Thanks for the reminder Barry. In 1987, I was on a trip with three friends. We exited.....I think Grassy Bay to White Trout....and there was a small island - no campsite, but we saw smoke. Somebody had camped there the night before, and vacated. They made a fire pit with rocks in the midst of a pine needle bed that was a good four inches deep or more. The pine bed was burned out in an area I bet 5 meters x 5 meters or so, and the base of several trees had burned out. Mostly it was a smoldering situation, a couple small flames here or there. We formed a four-man pot and pan brigade and took care of it, but the lesson has always stayed with me. Marked campsites only, use the real fire pit, keep the fire size moderate, the area clear, the firewood a little distance away, and be attentive. I keep a bucket full and handy, and when I'm done, whether just for the afternoon, or the night, or when leaving permanently, I drown it relentlessly. Nobody would ever want their name attached to starting a forest fire.
