As part of my conditioning hikes I like to spin a coal or two for extra physical activity for the upper body. When the friction fire attempt runs into trouble that only means more of a work out. Often these hikes start late pushing into the night. It was a good day.
Wild strawberries in this open area.
Heading up to higher country. I do this hike maybe 3 times a week changing it up with other trails during those outings.
The mountain laurels are in bloom. Some flowers are pink and others white. Not sure why they're different. Too lazy to Google it.
The higher scrub is my favorite type of country.
The blueberries aren't ready yet. These are one of the pros to being up here.
My usual resting spot. The Kifaru pointman was 28 lbs today. Much too heavy for a dayhike but that's part of the fun.
I always pick up trash in the woods. Not too many people hike this spot but will find the occasional can or wrapper which was the case here. So why not use them for a friction fire practice? My extra thin jacket was out for a knee pad on the rocks but the moss worked just fine.
Bearing block ready to GO! Aluminum cans have relatively low friction but are sharp when crushed and transfer heat easily. All and all uncomfortable to hold. I have cut myself a few times doing this in the past. The spindle can easily fly out as well. They can be improved upon but not the perfect bearing block. They are fast to modify and unfortunately tossed about as trash so all too often available. These pros make them usable but again not prefect.
Burn in over. It went smoothly enough which tends to be a good sign.
The V-notch cut. I am going to use the wrapper to hold the coal. What could possibly go wrong?
Got a coal fast but almost instantly it started to melt though the plastic.
It's amateur hour in the high scrub! The coal fell through the wrapper into the tinder bundle however it disintegrated. Not enough held together to blow into flames. What was I expecting. A coal not to melt plastic? If this had been my only shot at getting a fire in bad circumstances it would have been over. Then again if I was totally dependent on this horse and pony show to get a fire maybe better planing is in order? Yup I got matches, lighters and a firesteel.
Tossed the wrapper into my pack changing it out for an oak leaf. Spun another coal however the spindle flew out before I had time to build it up. Kinda sad little thing and without a coal extender I failed to blow it into flames.
I find with friction fire in field conditions often once it goes beyond 3 tries the odds of success greatly decrease. I speculate it's a combination of factors.
1. You're getting more worn out with each attempt.
2. The set isn't good and the 4th try won't change that.
3. The bugs are on to you in the summer or you're getting colder in the winter.
4. The weather or lighting conditions change the longer it takes and very often it seems to go downhill.
But on the third try we have success. A nice fat coal which should hold together just fine once allowed to solidify.
The baby has been delivered.
Tools of the trade for dayhikes which go into night. I also have a Fenix HP12 headlamp in addition to the flashlight.
The hike out.
That's it for the trail trash friction fire. Thank for looking.
Wild strawberries in this open area.
Heading up to higher country. I do this hike maybe 3 times a week changing it up with other trails during those outings.
The mountain laurels are in bloom. Some flowers are pink and others white. Not sure why they're different. Too lazy to Google it.
The higher scrub is my favorite type of country.
The blueberries aren't ready yet. These are one of the pros to being up here.
My usual resting spot. The Kifaru pointman was 28 lbs today. Much too heavy for a dayhike but that's part of the fun.
I always pick up trash in the woods. Not too many people hike this spot but will find the occasional can or wrapper which was the case here. So why not use them for a friction fire practice? My extra thin jacket was out for a knee pad on the rocks but the moss worked just fine.
Bearing block ready to GO! Aluminum cans have relatively low friction but are sharp when crushed and transfer heat easily. All and all uncomfortable to hold. I have cut myself a few times doing this in the past. The spindle can easily fly out as well. They can be improved upon but not the perfect bearing block. They are fast to modify and unfortunately tossed about as trash so all too often available. These pros make them usable but again not prefect.
Burn in over. It went smoothly enough which tends to be a good sign.
The V-notch cut. I am going to use the wrapper to hold the coal. What could possibly go wrong?
Got a coal fast but almost instantly it started to melt though the plastic.
It's amateur hour in the high scrub! The coal fell through the wrapper into the tinder bundle however it disintegrated. Not enough held together to blow into flames. What was I expecting. A coal not to melt plastic? If this had been my only shot at getting a fire in bad circumstances it would have been over. Then again if I was totally dependent on this horse and pony show to get a fire maybe better planing is in order? Yup I got matches, lighters and a firesteel.
Tossed the wrapper into my pack changing it out for an oak leaf. Spun another coal however the spindle flew out before I had time to build it up. Kinda sad little thing and without a coal extender I failed to blow it into flames.
I find with friction fire in field conditions often once it goes beyond 3 tries the odds of success greatly decrease. I speculate it's a combination of factors.
1. You're getting more worn out with each attempt.
2. The set isn't good and the 4th try won't change that.
3. The bugs are on to you in the summer or you're getting colder in the winter.
4. The weather or lighting conditions change the longer it takes and very often it seems to go downhill.
But on the third try we have success. A nice fat coal which should hold together just fine once allowed to solidify.
The baby has been delivered.
Tools of the trade for dayhikes which go into night. I also have a Fenix HP12 headlamp in addition to the flashlight.
The hike out.
That's it for the trail trash friction fire. Thank for looking.
thanks 
