Outdoors: Fire

Quick post: Ever since I was in Scouts, I have loved the outdoors. And I was part of a well lead troop (the other boys were rough but the leaders were phenomenal). We were outdoors one weekend a month, every month except for maybe December and January. December was deer hunting season and it was best to just stay out of the way of flying lead, and January we were prepping for the February Klondike.

One of the things I learned from all those trips, and in every kind of weather was how to build a fire irregardless of what the weather was doing. Dry wood is not hard to find, some tips:

• The branches laying flat on the wet ground is probably wet. Move on. 
• The branches not actually touching the ground are dry; drier.
• (Now most purists won't like this, but if you do it right it can be a win-win for you and the tree) Dead branches on a tree tend to stay dry. Don't take live branches; it hurts the tree and it won't burn well. But many trees have dead branches and limbs that if you remove them cleanly, like a gardener or landscaper would, you are helping the tree and in return getting dry wood.
• Don't burn leaves. It's like burning a cigarette, you just get smoke. Leaves aren't nature's paper. 
• Dry pine needles are the best. If it's been raining you can usually find some at the base of a pine tree. Pine is an awesome wood. It puts off a lot of light and burns easily. Creates smoke, but there is no such thing as a free lunch.
• Most fire pits have charred logs and hearty coals that still have some life in them. At a public camp ground I can often easily find cut logs ready for me.

Well, like I said quick post. Gotta run.