Have you ever been camping and had a great fire with big flames, smelled the wood burning, and watched the glistening glow? Well if not, I have and I want you to have as much fun, and as great of a time, as I! Or at least appreciate the activity of the great outdoors.

When you go camping make good choices. Try not to pick the spot at the bottom of the hill. When it rains all the water will go downhill and flood your campsite. Also, don’t pick a spot deep in the woods where all the mosquitoes will bite you. If you choose to camp there, smoke or bug spray will drive the mosquitoes away.

Once you have found your camping site, begin to get everything ready. First, get your tent set up and then unpack your gear. Depending on how much gear you bring this step might be long for you. Next, find some wood around your campsite and bring it back. You want wood in all different sizes. Tinder is especially important. It is the smallest aspect of your fire and will be what you light first. It should be nice and small like twigs and birch bark. Kindling is medium size sticks. You should gather a lot of this because it will help keep your fire going. The next thing to find are decent sized logs. The logs are the fuel, and feed the fire. . .

Now it is time to take all the groups of wood and put them together to make a fire. First, you put down the tinder along the bottom. Then you take the kindling and make a tepee around it with an opening. After that, add the fuel on top of the kindling to the desired height. You should not overkill it by putting too many logs in and putting out the fire that you worked so hard to build. The last thing you need to do before lighting the fire is to check to make sure that nothing around the fire pit will catch on fire.

Now finally you can light the fire! Once the fire is big you can make S’mores. In order to make S’mores, you need chocolate, Gram crackers, and marshmallows. First you need to find a stick to cook your marshmallow on. Once you have found it, place your marshmallow on the stick and then toast the marshmallow in the fire. After it has cooked for your desired time you can put the marshmallow onto a Gram cracker with chocolate. Wash your hands so you will be ready for your delicious treat. Once you have enjoyed your snack you can tell stories around the campfire, or you can laugh and enjoy what is going on.
Finally, the best part of all, is the time when you get some shut eye. It will probably be hard to fall asleep because of all the fun you had camping and the good S’mores you ate. “Happy Trails”, and enjoy your camping experience!