There’s something magical about campfires – I think everyone knows this. Conversations are different, silences are never awkward.

I try to have campfires whenever possible, but there are times when I won’t. I’ve been to campsites that have been stripped bare of any burnable wood. I’ve even seen people chop down trees, sometimes even live trees, in search of firewood. This makes the campsite much less enjoyable for the next group that comes along. Backcountry campsites either need very thoughtful use or a lot of time to recover, and often they get neither. One strategy is to only use well-used campsites and use the pre-built fire pits – it is pretty easy to leave them in the same condition (or cleaner) you found them. The other strategy is to camp where no one else camps and leave very little trace. This has the benefit of usually having ample firewood, but you do have to be more careful with trampling and fire-scars. Anyway, this is a whole debate and basically boils down to: be respectful to nature and the people who will be here next.

This series is during spring 2020, when all my trips are likely going to be cancelled for this next summer due to COVID-19.