The Happy Camper: Campfire Facts
- Campfires can burn at a temperature of approximately 900 degrees Fahrenheit (480 degrees Celsius). That’s hot enough to melt down soft metals such as lead or zinc.
- The colour of flames is derived from its soot, which when heated becomes incandescent, and in return gives off thermal radiation in the form of light. The coolest portion of the flame is red and the hottest being bluish-white.
- Fuel, heat and chemical composition can all influence the colour of a fire.
- Yelling out “I hate white rabbits” around the campfire is believed to stop the smoke blowing towards you, watering your eyes and polluting your lungs. But does it have any merit? Well, of course not. It seems the whole thing originated from the idea that white rabbits were considered an omen of death and that in England good luck would come upon you if you called out “white rabbit” three times on the first of every month. The poor bunnies have been cursed ever since.
- S’mores have been a campfire tradition ever since the recipe first appeared in the 1927 edition of the Girl Scout handbook, “Tramping and Trailing.” And there’s no doubt why it was given its name. It’s short for “some more.” Think about it. Kids get to pierce a sugary marshmallow with a stick, hold it over the campfire until it ignites, then squish it between chunks of chocolate and graham crackers. What child wouldn’t want more?
- To date, no one seems to know who started the act of roasting a marshmallow over a campfire and transforming the white spongy puff into a burned shell with a sticky, tongue-burning centre. It was probably some camp counselor that couldn’t stand baking up another can of pork and beans. But it’s in the United Stated where most marshmallows are now consumed (90 million pounds per year to be exact). Most of those consumers are (no surprise) under the age of twelve. It seems the older one gets, the less inviting toasting a marshmallow becomes. Most adults (56 per cent) claim to prefer eating it raw. Truth is, parents secretly despise them; and they especially loathe making of s’mores on camping trips. The problem is that the gooey mess will undoubtedly get all over the kid’s clothes, making them bear bait for the rest of the evening.
