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There is nothing like a roaring fire to sit around on a camping trip. You might swap ghost stories or speak of the brave deeds performed by your ancestors. You can also roast puffy marshmallows on sharpened twigs and burn your tongue when you eat those marshmallows. Whatever you do around your campfire is your business, but how you dispose of it is everyone's business.
- Use only fallen wood. Don't use living trees to build a campfire. Use sticks, not logs. Sticks will burn to ash, but logs may be left charred and hard to dispose of.
- Don't leave the fire unattended.
- Don't burn packaging garbage in the fire.
- Burn all sticks to ash.
- Douse the ashes with water to make sure the fire is completely out.
- Scoop up the ashes and scatter them over a large area.
- Try and leave the campfire area in the same way that you found it.
Leave No Trace recommends leaving a rock ring where your fire once burned in well-camped areas. (You should remove other rock rings in the same area to make sure that only one fire ring is used.) But in the deep wilderness, it is best if the fire pit is cleared and disguised to look natural.
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