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The Dynamic Trio of a Fantastic Campfire:

Food, Stories and Songs 

 

Campfire Songs

Campfire Food

The first thing I think of when campfire food is mentioned is hot dogs. Also known as tube steaks, wieners, franks, or sausages. It's just about the simplest hot food you can have on a campout. You cut a willow, preferably green, to put the hot dog on. Cut the tip to a point and slide it up the middle of the frank. Then all you need is some buns and condiments. I like catsup, mustard, mayo and relish. Some people add onions, jalapenos, cheese and/or chili. You can get by without plates if you keep it simple. Chips and a drink are all you need.

If you want to be more elaborate and use a plate, serve potato salad, pork and beans, cole slaw or some other kind of salad.

After the main course, the best campfire dessert is s'mores. If you don't know what s'mores are, you are in for a treat. Basically, it's a sandwich with a cooked marshmallow and piece of chocolate between two graham crackers. First, you cook a marshmallow. When it's hot and gooey, take two graham crackers. On one of them, place a square of a Hersheys chocolate bar. Then put the marshmallow on top of that. Then put the second graham cracker on top of that.

Any comfort food is good for campfires. We often have chex mix, chips, or a bag of candy to pass around. If it's cool outside, some hot chocolate or hot cider is good to help warm the inside. It feels great going down. Just don't drink too much; remember, if you're going to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you have to get out of your sleeping bag, and it might be a little ways from the latrine or outhouse.

Campfire Stories

Now for the third member of the dynamic trio; stories. My dad and his brothers would always take their families fishing together, usually to Henry's Lake or Island Park, in eastern Idaho, near the Montana and Wyoming border. Every evening around the campfire, they would tell stories about when they were kids. Some of the stories were the same every year, but usually we would hear one or two new ones. My uncle Lovell, to this day, almost always has a new story to tell.

You might be able to rely on family stories. If you don't want to take a chance, you might want to come up with some stories yourself. There are plenty of campfire story books. One of my favorites is anything by Patrick McMannus. He has some pretty funny hunting and camping stories.

Another type of story to consider is the ghost story or scary tales. Most kids like a good scary story. Just remember who your audience is. You don't want to scare some kid so badly that they can't sleep that night.

I also like to hear stories about historical events that happened around the area you are in. Look on the internet before you go camping and study a little of the history of your area. My brother, Ken, is really good at telling historical stories. One of my favorites is about John Colter and his experiences as a mountain man after he traveled with Lewis and Clark.

If you know a good story teller, you could recruit them to tell a couple of stories. I have a good friend that is great at making up funny stories, so I have asked him to help out at times.

Think about what kind of atmosphere you want at the campfire. Sometimes, it is nice to end with an inspirational thought or story. Again, check the internet, the library, or your own collection. Also, some people are better at telling inspirational stories and thoughts than others, so you should take that into consideration.

Sometimes, a good campfire experience will just happen on it's own without any planning. But most of the time, if you want a certain feeling, attitude or spirit to be a part of your campfire, you have to plan for it.

Be sure to take a look at The Great American Campfire Songbook. It's a great resource; filled with over 80 of the best, most requested camping songs.