By Eric Fowler
The flames dance. The coals glow. The wood crackles and pops. The combination of these elements is mesmerizing. It is therapy.
Sit there alone and stare into a campfire’s depths, and you can’t help but relax as the warmth melts your worries away.
Sit around a fire with friends or family, and you can rehash old times, solve the world’s problems and make future plans. In Boy Scouts, it was the perfect setting for telling ghost stories. Build a bigger one, invite more friends and you can call it a bonfire.
The campfire functions the same in the dead of winter or the heat of summer. The only difference is that during the former, you stay closer to the flames, turning repeatedly, as if on a rotisserie, always keeping one side warm. During the latter, a fire can fight off the evening chill, or warm you up while you drink your morning coffee. But not even the hottest summer night can negate the need for a fire.
You don’t have to go camping to enjoy a fire. And a campfire isn’t required when camping. But it should be. It is to many, myself included, one of the absolute best parts.
