only a scout would be able to start a fire properly. Out in the country you are more likely to find that most boys can start a fire - scout or not.

 

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So there I was. Camping on a beach in Mexico with this wonderful girl, a medical student from San Francisco. She mentioned that it would be great to have a fire on the beach, but lamented that building a fire in sand was impossible. (Strange conclusion from a highly educated, intelligent person, I thought.)

 

I asked what in the world she was talking about. She explained that she had come down to camp at this beach many times with groups of fellow college students and that no one had ever been able to get a fire started on the beach.

 

Obviously, NONE of them had been Scouts. I had a fire going in no time.

 

We've now been married for over 18 years and have a Life Scout (and a daugther who wish she could be Boy Scout). I keep encouraging people to become Scouts, but - come to think of it - I guess I'm pretty lucky that none of those college students had been a Scout.

 

- Oren

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Ahem, just to brag a bit (imagine that I am now examining my fingernails), my daughter can use a bow and drill and have actual flames from friction in about a minute. I'd put her in competition with any or all of the guys for overall survival skills. And when we take our marathon trip this summer, I have complete confidence that she could take care of us both if necessary. (It won't be necessary, I hope)

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