The Magic of a Campfire

Living at Lake Laberge gives us an opportunity to kindle a campfire on a daily basis from first melt to first snow with a few winter bonfires thrown in for good measure. There is a large fire pit centrally located in our back yard. The pit is gravel lined and circled with a selection of large rocks. The rocks are carefully chosen from locations around the lake and strategically placed around the fire perimeter. There are many types of rocks represented in the circle. Some of the names I can remember but by and large chosen for their difference to one another and their ability to absorb and contain heat. With an extended fire period, the rocks warm up nicely and make a great footrest to keep the feet warm on a chilly evening. The ritual of sitting around the circle, elbows on your knees, open hands to the fire, gazing at the dancing flames to the tune of a hiss and a crackle provides a perfect setting for the wandering mind.

There is evidence that the earliest use of controlled fire happened well over a million years ago. At that time a fire, likely started by lightning, was kept burning and was carried along by the family or tribe when they migrated or went on walk-about. By many it was considered sacred and a gift from the gods and to be revered accordingly. The techniques of making a fire at will is believed to have occurred around 10,000 years ago when our ancestors started using friction, pyrite and flint as fire-making tools. Even then fire was mostly welcomed to the hearth as a source of great comfort whether that hearth was the kitchen stove, a fireplace or a campfire on the trail.

Unfriendly fires have been much in the news lately. More recently the bush and forest fires in Alaska and British Columbia and not to long ago we have had to live with a number of summers full of smoke as nature had its way.

For a lot of folks on our planet, fire is now considered a danger and hazard and associated with riots, disasters and unnatural happenings. Many of our visitors cannot remember when last, if ever they sat around a friendly campfire. The campfire pit provides a wonderful venue for camaraderie on camping trips and river outings. It can be used as a source of cooking heat, warmth and light. It brings us back to the primal basics of life for how many times has the scene been repeated in past generations.

Frequently when choosing a wilderness campsite we may feel that we are the first to camp on this very spot only to find some well-washed charcoal surrounded by an aged ring of stones in the very place we would chose for our fire. Our thoughts run wild with imagined settings and unmistakably we feel close to whoever it was that confirmed our choosing the site as a temporary wilderness sanctuary.

At our home the campfire provides a companionable and comfortable setting to ponder and discuss any number of things. The gentle ballet of colored flames and the glow of the black-ribbed embers start an exchange of ideas. The setting provides a shrinking island of respite in an ever more busy world and I feel very privileged just sitting there in our own chosen retreat.