Collecting firewood

Collect as much dry wood as you can while the sun is up.

If you find yourself low on fuel wood once it has gone down you're more than likely going to be spending some time trying to avoid smoke.

Fortunately I found some hickory for my campfire so all my gear smells like a smokehouse but it could have been some nasty punky wood that'd been sitting on the ground for ages that smoked me out of the basha.

It's now four days removed from my outing and some of my gear is still hanging up in the garage. The smokey smell of a campfire fills the air and every time I climb into, or out of, my car I'm reminded of my time in the woods.

Make sure you can identify and avoid poison ivy, oak, and sumac. Burning any or all of these WILL cause you respiratory problems. Even a piece of wood with dead ivy growing on it may be a problem. You could also cause problems for anyone else unfortunate enough to inhale some of that smoke.

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