Art of Fire Building at Cornwall Park: 2/19/17

Silver Salmon, or should we say Silver Squirrels? Although the vote was an overall ‘NO’ to an official group name change, this squirrelly bunch joined the Cornwall Park squirrels with their boundless excitement, playfulness and lively energy. Our day of exploration at Cornwall Park began fairly cool, but thankfully all the Silver Salmons arrived full of excitement and readiness to gain some fire building skills!

After an easy-going collaborative decision-making session, we got our bodies warmed up with a few rounds of Fox Tail Tag. Once the squirrelly spirits got their chance to shine, we honed in our attention to FIRE. What is fire? Where is fire? Where does fire come from? How can you feed your fire? Well, after some deep philosophical conversations we gleaned that fire is Sun, fire is Energy, fire is Soul and Inspiration… Needless to say the Silver Salmon were excited to transform their skills and energy into fire! 

The girls showed their patience and supportive attitudes as we all took turns practicing getting a spark from flint & steel. After just 2 rounds, everyone had successfully made a spark! And that was enough to spark our enthusiasm for gathering fuel. But first we each contributed to our ”tinder bundles” by unwinding a piece of cordage to mimic the flammable seed hairs of Cattail plants. Before heading out, we heard loud and beautifully clear the calls of Red Tailed Hawks soaring high above...

We set out in teams to gather all the necessary fuel sizes for our fire: dry tinder, kindling, and squaw wood. As we explored the underbrush of tall Western Red Cedars, budding Indian Plum, and thickly barked Douglas Firs, we searched long and hard for dry materials that we could gather while still

Leaving No Trace. We learned about the magical fire wonders of fat wood - resin impregnated heartwood - that is often found in stumps, and focused our search for this fire fuel treasure. A few dry Western Hemlocks provided the perfect kindling we needed! Silver Salmon worked together identifying and collecting the ideal fuels.   

On our walk around the park we practiced some S.T.O.P. as we navigated around other park users that were engaging with flying objects. Our mentor Holly shared some wonderful insights on differentiating Cottonwood trees from Maples, and a few even got to collect Cottonwood buds, perhaps for some future Salve making. (Spring is near!) A few resin coated Douglas Firs caught our attention along the way. The concentration and determination for getting that resin on a stick was astounding!

As we found our way back to the shelter, the time came to bring our materials together and build a fire! (After, of course, feeding our own fires with a well deserved lunch break!) The nest was built with the collective tinder bundles and a tipi shaped squaw wood house was set - with the opening facing the wind- to receive the nest once it was lit. We all took turns with the flint and steel, again practicing great patience with ourselves, support for each other, and reverence for the fire to come. And before we knew it….FIRE!
 

While we all took turns tending the fire, a few games of Spider’s Web were played, a few clever squirrel traps were set, a few stories and fire-starting tricks were shared… and what better way to the end the day than with fire roasted apples with cinnamon and butter! 

Explorers Club Mottos especially alive today:Widen Our Circle
Safety First
Leave No Trace
Attitude of Gratitude