On the last night at summer camp many years ago, a ceremony included an award for whoever could build a campfire with just one match. In order to do so, we had to learn the principles of fire building—for instance, the need for oxygen and for something dry that burns readily.
That’s the easy part. The more difficult part was learning how to build a fire using only one match. First we had to learn how to lay the fire. We started with fluffy shavings from a twig, then topped that with toothpick-sized dry wood, then pencil-sized wood, followed by slightly larger wood, and so on. All the while we were taught to place the kindling in either “log cabin” or “teepee” style, to allow plenty of air circulation to feed the fire.
It sometimes seemed like slow and tedious work. We’d have to go out and scour the woods for tinder and kindling and fallen branches, then place them in piles according to size, then carefully lay the fire, then light it (only one match!)—then the final step, fanning or blowing on it to produce a flame. All that for one little medal on the last night of camp.
