you are kidding right?

Wildfire is a part of nature, and is a very important part of forest regeneration.
Some trees need fire in order for their seeds to open and begin to germinate.
As well, wildfire keeps the buildup of fuel in the forest under control.
Forestry services around the world do controlled burns to get rid of excess fuel
on the forest floor.

On the downside, wildfire can be devastating to urban and semi-urban areas.
The potential for loss of human life, and the loss of property is incredible.
Unfortunately, as population increases and spreads further and further out of
our cities, the potential for loss due to wildfire also increases.

Fighting these fires is a very dangerous and difficult job.
Many firefighters have lost their jobs trying to protect people and their
property from destruction. Dawg is right when he says that these fires provide
job security for the firefighters. We would all wish that it wasn't the case,
but it unfortunately it's an occupation that appears to always be needed.

Man that is just heartbreaking about the fire restrictions in your area. It is about the only skill I have going for me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Anyhow, one of my favorite things is to make little stick fires here and there that act as hand warmer fires. We have a little fun doing them, they aren't environmentally damaging and are nearly smokeless if you choose your tinder and kindling right. Just make sure it is fully extinguished before leaving. The little prairie that my wife and I frequent is not supposed to have man-made fires. However, they burn it out every decade in order to keep the hardwood at bay. The natural state of the area is prairie that was maintained by fires. Some of the species of trees in the parks require fire in order to treat the seeds and cause them to open up.









Disclaimer - sorry guys, once my SOD arrives (it will be a while since I ordered it 2 days before the offerings closed down), I will be posting more pics of it in action. For now you have the benefit of a RC-6 and a custom necker by local maker Jimi Wade. The wade necker sits in my Fire/Shelter/Water PSK and I use it (edge on) directly as a striker. I don't know why everyone is so afraid of using the edge for firestell striking. The amount of dulling is minimal and easy to touch up!

kgd_!
Great looking pictures.
Beautiful looking area that you are in there!

Cheers

Kgd- nice looking snowshoes !! Why are they so different ? I know zero about snow stuff as I don't see the white stuff often and rarely ( never) go to snow. Great pics-Thanks !

Well, I eventually got around to doing it. It was a fun day, I just love the snow

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Great pics guys! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Awesome Pictured Gideon. I love both those knives! I'm assuming you had petroleum jellied cotton balls in the canisters?

ordawg1 - the two sets of snowshoes have different purposes. The older wooden ones are old school but actually float much better in deeper snow. I love these shoes when traversing open fields or lakes. The smaller, new fangled ones are provide less floatation but are much more maneuverable in the bush. They are easier to turn with and have crampons at the toes that let you dig into icy hills on climbs. Snowshoeing is a lot of fun and not so technique laden. In about ten minutes you generate your rhythm and you are off exploring the deep snow!

That's right, the one contains cotton balls and the other petroleum jelly. I'm too old to struggle without it, especially when it's cold <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I was wondering the same thing. I work the jelly into my cotton balls and that seems to work too.

That's exactly what I do. I just store them separately because cotton balls can be used for other purposes as well.

I do that too Gideon.
Works very well too.

Great looking pictures of the fire, and of the really COOL knives!


Cheers <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />