Hi
I'm new to bushcraft. I had my first overnight in the woods last weekend and loved it. All went well... knots remembered, hammock & tarp secure and comfy... but I couldn't get a fire lit.
I cleared the ground and laid some inch-thick pieces of wood as a base. I collected and graded wood as dry as I could find (dead branches,, twigs off the ground as much as possible). I graded the wood roughly as 1-2mm , 5mm, 10mm (half inch) and then "big". I used vaseline and cotton balls with a firesteel. I had a larger piece of branch to use as a lean to.
The really thin stuff burned fine and I got a little fire going, but none of the 5mm pieces would take. They smouldered and blackened but would not burn. I had to find more thin stuff to try again but still no joy. By that time it was getting dark so no fire for me.
The wood didn't seem that wet to me, but maybe I can't recognise wet wood properly! Other than that, I don't know what I did wrong. I must have done something wrong, but I don't know what.
Can anyone shed any light?