[pct-l] Hiking the PCT in the 60's

Thu Apr 8 15:44:46 CDT 2010

Steeleye,

I had that London story on my i-pod last year, and heard it for the first time in the Sierra. Haunting, for sure.

jason
"jackass" '09,'10

> Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:00:18 -0700
> From: steeleye at wildblue.net
> To: hetchhetchyman at aol.com
> CC: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Hiking the PCT in the 60's
> 
> Good afternoon, Iceaxe,
> 
> Your comments got me all fired-up.
> 
> 
> 
> My first camping season as an 11-year-old Boy Scout was almost totally
> focused on building a fire and cooking a meal.  My Scoutmaster insisted that
> we all establish these basics.  Then, my only interest was to get a fire up
> and going fast, however I could.
> 
> 
> 
> Later, as an Explorer Scout, I fell in with a group of guys who really
> caused me to establish my ultralite basics: We challenged each other to do
> things quicker, better, more simply, and with fewer resources.  Fire-building
> was a big part of that.  As a little Scout the challenge had been to build a
> fire using no more than two common stick matches.  At age 11 that was an
> impossible dream, but soon it became standard practice so additional
> challenges evolved.
> 
> 
> The next step was to use only 100% natural fire-making material found
> on-site.  After that, the two-match allowance was reduced to one.  Next, we
> limited ourselves to one little paper book-match; and we know how pitiful
> they are.  Finally, a few fanatics – I hate to name names – would tear out
> one book match, and using a knife point or fingernail on the bottom end,
> would separate the paper match stem up its center and pull one half of the
> match away from the other.  Usually half the chemical head stays with each
> half-match.  Those half-matches were really frail and pitiful, and could
> only be lit by keeping ones finger directly on the head when striking.  To
> be successful, one had better have perfect tinder, perfect kindling, and
> perfect shelter for the tiny flame that resulted.  Well done, there would be
> 40 campfires from one matchbook.
> 
> 
> 
> Next came an insidious game called, “Here and Now”, where one’s companion
> would wait till just the right time and place to declare, “We need a fire –
> here and now!”  That was much the same challenge as, “I double-dog dare
> ‘ya…”.  The victim then had to build a fire at that place with only
> available materials.  Failure to do so -- or worse, a refusal to even try --
> was rewarded with loud and sustained hoots of derision.  You can probably
> guess that “the right time and place” always meant “under the worst possible
> conditions.”
> 
> 
> I even imposed that same game on myself when hiking alone:  I would set an
> alarm an hour or so ahead, vowing to stop instantly when it went off and
> build a fire at that exact spot.  Through some places I remember saying to
> myself, “Oh, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease don’t go off here!"  I did fudge
> once, though:  The alarm went off when I was right in the middle of fording
> a creek.
> 
> 
> 
> Eventually I gave up on matches and lighters entirely, and became
> accomplished with flint and steel and with friction from a bow drill fire
> starter.  The bow drill was usually pretty slow, but with flint and steel if
> I didn’t have open flame within 20 seconds I was well off the pace.
> 
> 
> 
> Even today, at home before a hike, I occasionally re-read Jack London’s
> short-story: *To Build A Fire* at http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html
>  Since I was a teenager the recollection of that tale has haunted me
> whenever I build a fire, regardless of how favorable the circumstances.
> 
> 
> 
> Steel-Eye
> 
> Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
> 
> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
> 
> http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 8:32 AM, <hetchhetchyman at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> >
> > From: CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
> > Subject: [pct-l] PCT Hiking in '65
> > To: Pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Message-ID:
> >        <t2ldb9154d1004071221re757384bgd00e79758e7e1c21 at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
> >
> > Good afternoon, all,
> >
> >
> >
> > Recently it?s been cool, damp, and windy here in the Pacific NW, and I?ve
> > been pouting because I?m not attending the Kick-Off, so to take my mind off
> > the gloom I revisited some of my older PCT reference books.  One that I
> > hadn?t thought about in years is, *Home In Your Pack*, by Bradford Angier
> >
> > Good Morning SteelEye,
> > I too am a big fan of Bradford Angiers books. His advice never seems dated.
> > One piece of his advice has always served me well over the years, even while
> > hiking the PCT last year.
> > "The ability to build a campfire swiftly and with certainty in every type
> > of weather that may one day beset us can,at a decisive moment, also mean the
> > difference between existence and finality; and the way to aquire such skill
> > is a bit at a time over as long a period as possible, using on each occasion
> > only whatever natural materials may be at hand.
> > >From this stems the principal objection, and as I think you'll agree a
> > grave one, against getting in the habit of un-necessarily cutting corners
> > with any of the fire kindlers that are on the market. For there may come a
> > blusterous winter night when the trees are bent with sleet, and the
> > individual up against it may very well not have a chemical tablet to ignite
> > instead of the bark and shavings to which, although they have always been
> > availiable as they are now, he has not become accustomed."- Bradford Angier
> > -How to Stay Alive in the Woods
> > As thru hikers we rarely have the time or need to kindle fires. In fact in
> > many places on the trail it is no doubt destructive to the enviroment to
> > gather and burn wood. However, as human beings we must accept our
> > limitations and the fact that at times, despite our best efforts, we may
> > become overwhelmed by the environment. Last year we had sleet and hail for
> > much of our southern crossing of the Sierra. Despite what I told myself
> > about NOT making fire, I in fact did so (in established rings) on a number
> > of occasions to insure the survival of myself and my companion. Yes, some
> > blame could be put upon our choices of ultralight gear and willingness to
> > enter the wilderness under those conditions.
> > The point being your survival could depend on skills you never would
> > ordinarily consider neccesary. Bradford Angier's writing taught me that most
> > valuable lesson, and it has served me well over the years. I am glad you
> > brought up this topic SteelEye. It highlights the fact that just because a
> > book is old it does not mean the infromation contained within is dated.
> > -Iceaxe
> >
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